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
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
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime |
Season follows North Malé Atoll: December to April is dry with gentle breezes; late May to July is the weakest stretch, when most liveaboards leave the atoll.
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
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