South Male, which is separated from the North Male Atoll by the Vaadhoo Kandu, is a fantastic place for encountering big pelagics, including whale sharks. With caves and soft coral, plus an excellent wreck, there are countless opportunities for diving and snorkeling, with more than twenty dive sites available. Here are just six of the best, to help you as you begin planning your trip to paradise.
Kandooma Caves
Caves and caverns provide shelter from the swift current that carries you from one to the next, at this incredible site. Sometimes called Vadhoo Caverns, these caves vary in depth from 7 to 40 meters. With specifications like this, the site is understandably suitable for experienced divers only, and it is one you’ll never forget. An entire series of caves and ledges, blanketed in blue, yellow, and green soft corals is mesmerizingly beautiful, and the area is home to a nearly unbelievable wealth of marine life. With soldierfish and curious looking unicornfish, sea turtles and white tip sharks, tuna and eagle rays, along with countless other tropical species, this is one of the few sites that ends with an exploration of a shallow reef. Bring a safety sausage and a dive light!
Kandooma Thila
One of Male Atoll’s best dives, Kandooma Thila is a fantastic multi-level site which is suitable for intermediate divers and better. The top of the reef is at 20 meters, and is a good place to encounter schooling batfish, lots of angelfish and butterfly fish, blue tangs, and other tropical reef inhabitants, and it is also an excellent place to swim with green sea turtles.
Shaped like a teardrop and offering maximum depth at 100 feet, the site is covered in beautiful soft corals that extend to feed in the current. Look for schools of big eye trevally and red bass, and watch for eagle rays, white tip sharks, and grey reef sharks.
Embudhu Canyon
A protected marine reserve, Embudhu Canyon supports a healthy population of white tip sharks and grey reef sharks, along with huge napoleon wrasse and eagle rays, marbled groupers, and soldierfish, to name just a few. The site itself features a splendid wall as well as a series of caverns and smaller caves, one of which you can explore for a length of 25 meters or so before turning around. Outside, a current provides an exhilarating drift, and gorgeous sponges and soft coral add color to the already incredibly textured site. Look for the occasional sea turtle, and don’t forget to watch for smaller creatures, such as moray eels, lionfish, and well-concealed octopus. Suitable for intermediate divers and above, the site features maximum depth at 30 meters and is ideal for underwater photography, particularly as the caves provide shelter from the current beyond.
Cocoa Thila
A thila is a pinnacle, and Cocoa Thila is one that is subject to a variable current which determines whether the site will yield an impressive range of marine life, or a quick trip back to the boat. In most cases, your dive guide will be able to predict whether you’ll have fun or not.
Assuming conditions are ideal, a dive on this 400 meter long thila will allow you to spot passing tuna and trevally, eagle rays, and grey reef sharks passing in the blue. Along the thila, caves and overhangs provide shelter from the current, allowing you to get a closer look at the many fish which can be found nearby. Look for cod and trumpetfish, snappers, and sweetlips, along with fusiliers and a rainbow of reef fish. Occasionally, you can find the sharks relaxing in the sheltered ravines at the bottom, beginning at about 30 meters and dropping down to maximum depth of 40 meters. This fun and challenging dive is suitable for experienced divers only.
Guraidhoo Kandu
With channels that border a central reef, Guraidhoo Kandu is a wonderful dive site where you can find a wealth of marine life. Swirling schools of snapper and jack, plus big tuna and barracuda pass with regularity, so be sure to keep one eye on the blue as you explore the reef itself, which is simply incredible.
For a length of about 300 meters, you can alternately drift along the reef and take shelter in the many large grottoes. Watch for honeycomb moray eels and squirrelfish, along with lionfish and wrasse, anthias and other colorful occupants, and keep an eye out for grey reef sharks and napoleons as you make your way toward the end of the reef. Once you arrive, you’ll be treated with a view of the dropoff into the abyss. Maximum depth is 40 meters here, and as the current can be a challenge, the site is suitable for intermediate divers and up. Be sure to take a close look at the black coral trees – you’ll be surprised at the number of tiny creatures living there.
Kuda Giri Wreck
A wreck dive and a pinnacle dive all in one, this is a site most people want to visit more than once. The wreck itself is small, and sits upright on the sand at 30 meters. The top of the wreck is accessible at 15 meters. Deployed as an artificial reef some time ago, the boat’s stern is deeper than her bow, and as there is very little current at this site, it is one that all divers can enjoy. Covered in brilliant sponges and corals in shades of red and yellow, orange and violet, the wreck is home to schooling glassfish which hide from the tarpon and barracuda that wait outside in hopes of catching a stray bite. Little gobies have made their homes inside tiny dens, often partnering with shrimp. Schooling batfish and leaf fish, nudibranchs and flatworms, humphead wrasse, and small reef sharks can be seen here, as well. If you are fortunate, you may encounter guitar sharks or turtles.
You can dive in South Male all year long, although the best time to visit is between December and April. Between May and November, there is more rain and visibility is not as crystal-clear as it normally is during the dry season. Most diving here is done via liveaboard, so be sure to check dates well in advance to ensure that your holiday will include the sites you wish to explore.