Addu Atoll · Maldives · Channel & pass · Drift
Bushy East Channel
Drift the channel corner on either tide, 5 to 25 m
Area photo: ╚ DD╔ from Male, Maldives · CC BY-SA 2.0
The eastern corner of Addu's Maakandu channel, usually dived as a drift and workable on both the incoming and the outgoing tide. Inside the cut a sandy slope runs from 5 to 25 metres with coral blocks on it, and at the corner the reef flattens out at around 22 metres under hard coral fields.
Where it is and how deep
0.6114° S, 73.1510° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Unlike most channel dives, this one works on both the incoming and the outgoing current, so the boat can dive it on either tide and the guide picks the drop point to suit the direction. It is usually run as a drift on the eastern corner of Maakandu. Inside the channel you have a sandy slope from 5 down to 25 metres with coral blocks standing on it, which gives you shelter to duck behind and something to hold onto if the water is pushing.
At the corner itself the reef flattens out at around 22 metres and is covered in healthy hard coral fields, and that flat is where most of the dive time goes. Watch the channel mouth for mantas heading in and out, and expect eagle rays, turtles, humphead parrotfish, barracuda and napoleon wrasse over the large coral formations. Send an SMB up before you leave the reef so the boat can pick you up wherever the drift puts you.
Marine life and season
- Manta rays
- Eagle rays
- Sea turtles
- Napoleon wrasse
- Barracuda
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Addu Atoll: Addu's resident dive centre rates January to April driest and busiest and July to September best for visibility; May-June and October-December are wetter. Full and new moon run the strongest currents.
Sources
- Bushy East Channel dive site — Scubago
More dive sites in Addu Atoll
Channel & pass
A year-round manta point at 19-25 m inside the channel
Reef
A banana-shaped reef dived from the surface to 30 m
Wreck
The largest wreck in the Maldives, on her port side at 33 m
Channel & pass
Table, mushroom and brain corals down a steep slope to 25 m
Hard coral gardens from 6 m to a 20 m drop-off
Wall
Easy wall from a 5-8 m reef top down past 30 m
Reef
Tigers, grey reefs and silvertips on Addu's outer reef
Similar dives elsewhere
Advanced channel drift with sharks between 22 and 30 m
Sharks holding mid-channel in the drift that gave the site its name
A channel protected for its grey reef and whitetip sharks
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Grey reef sharks in schools of 20 or more on an incoming tide