Ari & Rasdhoo Atolls · Maldives · Channel & pass · Drift
Rasdhoo Channel
Advanced channel drift with sharks between 22 and 30 m
Area photo: John Hepburn · CC BY 4.0
The channel between Kuramathi resort island and Rasdhoo, dived only by advanced divers, with the encounters happening between 22 and 30 metres. Divers follow the edge of the channel while grey reef sharks, whitetips, eagle rays and napoleon wrasse work the flow. It runs best on a medium current pushing across and slightly into the atoll.
Where it is and how deep
4.2584° N, 72.9883° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The dive works best on a medium current pushing mainly across the channel and slightly in toward the atoll, and that direction sets everything else. Divers follow the edge of the channel, keeping the reef on one side and the open water on the other, with the encounters happening between 22 and 30 metres. It is a dive for advanced certification, both for the depth and for the fact that the flow decides the pace.
Along the edge you meet schools of grey reef sharks and whitetips, with stingrays, napoleon wrasse, groupers, turtles, eagle rays and schools of snapper on the same stretch of channel. It also produces surprises, guitarfish and mantas among them, which is why the dive is worth doing more than once. Depth and gas set the end of it: the group leaves the channel edge with enough in hand for the ascent.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- Eagle rays
- Stingrays
- Napoleon wrasse
- Sea turtles
- Groupers
- Manta rays
| 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.
Know before you go
- The whole dive sits between 22 and 30 m in moving water, so gas and no-decompression time run down quickly and the exit is planned before the drop.
- The dive only works on a medium current across and into the atoll; the guide calls it off rather than fighting the wrong direction.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Rasdhoo Channel?+
The encounters happen between 22 and 30 metres along the channel edge, which is why the site is described as suitable only for advanced divers.
What will I see in Rasdhoo Channel?+
Schools of grey reef sharks and whitetips, stingrays, napoleon wrasse, turtles, eagle rays, groupers and snappers, with occasional guests including guitarfish and mantas.
Sources
- Rasdhoo Channel — Scubago
More dive sites in Ari & Rasdhoo Atolls
Pinnacle
Ocean-facing pinnacle at the mouth of Bathala channel
Pinnacle
South-side overhangs with gorgonian fans and black corals
Pinnacle
An estimated sixteen resident grey reef sharks
Pinnacle
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
Pinnacle
Shallow top reef from 5 m, with anthias over the safety stop
Cave & cavern
Two swim-through caverns, at 18-20 m and 28-30 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Drift the channel corner on either tide, 5 to 25 m
A channel protected for its grey reef and whitetip sharks
Sharks holding mid-channel in the drift that gave the site its name
Grey reef sharks in schools of 20 or more on an incoming tide