Raa Atoll, the area around Vaadhoo Thila

Raa Atoll · Maldives · Pinnacle · Channel & pass

Vaadhoo Thila

Ocean thila in the middle of a channel, from 10 m to 40 m

Area photo: Samee Shafeeg · CC BY 3.0

Vaadhoo Thila is a deep ocean thila in the middle of a channel at the northern edge of Raa Atoll, off Vaadhoo island. The top reef starts at 10 m and the bottom goes down to 40 m with coral all the way, and the operator calls it a very famous site. As a channel thila in open water, it is a dive for divers comfortable with depth.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Vaadhoo Thila: typical dive 10–40 m (33–130 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit10 m40 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 50 m (164 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

5.8366° N, 72.9992° EPublished position for this site.

The dive

The thila stands in open water in the middle of the channel, so the dive begins with a descent onto the top reef at 10 m rather than a drift onto a reef edge. From the top the reef falls away to 40 m, deeper than most recreational plans allow, so agree a maximum depth in the briefing and treat the lower slope as something to look down on rather than reach.

Work the sides of the thila within your limit, with the coral that covers the reef down to the bottom as the main subject, and come back up to the top at 10 m for the last part of the dive. Being in the middle of a channel, the site is exposed on all sides; stay close to the guide and the reef, and finish with a safety stop over the top before surfacing to the boat.

Marine life and season

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

Month-by-month season rating for Vaadhoo Thila
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 bottom is at 40 m, below recreational limits for many divers; set a hard depth limit before descending onto the 10 m top.

Questions divers ask

How deep is Vaadhoo Thila?+

The top reef starts at 10 m and the bottom goes down to 40 m. It is a deep ocean thila in the middle of the channel, so plan a firm maximum depth.

Sources

  1. Vaadhoo thila — Scubago
  2. Vaadhoo, Maalhosmadulu Uthuruburi — OpenStreetMap

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