North Malé Atoll, the area around Fish Tank

North Malé Atoll · Maldives · Reef

Fish Tank

Stingrays and morays drawn to a fish-factory outflow

Area photo: Genet (Diskussion) · CC BY-SA 3.0

Fish Tank — also called Fish Factory or Stingray City, and by the local account all three names fit — is a shallow site beside an island fish factory whose outflow is the reason so many rays and moray eels gather here. With no current and a maximum depth of 20.8 m, it is an easy, animal-rich dive.

Also known as Fish Factory, Stingray City.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Fish Tank: typical dive 10.2–20.8 m (33–68 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit10.2 m20.8 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

4.2659° N, 73.5380° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

There is a fish factory on the island, and that is the reason the site holds so many rays and moray eels — the outflow keeps them coming. The diving around them is genuinely undemanding: wannadive logs no current at all, an average depth of 10.2 m, a maximum of 20.8 m and visibility of 10 to 30 m.

The names tell you what to expect. Fish Tank, Fish Factory, Stingray City — the catalogue page says they all fit, and the dive is about the animals rather than coral scenery: stingrays and morays at close range for as long as your gas and patience last. In still, shallow water that means long bottom times at any level of experience.

Marine life and season

  • Stingrays
Month-by-month season rating for Fish Tank
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
PrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodFairFairGoodGoodGoodGoodPrime

Season follows North Malé Atoll: The dry northeast monsoon (Dec-May) is the calm season; currents from November bring pelagics to the channels. Late May to July is the weak window - most liveaboards relocate elsewhere.

Questions divers ask

Why are there so many stingrays at Fish Tank?+

There is a working fish factory on the island, and its outflow is the stated reason the site gathers so many rays and moray eels.

Sources

  1. Fish Tank — Scubago
  2. Fish tank — wannadive.net

More dive sites in North Malé Atoll

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Seamount

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Wreck

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