Raa Atoll · Maldives · Pinnacle · Channel & pass
Reethi Thila
Overhangs on the channel side shelter stingrays and nurse sharks
Area photo: Samee Shafeeg · CC BY 3.0
Reethi Thila is a thila off the north-east side of You & Me Maldives in Raa Atoll, close to Fuggiri Island in the channel. Its top sits at 6-7 m and the sides fall to 30 m on the channel side and 20 m on the inner side, with overhangs that can hide stingrays and nurse sharks. The boat ride from the resort is 35 minutes.
Where it is and how deep
5.7356° N, 72.8668° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The thila sits in the channel close to Fuggiri Island, 35 minutes by boat north-east of You & Me. Descend onto the top at 6-7 m and drop down the channel side first, where the reef falls to 30 m; this is the deepest part of the site, so take it early. The overhangs cut into this face are where the resident animals rest: look under each ledge for stingrays lying on the floor and nurse sharks tucked into the back.
Work along the thila from the channel side round to the inner side, where the base is shallower at 20 m and the overhangs continue at a more comfortable depth. Finish with a circuit of the top at 6-7 m, which gives a long shallow end to the dive and a natural safety stop before the boat picks you up.
Marine life and season
- Stingrays
| 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.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Reethi Thila?+
The top of the thila is 6-7 m deep. It drops to 30 m on the channel side and to 20 m on the more inner side.
Sources
- Reethi Thila — Scubago
- Fuggiri, Maalhosmadulu Uthuruburi — OpenStreetMap
More dive sites in Raa Atoll
Pinnacle
A broken rock in many blocks, with everything between 18 m and 30 m
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
Similar dives elsewhere
Up to 30 manta rays reported over one cleaning-station boulder
Ocean-facing pinnacle at the mouth of Bathala channel
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Two protected manta cleaning stations on a plateau of coral blocks
Leopard sharks sheltering on the sand at nearly 30 m