Vaavu Atoll · Maldives · Channel & pass · Wall · Drift
Kunaavashi Kandu
Overhangs and cavities from 10 m to beyond 30 m on the channel's south side
Area photo: TANAKA Juuyoh (%u7530%u4E2D%u5341%u6D0B) · CC BY 2.0
The third channel west of Fulidhoo, dived as a wall drift on incoming current to a maximum of 30 m. Grey reef and whitetip sharks hold along the reef edge at both channel entrances, schools of bluefin trevally can surround the group, and the south side is cut with large overhangs and cavities from 10 m down past 30 m.
Where it is and how deep
3.6383° N, 73.3592° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Kunaavashi is dived on incoming current, and Scubago says both channel entrances give a good dive for big fish when the water is flowing in. You drop in at the entrance and settle on the reef edge, which is where the sharks are: grey reef and whitetip sharks are what you will mostly find here, holding in the flow at the channel mouth. Larger schools of fish, bluefin trevally among them, may surround you while you hold your position.
The south side is the richer wall: Scubago says there is generally more life there and more soft and hard coral than on the north side. Larger overhangs and cavities start at 10 m and continue down to 30 m and beyond as you move further into the channel, so the drift takes you past a sequence of recesses in the wall while the current carries you inward. PADI lists the site as a drift and wall dive with a maximum depth of 30 m; keep an eye on your depth, because the overhangs draw you deeper the further in you go.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- Trevally & jacks
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime |
Season follows Vaavu Atoll: November to April brings the strongest channel flow and the clearest water; mantas pass through on plankton-rich currents from May to September, peaking May to July.
Know before you go
- The dive is done on incoming current at the channel entrances; hold the reef edge with the group rather than drifting out into open water.
- The overhangs deepen from 10 m to beyond 30 m the further into the channel you drift, so watch your depth against the 30 m limit.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Kunaavashi Kandu?+
PADI lists a maximum of 30 m. The overhangs and cavities on the south side start at 10 m and continue to 30 m and beyond further into the channel.
What will I see at Kunaavashi Kandu?+
Mostly grey reef and whitetip sharks along the reef edge on incoming current, and larger schools of fish such as bluefin trevally that may surround the group.
Sources
- Kunaavashi Kandu - Scubago — Scubago
- Kunaavashi Kandu Dive Site - PADI — PADI
More dive sites in Vaavu Atoll
Night
Hundreds of nurse sharks feeding under a resort pier at night in 3 to 5 m
Pinnacle
A circular giri you can swim right round, top at 1 m and coral to 20 m
Channel & pass
Schools of grey reef sharks in a channel cut with caves from 8 to 40 m
Wall
Wide soft-coral overhangs under table corals along a 4 km back reef
Channel & pass
Sharks holding mid-channel in the drift that gave the site its name
Similar dives elsewhere
A drop-off at 18 m falling to 40 m, started wall-side or in the blue
A channel protected for its grey reef and whitetip sharks
The channel through the centre of Chole Bay, dived as a drift
Grey reef sharks in schools of 20 or more on an incoming tide