Raa Atoll, the area around Gaagandu Faru

Raa Atoll · Maldives · Reef

Gaagandu Faru

Gentle coral slope with overhangs, 8 m to 20 m

Area photo: Samee Shafeeg · CC BY 3.0

Gaagandu Faru is a gentle-slope reef with some overhangs on the southern side of You & Me Maldives in Raa Atoll, around 18 minutes by boat from the resort. The reef starts at 8 m and runs down to 20 m, which keeps the whole dive inside Open Water depth.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Gaagandu Faru: typical dive 8–20 m (26–66 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit8 m20 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

5.6571° N, 72.8461° EPublished position for this site.

The dive

The boat heads south from the resort for around 18 minutes. Descend onto the reef at 8 m and follow the gentle slope down to its base at 20 m. The slope is the whole site, so the dive is a matter of choosing a direction, keeping the reef on one side and moving along it, with the depth easing up as the dive goes on and air comes down.

The overhangs along the slope are the features to look for: swim slowly and check under each one, since ledges like these are where reef life shelters during the day. With a maximum of 20 m there is no depth pressure, and the dive ends by drifting up the slope to the 8 m reef top for the safety stop.

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for Gaagandu Faru
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
PrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodFairFairFairFairFairFairGood

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.

Sources

  1. Gaagandu faru — Scubago
  2. Uthurumaafaru, Maalhosmadulu Uthuruburi — OpenStreetMap

More dive sites in Raa Atoll

Pinnacle

Dheraha Thila

A broken rock in many blocks, with everything between 18 m and 30 m

18–30 madvanced

Drift

Fainu Corner

Two-tier drift: overhangs at 10-15 m for beginners, 25 m for the experienced

10–25 mintermediate

Wall

Fuggiri Wall

Straight drop from 10 m to 35 m with soft-coral overhangs at 12-18 m

10–35 madvanced

Pinnacle

Ifuru Thila

Round channel thila at the atoll's eastern end, 5 m down to 35 m

5–35 madvanced

Wall

Koroshigiri Canyon

Overhang-cut wall to 30 m with a small thila rising from 33 m to 18 m up-current

3–30 m · max 33 madvanced

Reef

Maafaru

Healthy coral and macro life on an easy reef from 2 m to 20 m

2–20 mbeginner

Reef

Madi Gaa

Two manta cleaning stations, at 13 m and 20 m, active December to April

13–20 mintermediate

Pinnacle

Reethi Thila

Overhangs on the channel side shelter stingrays and nurse sharks

6–30 mintermediate

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