VILU REEF - HOUSE REEF

Located on the east side of our island there is house reef; you can find 3 passages and they are marked by 3 buoys at surface, through them very easy to enter and exit for shore dive.

Between buoy 1 and 2, drop down from 1 meter reef top until around 35 meters depth. There are many colorful reef fishes especially orange and red color anthias, powder blue surgeon fishes, green and blue color parrot fishes and black pyramid butterfly fishes, and giant moray eels are watching us from small holes between 5 meters to 20 meters depth.

Around buoy 2, at 5 meters depth big overhang and caves, in there oriental sweetlips, coral groupers, soldierfishes, sometimes nopoleonfishes open their mouth and clean up by cleaner wrasses.

Some overhangs about 20 meters depth at the reef between buoy 2 and 3, soft corals, gorgonians are blooming like the flowers, and huge groupers are hiding there.

The schools of jack fishes are swimming and hunting from the buoy 3 which is closer to the outer reef.

BANDIDHOO GIRI

 It is a very small round reef like an underwater mountain

There are many overhangs at 5 meters until 25 meters depth.

Beautiful white fan corals are like snow on the mountain in Maldives. Sponges, nudibranchs, thorny oysters, squirrel fishes and soldierfishes are decorating in the overhangs.

The best site for night dive as well, sleeping parrot fishes, puffer fishes.

The Polyps tentacles of the orange and yellow cave corals and feather stars are opened at night. And pink soft corals are hanging down in the overhangs like a chandelier. It is wonderful color in the overhangs

BODU THILA

 The meaning of BODU is big .The top of the big thila is starting at 8 meters depth slope down until 35 meters. The corals are continuing growing around the reef. The beginning swim along the reef, at there scorpion fishes, stone fishes are camouflaging. The end of the dive, stays at the top of the reef, always hawksbill turtles are taking a meal. They are good models of photographs.

South west side of the big thila, there is a small thila the top of the small thila is 18 meters. At 25 meters depth there are some caves, sometimes white tip shark and sting ray are there.

The small reef is surrounded by the full of basslets.Blue striped snappers are like a big carpet on the reef and big zebra lion fishes are swimming on them. Cowrie shells, Crown fishes at anemone house, mantis shrimps are playing hide and seek with us.

Lhohi Caves

 Lhohi Caves is the name for the House Reef of Lhohi Island. Here we have many overhangs at depths between 12 and 18m.

We can swim inside a few large overhangs. When we look up inside the overhangs, we can see in the dark a variety of color at the roof of the overhangs, orange, red and yellow sponge white lace coral, thorny oyster who smile, school of red myripristis vittata.

Outsite we found schools of fusiliers are swimming like in the rush hour congestion, oriental sweetlips, and turtles. Lionfish stand by stage in the overhangs.

This Place is also a very nice Divesite for night dives, spiny lobster, hermit crab, lot of small shrimps come out for breakfast. Lionfish get their turn and are dancing around night stage. The parrot fishes and turtles are sleeping comfortable.

Magoodhoo Reef

This diveside is situated on the outer reef in the south of the North Nilandhoo Atoll.

The top of the reef-wall starts at around 6m depth and goes down to around 30m as a ‘slope-wall’ where you come to a wide sandy area.

Most of the times you can observe whitetip sharks resting on the sand.

Also some whale sharks did pass by over the years, their mouth wide open to filter the plankton out of the water. Those who get the chance to see this harmless but fascinating creatures, also known as the biggest fish in the world, will never forget this absolute incredible experience.

Also quite a few turtles hang out around the reef and come up to the surface to get some air.

Also with strong current, this divesite is easy to dive, because you can travel all the way with the current.

Octopus Lover

 This Dive site is in the north part of the lagoun from Vilu Reef. Its a Outher Reef which starts on 1m and going down to 40m on a sandy bottom. There are some Thilas which are coming up to 28m. Around this Thilas you can see many times White Tip Sharks.

In a Deep from about 25m you can find some overhangs with lots of Glass fishes, cleaner shrimps, octopus. Leaf Fish and Lobster.

This place is also a very easy to dive. Becouse also with strong current you will have no problems, then you drift only along the Reef. All the fishes will be then happy to see you specially Napoleons, Eagle Rays and Elektric Rays swimming along you .

Thibisa Far Garden

Thibisa Far Garden is the corner of Maavaru Falhu Reef and the outer reef. The Site of the Outher Reef, the reef starts at about 6m and going fast down to 30m and more meters. In the Channel the reef is going step by step slowy down.

We can see there beautiful stony corals in broad garden fitting site name.

Yellow bluestripe snapper and humpback red snapper take variety from here and there, triangle and square, sometime like a big fish. A wall of fusiliers keep step and dance brilliantly in all directions.

White tip shark and sting ray swim easygoing on sandy bottom and eagle ray and tuna run through blue water. Then napoleonfish family swims together in friendship. Blackpylamid butterflyfish flutter about in the underwater like leaves.

Anyway this garden is flood with fishes.

Velavaru Kandu

This Divesite is on the north part of Velavaru Resort. The Name “kandu” means in dhivehli channel. We dive here in the corner from the outer reef to the Channel. The Reef top start at 5m going down to about 30m like a cliff.

We have colorful soft coral in bloom, at depths between 5 and 15m, gorgonian seafan and whip coral are waving slowly on the wall. Also a few small overhangs are used secret chambers by napoleon fish, cod’s safe house. Moray ells peep through a gap in a coral. School of yellow-back fusiller builds a yellow wall.

Whit less out-going current, we cansee longfin batfish flying in formation to welcome us.

Velavaru Tongue

 This diveside is situated in the south of the Velavaru channel.

As you can imagine, the name is given because the outer reef ends up looking like a tonque pointing towards the channel.

The ‘tongue’ starts around 13m and slopes down towards the middle of the channel to a depth around 30m.

On the outside of this reef there is a wall leading down to several 100m. Because of this depth you have the great chance to see big fishs like sharks, eaglerays or mantas. Also turtles see that place as one of their food stalls.

Most of the hard corals did survive El Ninó and it’s such beautiful to see all this colours covering the reef.

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