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Fushi Kandu in Maldives is one of the best diving sites. This is a spectacular Maldives scuba diving site spanning a one kilometer wide channel containing five separate thilas. The thilas are mainly very narrow and long, initiating from a sandy bottom of around 20m – 25m. Once inside the main channel, the depth drops to over 30 meters, with the outside ledge decreasing steeply from 30 meters. These thilas attract many schools of fish, along with moray eels, eagle rays and even sharks. The main location to spot sharks in Fushi Kandu dive site would be along the outside drop off, whereas returning to the thilas for a leisurely dive across the entire channel would bring you face to face with sting rays and possibly nurse sharks, dwelling in the sandy channels. This dive location is a strong favorite of scuba divers visiting the Maldives on holiday, do not miss out on this spectacular dive route; it is an aquatic experience not soon forgotten.

This picturesque dive location, one of the best dive sites in the world contains a plethora of marine life, such as batfish, napoleon, oriental sweetlips, snapper fish and others. The aquatic landscape is similarly on par, featuring majestic caves and brilliant coral outcrops. The best Maldives dive spots: Dolphin Corner is also a protruding reef, shaped like a finger reaching into the channel from the southern side. Experts advise divers to initiate their expedition on the steeper outside reef and drift towards the corner where the reef plateau flattens out. Along Filitheyo Kandu dive site you can spot dazzling coral formations, blue-finger sponges, hydroids and featherstars. In times where the current is strong you should hold onto the dead coral and watch the plethora of marine life in the Maldivian depths; white-tip reef sharks, napoleon wrasse, eagle rays, schools of fusilier and snapper fish, just to name a few. When the current is ingoing, a good option is to drift over to the lee side of the reef; here you can catch sight of the two huge mushroom-shaped coral outcrops towards the corner – one at 15 meters and the other at 10 meters. It is a popular spot where you can observe a variety of fish life like Moorish idols, blue triggerfish and powder blue surgeon.

Broken Rock may be amongst the best dive sites. Apart from Kudarah Thila, Broken Rock is most probably one of the the most well-known dive sites in the South Ari Atoll. This Thila is literally a broken rock with a 2-metre wide canyon that splits the small Thila in two parts, from the west to east, giving the reef its name. This canyon is the main attraction on this wonderful submerged reef. Broken Rock dive site is covered in soft corals and only one diver can enter the canyon at a time. On the north side at a depth of around 25-30m, there are two big coral blocks with overhangs and beautiful fan corals which are well worth a visit. The top reef at Broken Rock has great hard coral growth and is an ideal place to find invertebrates like leaf fish and nudibranchs. Depth and strong currents make this Thila suitable only for experienced divers. A dive torch and a surface balloon are both strongly recommended at Broken Rock.

The dive sites on the top of the thila is like untouched reef with stunning table corals. These layered coral formations offer plenty of protection for the Maldivian marine life such as the morays and shy reef fish. There are cleaner wrasse stations peppered all around the reef and it is not uncommon to spot large schools of fish or mantas congregating in the area. More often than not you will catch sight of black snapper fish, blue-dash fusilier, yellow-black fusilier, and aggregations of the oriental sweetlip, cruising around these depths. The rapid currents that stream through the channel accentuate the brilliant soft corals, as they compete for all available space.

Embudhoo Kandu – Embudhoo Thila – is one of the top dive sites of the world. The Maldives dive site Embudhoo, has been declared a protected marine area for a long time. A firm favorite of scuba divers on holiday to the Maldives, this amazing dive location spans almost 2 kilometers, containing a variety of features for that unique dive experience, such as brilliant coral formations, sharks, majestic caves and plenty of fish life. The south side of Embudhoo Kandu dive site is an extended drift dive known as the Embudhoo express – known for its strong ingoing current; the express rushes through the channel at rapid pace, giving scuba divers an exhilarating ride through the Maldivian waters. Consequently, these currents attract a wide range of pelagics and other marine life such as the napoleon wrasse and eagle rays. The south corner of this dive site is often referred to as “shark point” due to the abundance of grey reef sharks spotted in and around the area. There are numerous caves around this point, and several long, shallow overhangs between 14m – 30m. It is here that numerous snout-spot grouper fish congregate; also known as smalltooth grouper or brown-marbled grouper. These fish are usually very well camouflaged, and lurk waiting for prey swimming too close to the ledges.

Trigger Valley is one of the top 10 dive sites: There is a Thila inside the channel with 2 narrow sandy channels on either side. These narrow channels in this amazing dive site are occupied by the Titan Triggerfish and used as a mating ground. Be aware of the Titan Triggerfish and don’t get close to them. If they start to behave strangely keep an eye on them and try to swim away. Early morning Hammerhead Dive: Fotteyo Kandu dive site is not only famous for the day dive but also for an early morning Hammerhead dive. This dive is performed very differently from the day dive as divers spend most of the time in the blue water. During the early morning hours Scallop Hammerheads rise to shallower depths and divers get take a glimpse at them.