Ari & Rasdhoo Atolls · Maldives · Pinnacle · Reef
Kandholhudhoo Thila
Shallow top reef from 5 m, with anthias over the safety stop
Area photo: John Hepburn · CC BY 4.0
A small thila northwest of Kandolhu resort in North Ari, described as suitable for all levels of diver. The top reef starts as shallow as 5 metres and the sides fall to a sandy bottom at 25 to 30. Overhangs shelter groupers, sweetlips and soldierfish, and eagle rays or mobulas turn up with some luck.
Where it is and how deep
4.0035° N, 72.8840° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
This is a small pinnacle, so the dive is a circuit rather than a route. The top reef begins as shallow as 5 metres and the sides drop to a sandy bottom at 25 to 30 metres, which means the depth is yours to choose: a lap of the deeper base first, then a slow spiral up the flanks as the dive goes on. The size of the thila is what makes it work for all levels of diver.
The overhangs are the places to slow down. They shelter a mix of groupers, sweetlips and soldierfish sitting out of the light, and out in the blue there is a chance of eagle rays or mobulas passing. The ending is unusually pleasant for an atoll site: with the top reef so shallow, the safety stop can often be done up there, in an orange cloud of anthias, instead of hanging in open water.
Marine life and season
- Eagle rays
- Mobula rays
- Groupers
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Prime |
Season follows Ari & Rasdhoo Atolls: Dry NE monsoon (Dec-Apr) brings the calmest seas and clearest water; the SW monsoon (Jun-Oct) lowers visibility but pushes plankton onto the western sides, the best manta months.
Questions divers ask
Is Kandholhudhoo Thila good for beginners?+
The source describes it as suitable for all levels, and the top reef starts at about 5 metres, so a shallow lap of the pinnacle is well within an Open Water diver's range. The sandy base at 25 to 30 metres is for more experienced divers.
Sources
- Kandholhudhoo Thila — Scubago
More dive sites in Ari & Rasdhoo Atolls
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Ocean-facing pinnacle at the mouth of Bathala channel
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South-side overhangs with gorgonian fans and black corals
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An estimated sixteen resident grey reef sharks
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A pinnacle eroded into five separate pieces, 12 m to 40 m
Wreck
Upright cargo wreck, deck at 21 m and sand at 28 m
Pinnacle
Blue sponges and black-coral overhangs on a small pinnacle
Cave & cavern
Two swim-through caverns, at 18-20 m and 28-30 m
Wreck
40 m supply boat at 20 m, sheltered enough for night dives
Similar dives elsewhere
Turtles and whitetips resting under a quiet 10 m pinnacle
Endemic sponge snail on a protected thila topping out at 7 m
Caves and overhangs north, a wall past 60 m east
Healthy hard coral from a 5 m top down to about 30 m