South Malé Atoll · Maldives · Pinnacle · Drift
Kandooma Thila
A current-swept thila where barracuda stack in groups
Area photo: Saaremees · CC BY-SA 4.0
Kandooma Thila is a fairly small pinnacle just outside Kandooma Island on its north side, in South Male Atoll. Its shallowest point is 13 metres and the sandy bottom around it lies at 35 to 40. A strong outgoing current runs west to east through the narrow channel between thila and reef, and the dive is timed to it — barracuda in groups, napoleon wrasse pushed past, sharks hunting alone.
Also known as Kandoomo Tila, Kandhumal Kandu.
Where it is and how deep
3.9036° N, 73.4737° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The thila is small, sitting just outside Kandooma Island on the north side, and the current defines how it is dived. A strong outgoing flow runs west to east through the small channel between the pinnacle and the reef, so the entry is timed and placed to put you on the up-current side rather than past it. The top of the pinnacle is at 13 metres and the sand around it lies at 35 to 40.
Once you are on the structure the dive is about holding position and letting the traffic come to you. Barracuda here are usually in groups. Grey reef sharks and whitetips seem to prefer hunting alone, so they arrive as single animals rather than as a pack, and napoleon wrasse pass by pushed along by the current. The thila is compact enough that one good corner shows you most of what is moving.
The end of the dive is the part to plan for. With the flow running off the thila you leave the structure into open water, so the safety stop is usually done in the blue on a deployed marker buoy, with the boat following the group. Nothing on this site holds you in place once you are off the pinnacle, which is why the entry is timed and placed on the up-current side in the first place.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Reef sharks
- Napoleon wrasse
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Good | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime |
Season follows South Malé Atoll: The dry northeast monsoon, late December to May, is the main season; mantas clean May to August and whale sharks are reported in August on the outer reef.
Know before you go
- The outgoing current is strong and runs off the thila into open water; the safety stop is made in the blue on a deployed marker buoy with the boat following the group.
Dive videos
Maldives Dive Site | Kandooma Thila | South Male Atoll · Brian Davies Scuba on YouTube
🇲🇻 [4K] 2022 Oct - Kandooma Thila South Male Atoll, Maldives · Shi Wei on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Kandooma Thila?+
The pinnacle's shallowest point is 13 metres and the sandy bottom around it lies at 35 to 40. Most of the dive is worked between the top of the thila and its upper flanks rather than down on the sand.
Sources
- Diving Sites Maldives - South Male Atoll — Dive The World
- Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives (OSM) — OpenStreetMap
In The Logbook
- Drift diving: how to read and ride a currentDrift & current · 8 min read
More dive sites in South Malé Atoll
Drift
One of the best shark shows around Malé on the right incoming current
Channel & pass
A channel protected for its grey reef and whitetip sharks
Channel & pass
Collapsed reef blocks sheltering sharks in a protected channel
Channel & pass
An overhang whose ceiling opens to a window at 10 m
Wreck
An artificial-reef wreck beside a hard-coral giri
Manta cleaning station worked from April into November
Reef
Coral blocks from 5 to 15 m above a drop-off to 30 m
Reef
A one-way drift along the atoll's southeast outer reef
Similar dives elsewhere
A narrow swim-through and mantas on a current-split point
Up to 30 manta rays reported over one cleaning-station boulder
Pinnacle
Chuckles
Seychelles · Seychelles
Granite drift at 20 m with white tip reef sharks
Mother of Sharks: hammerheads and tigers on a lone pinnacle