Addu Atoll, the area around Maakandu Outside

Addu Atoll · Maldives · Wall · Reef

Maakandu Outside

Easy wall from a 5-8 m reef top down past 30 m

Area photo: ╚ DD╔ from Male, Maldives · CC BY-SA 2.0

The outside reef on the north-east of Addu at the Maakandu channel, dived as an easy wall that is not usually affected by strong currents. The top of the reef starts at 5 to 8 metres and slopes gradually past 30, with reef sharks, turtles and humphead parrotfish along it and open water on the seaward side.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Maakandu Outside: typical dive 5–30 m (15–100 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit5 m30 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

0.5936° S, 73.1769° EPublished position for this site.

The dive

Maakandu Outside is the reef on the outside of the channel in the north-east of the atoll, and it dives as an easy wall rather than a channel drift, since strong currents are not usually a factor here. The top of the reef starts at 5 to 8 metres, so the descent is short, and from there the ground slopes gradually away past 30 metres. Pick a working depth and hold it rather than following the slope down.

Swim the wall with the reef on one shoulder and open water on the other. Reef sharks, turtles, humphead parrotfish, barracuda, tuna and triggerfish are the regular company along the coral, and it is worth looking out into the blue for rays and sharks passing by rather than only at the reef face. Because the reef top is so shallow, the last part of the dive and the safety stop happen over coral rather than in open water.

Marine life and season

  • Reef sharks
  • Sea turtles
  • Barracuda
  • Tuna
Month-by-month season rating for Maakandu Outside
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
PrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodGoodPrimePrimePrimeGoodGoodGood

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

  1. Maakandu Outside dive site — Scubago

More dive sites in Addu Atoll

Channel & pass

Addu Manta Point

A year-round manta point at 19-25 m inside the channel

19–25 madvanced

Reef

Banana Reef

A banana-shaped reef dived from the surface to 30 m

0–30 mintermediate

Wreck

British Loyalty

The largest wreck in the Maldives, on her port side at 33 m

to 33 mintermediate

Channel & pass

Bushy East Channel

Drift the channel corner on either tide, 5 to 25 m

5–25 madvanced

Channel & pass

Kuda Kandu Corner

Table, mushroom and brain corals down a steep slope to 25 m

to 25 madvanced

Reef

Shark Point

Tigers, grey reefs and silvertips on Addu's outer reef

5–35 madvanced

Similar dives elsewhere

Wall

Rasdhoo Madivaru

Ari & Rasdhoo Atolls · Maldives

An early-morning drop into the blue for hammerheads

to 30 madvanced

Wall

Alidhoo Caves

Haa Alif & Haa Dhaalu Atolls · Maldives

Large overhangs on the wall with sleeping stingrays and turtles

5–30 mintermediate

Wall

Fulidhoo Caves

Vaavu Atoll · Maldives

Wide soft-coral overhangs under table corals along a 4 km back reef

6–30 mintermediate

Wall

Blue Corner

Palau · Palau

Hook into the plateau lip and let the sharks stack up off the edge

8–30 madvanced