North Malé Atoll · Maldives · Wall · Reef
Lion's Head
Grey reef sharks patrolling a wall off the atoll's southern tip
Area photo: Genet (Diskussion) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Lion's Head is a reef wall beside Hans Haas Place at the southern tip of North Malé Atoll. The wall falls from a shallow reef top into deep water, and passing pelagics, turtles and grey reef sharks draw divers along it when the current runs.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows North Malé Atoll and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The dive starts at about 3 m on the shallowest part of the reef, and from there the wall drops to around 40 m before it falls away into the abyss. Turtles, Napoleon wrasse, eagle rays and tuna pass along the wall, with grey reef sharks the main draw. When the current is strong it brings out swirling clouds of anthias and schools of batfish and surgeonfish.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- Sea turtles
- Napoleon wrasse
- Eagle rays
- Tuna
| 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.
Know before you go
- Currents can be strong along the wall, which drops past 40 m into open water.
Dive videos
Lion's Head · Best Dives Maldives on YouTube
Sources
- Diving sites Maldives North Male Atoll — Dive The World
- North Male Atoll Diving Guide — Maldives Magazine
More dive sites in North Malé Atoll
Reef
The standard check dive, an hour from Malé City
One of the first dive sites ever found in the Maldives
Reef
House-reef wall with caves, table corals and a canyon
Mantas cleaning and feeding from December to April
Reef
A gentle drift along a reef with big reef fish
Reef
Stingrays and morays drawn to a fish-factory outflow
A long, thin island reef with pelagic fish along its edge
Wreck
An upright 16 m tug covered in soft and black corals
Similar dives elsewhere
Wall from 4 m to past 40 m, straight off Kuramathi
Large overhangs on the wall with sleeping stingrays and turtles
Sharks called in over a wall that slopes past 40 m
Easy wall from a 5-8 m reef top down past 30 m