Raa Atoll, the area around Koroshigiri Canyon

Raa Atoll · Maldives · Wall · Pinnacle

Koroshigiri Canyon

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

Area photo: Samee Shafeeg · CC BY 3.0

Koroshigiri Canyon is a wall dive in the south of Raa Atoll. The top reef starts at about 3 m and the wall below is criss-crossed with overhangs that can be dived to 30 m; up-current of the wall a small thila rises from 33 m to 18 m. Nitrox and a Deep specialty are recommended, as the interesting parts of the site are the deep ones.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Koroshigiri Canyon: typical dive 3–30 m (10–100 ft), deepest point 33 m (108 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit3 m30 m33 m maxtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

5.5091° N, 72.8711° EPublished position for this site.

The dive

Descend over the top reef at about 3 m and go down the wall, which is cut through with overhangs all the way to 30 m. Take the deep part first: the overhangs are the feature of the site and the lowest of them sit near the 30 m mark, so this is where bottom time goes, before working back up the face and using the shallower overhangs on the way.

If the plan includes the thila, it lies up-current of the wall and comes from 33 m up to 18 m. Doing it means a deeper start and a swim against the flow, which is why the operator asks for Nitrox and a Deep specialty. Either way the dive ends on the top reef at about 3 m, a shallow finish that doubles as the safety stop.

Marine life and season

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

Month-by-month season rating for Koroshigiri Canyon
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.

Know before you go

  • The up-current thila starts at 33 m, beyond recreational limits for many divers; agree in the briefing whether it is included and at what maximum depth.

Questions divers ask

How deep is Koroshigiri Canyon?+

The top reef starts at about 3 m and the overhang-cut wall can be dived to 30 m. A small thila up-current of the wall runs from 33 m to 18 m.

Sources

  1. Koroshigiri Canyon — Scubago

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