South Malé Atoll · Maldives · Wreck · Pinnacle
Kuda Giri Wreck
An artificial-reef wreck beside a hard-coral giri
Area photo: Saaremees · CC BY-SA 4.0
A small vessel sunk intentionally as an artificial reef beside Kuda Giri, a very well-established pinnacle covered in hard coral on its east side and cut with small caves and overhangs. The pairing makes it a two-in-one dive: the giri for the coral and overhang terrain, the wreck lying upright off its east side. Maximum depth is 40 m, the current is low, and wannadive rates it CMAS ** / Advanced Open Water.
Also known as Kuda Giri.
Where it is and how deep
3.9732° N, 73.4910° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Kuda Giri itself is the anchor of the dive: a very pretty, very well-established pinnacle with lots of small caves and overhangs, its east side covered in hard corals. Most of the dive is spent working that terrain — the overhangs and little caves reward a slow, close look — before crossing to the wreck, which lies on the east side of the giri, close to the light pole.
The wreck is small and was sunk intentionally as an artificial reef — no vessel name or sinking date has been published — and it lies upright between 15 and 30 m, with sponges and coral colonising the structure and napoleon wrasse, turtles and nudibranchs logged on and around the site. The site bottoms out at 40 m, which is what pushes the rating to CMAS ** / Advanced Open Water rather than Open Water, but the current is low, under a knot, so it is the depth rather than the water movement that shapes the plan.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Unidentified — known as the Kuda Giri Wreck
- Type
- Small vessel sunk as an artificial reef
- Cause
- Sunk intentionally as an artificial reef
- Lies
- Upright between 15 and 30 m on the east side of the giri
Marine life and season
- Napoleon wrasse
- Sea turtles
- Nudibranchs
| 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.
Questions divers ask
What ship is the Kuda Giri Wreck?+
No confirmed identity has been published — it is a small vessel sunk intentionally as an artificial reef, lying upright between 15 and 30 m on the east side of the Kuda Giri pinnacle.
What certification do I need for Kuda Giri?+
Wannadive rates the site CMAS ** / Advanced Open Water: the current is low, but the site reaches 40 m at its deepest.
Sources
- Kuda Giri Wreck — Scubago
- wannadive.net — Kuda Giri Wreck — wannadive.net
- Maldives South Male Atoll dive sites — Dive The World
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
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Collapsed reef blocks sheltering sharks in a protected channel
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An overhang whose ceiling opens to a window at 10 m
Pinnacle
A current-swept thila where barracuda stack in groups
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
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