North Malé Atoll · Maldives · Seamount
Nassimo Thila
Pinnacles, sea fans and fish on the thila's north side
Area photo: Genet (Diskussion) · CC BY-SA 3.0
Nassimo Thila is a fish-heavy thila whose north side carries several pinnacles, coral formations and sea fans — that is where the main action is. Average depth is 16 m with a maximum of 34 m, and the current runs hard enough that the local advice is to treat it as a dive for experienced divers.
Where it is and how deep
4.2883° N, 73.5333° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The structure that matters is on the north of the thila: several pinnacles stand off the main reef, and this is where the main fish are, along with coral formations and sea fans. The dive works that northern side, with an average depth of 16 m and a listed maximum of 34 m, staying on the pinnacles where the life concentrates.
Current is the reason the site carries an experienced-divers tag: the Scubago page calls it a wonderful dive for experienced divers due to the strong current, while wannadive's log rates a medium 1 to 2 knots on a typical day. Visibility is modest at 5 to 10 m, which concentrates the dive on the pinnacles rather than the wide view.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime |
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.
Know before you go
- The current can run strong across the thila; brief the drift with your operator and keep the group together around the northern pinnacles.
Sources
- Nassimo Thila — Scubago
- Nassimo Thila — wannadive.net
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
Stingrays and morays drawn to a fish-factory outflow
Seamount
Blue soft corals and dense fish life on a swim-through thila
Seamount
The 'fish soup' pinnacle — two thilas packed with life
Mantas on the cleaning stations, May to October
Similar dives elsewhere
Seamount
Willy's Rock
Seychelles · Seychelles
A seamount that tops out at 13 m
Wedge into a crevice at 25 m and wait for the hammerheads
A ridge crest at 14 m with a statue on the seabed below
An isolated seamount that pulls in barracuda and trevally schools