Dive site
Banana Reef
North Malé Atoll, Maldives
- Typical depth
- 25 m
- Type
- Reef
- Level
- Beginner
Marine life
- Rays
- eagle ray, stingray, occasional manta
- Macro
- moray eel, scorpionfish
- Corals
- hard coral overhangs, soft corals, sea fans
- Sharks
- whitetip reef shark, blacktip reef shark, grey reef shark (occasional)
- Turtles
- hawksbill, green
- Pelagics
- giant trevally, barracuda
- Reef fish
- napoleon wrasse, snapper schools, sweetlips, oriental sweetlips, fusiliers, bannerfish
Site features
- Thila
- Overhangs
- Caves
- Reef
- Beginner-Friendly
- Classic Site
When to dive
- Best
- Nov–Apr
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug
Banana Reef in North Malé Atoll was one of the first Maldivian sites dived in the 1970s — a banana-shaped thila with overhangs, caves, and coral outcrops on the eastern side. Year-round diving in the Maldives; NE monsoon (Dec–Apr) brings the clearest water and calmest seas on the eastern atolls, while SW monsoon (May–Oct) shifts the action to the western edges. Currents are typically mild to moderate on the thila itself.
Conditions & access
- Visibility
- 20–30 m
- Water temp
- 27–30 °C
- Current
- Mild
- Access
- Open access
- Min cert
- Open Water; suitable for the early Advanced specialties (deep, drift)
Location
4.2728° N, 73.5694° E
Sources
Curated from 1 source
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