North Malé Atoll · Maldives · Seamount
Kuda Haa
The 'fish soup' pinnacle — two thilas packed with life
Area photo: Genet (Diskussion) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Kuda Haa is a legendary Maldivian pinnacle dive that divers have dubbed 'fish soup' for the density of life on it. The site is two connected thilas, easy to spot from the surface — one starting at 6 m, the other at around 14 m — with both sloping down to a sandy bottom at more than 30 m.
Where it is and how deep
4.2094° N, 73.4075° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Two connected thilas make up the site, close enough to the surface to be spotted from the boat. One starts at 6 m and the other at around 14 m, and both slope down to a sandy bottom at more than 30 m, so there is a wide spread of depth to work with between the two heads before finishing shallow on the 6 m top.
The reputation is the reason to come. Wikipedia's survey of diving in the Maldives describes Kuda Haa as a pinnacle, or thila, dive, and its standing with divers is summed up by the nickname — fish soup — earned for the sheer density of fish life over the thilas. Plan the dive with your operator around the day's current.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
| 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
How deep is Kuda Haa?+
One thila starts at 6 m and the other at around 14 m; both slope down to a sandy bottom at more than 30 m, so the dive can be kept shallow or taken deep.
Sources
- Kuda Haa — Scubago
- Diving in the Maldives — Wikipedia
More dive sites in North Malé Atoll
Mantas on the cleaning stations, May to October
Seamount
Blue soft corals and dense fish life on a swim-through thila
Drift
Whitetip reef sharks resting on the sand below the reef
Wreck
A cargo ship lost in 1981, coral-encrusted in 35 m
Pinnacle
Schools of red and white snappers over two channel thilas
Channel & pass
Sharks, jacks and eagle rays on the channel-mouth current
Mantas cleaning and feeding from December to April
Wreck
An upright 16 m tug covered in soft and black corals
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