Raa Atoll · Maldives · Pinnacle
Dheraha Thila
A broken rock in many blocks, with everything between 18 m and 30 m
Area photo: Samee Shafeeg · CC BY 3.0
Dheraha Thila is a deep thila in Raa Atoll that starts at 18 m and goes down to 30 m. It looks like a broken rock split into many separate blocks, and because the whole dive happens below Open Water depth the operator rates it for advanced divers and recommends Nitrox to stretch bottom time among the blocks.
Where it is and how deep
5.6827° N, 72.8812° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
There is no shallow reef here to ease into the dive: the top of the thila is at 18 m, so the descent is straight down from the surface with nothing to see until the first blocks appear. From the top the thila breaks apart into many separate rocks with gaps between them, and the route is a matter of threading around and between the blocks as they step down to the bottom at 30 m.
Because even the shallowest part is at 18 m, no-decompression time rather than air is the limit on this dive, which is why Nitrox is recommended. Spend the deep part early, working the gaps between the blocks near the 30 m base, then move up the thila to finish on the highest blocks at 18 m before a blue-water ascent and safety stop.
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 | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good |
Season follows Raa Atoll: Dec–Apr is the calm, clear window and when mantas use the Uthuru Maafaru cleaning stations; the south-west monsoon (Jun–Nov) brings rain and a choppy surface.
Know before you go
- With the top of the thila at 18 m there is no shallow reef to retreat to; watch no-decompression time from the start and plan the ascent as a blue-water safety stop.
Questions divers ask
Can Open Water divers dive Dheraha Thila?+
It is rated for advanced divers: the top of the thila is at 18 m and the bottom at 30 m, and the operator recommends Nitrox certification for it.
Sources
- Dheraha Thila — Scubago
More dive sites in Raa Atoll
Drift
Two-tier drift: overhangs at 10-15 m for beginners, 25 m for the experienced
Wall
Straight drop from 10 m to 35 m with soft-coral overhangs at 12-18 m
Reef
Gentle coral slope with overhangs, 8 m to 20 m
Pinnacle
Round channel thila at the atoll's eastern end, 5 m down to 35 m
Overhang-cut wall to 30 m with a small thila rising from 33 m to 18 m up-current
Reef
Healthy coral and macro life on an easy reef from 2 m to 20 m
Reef
Two manta cleaning stations, at 13 m and 20 m, active December to April
Pinnacle
Overhangs on the channel side shelter stingrays and nurse sharks
Similar dives elsewhere
Leopard sharks sheltering on the sand at nearly 30 m
Four coral pinnacles 30–50 m apart, from 10 m down to 30 m
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Granite canyons in the channel between Praslin and La Digue
Up to 30 manta rays reported over one cleaning-station boulder