DIVE SITES OF NOONU - Maledivenforum - Malediven · 6 5. BODURAH GAA GIRI TIME TO DESTINATION: 35...

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DIVESITESOFNOONU

1. KUDAFUNAFARUIRUMATHI2. BODULHEYFARU3. BUREYHOHOLHA4. VAVATHIKUROLHI5. BODURAHGAAGIRI6. MAAFUNAFARUFARU7. DHEEFURAMFARU8. UTHURUMAHAATHILA9. BODULHIMENDHOOTHILA10. KOMANDHOOHAA11. GEMENDHOOFARU12. MALHENDHOOKANNMATHI13. MAAFARUUTURUMAHAA14. KANDHOODHOOBEYRU

15. KEDHIVARUFARU16. KUDATHILA17. MANADHOOBEYRU18. KUDAFUNAFARUHULHAGU19. HUIVANIFALHU20. RAIMASTHILA21. ORIMASTHILA22. KUDAFUNAFARUUTHURU23. DHEKENANFARUTHILA24. KALEIDHOOKANNMATHI25. THOLHENDHOOFARU26. DHATHAAFARU27. RAAFUSHIKANN28. MAAFARUBOAT

29. LANDHOOFARU30. MANADHOOTHILA31. KUDALHEYGAH32. KUDALHEYFARU33. BOMASTHILA34. KENDIKULUDHOOKANN

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1. KUDAFUNAFARUIRUMATHI

TIMETODESTINATION:5MIN

Description: ThereeftotheeastofEastKudaFunafarufeaturesagentleslopefrom4meterstoapproximately18meters.In2017twooldbicycleswereplacedtheretoactasanartificialcoralrack.Ataround10metersthereefiscoveredwithanemoneswhichareinhabitedbyanunusualamountofanemonefish.Turtlesandeagleraysalsotendtovisitthereef.Inmildcurrentthisisaveryniceandeasydriftdive.

Whattoexpect: Anemones,redsnappers,humpbacksnappers,anemones,clownfish,anemonefish,turtles,eagleraysandtheusualreefsuspects.

Depth: 3metersto18meters

ExperienceLevel: Alllevels

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2. BODULHEYFARU


Description: LargeoverhangsandcavesinterspersedwithsteepdropoffscharacterizethenorthernandeasternpartofBoduhaimendhoo’sbeautifulhousereef.Inthesouthoftheislandthereefoffersanamazingarrayofintactsoftcoralsalloverthedropoffsandintheoverhangs:Fromgorgonians,thornandgrailtomulti-coloredwhipcorals,itisapleasureforthediverseyes.Thiscreatesaperfectenvironmentforsmallreefliveisaheavenformacrolovers.

Whattoexpect: Gorgonians,redsnappers,humpbacksnappers,morayeels,nudibranchs,turtles,shrimps,crabs,flatworms,nudibranchsandmanybeautifulreeffish.



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3. BUREYHOHOLHA


Description: BureyHoholhaislocatedonthehousereefofBurehifasdhoo,anuninhabitedislandlocatednorthofKudaFunafaru.Itconsistsofagentlyslopingreefstartingatthereefplateauandendinginasteepdropoffwhichdescentstoabout30metersontheeasternside.Itisalsointheeastwheretherearemanyoverhangsandsmallcavesinterspersedwithsteepdropoffs.Allrichlycoveredinbeautifulsoftcoralsmainlyinwhiteandblue.Insidetheoverhangsthereisanabundanceofmarinelife,bigandsmall.

Whattoexpect: Softandhardcoral,morays,bannerfish,turtles,gorgonians,nudi’s,shrimps,crabs,flatwormsandmanybeautifulreeffish.



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4. VAVATHIKUROLHI


Description: Thislargegirihassomethingtoofferforeveryone.Thenorthernpartconsistsofalargesandyslopecoveredinmanycoralblocks,bigandsmall.Hereyoucanfindlotsofglassfish,lionfishandmanyjuvenilefish.Turtlesmakearegularappearancehereaswell.Onthesouthsidethereisasmallthila,startingataround15metersandgoingdowntoabout30meters.Hereitisnotunusualtohaveanencounterwithgreyreefsharksorlargenapoleons.Thethilaitselfiscoveredinbeautifulsoftcoralsandoffersanumberofniceoverhangs.

Whattoexpect: Turtles,overhangs,greyandwhitetipreefsharks,stingrays,trevallies,morayeelsandstingrays,glassfish,lionfishandmanybeautifulreeffish.



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5. BODURAHGAAGIRI


Description: BodurahGaaGiriislocatedsouth-westofKudaFunafaru.Thegiriisalittlegemandaseriouslynicedivesite.Almostallaroundthegiriiscoveredwithoverhangsandcavesfilledwiththeusualreefsuspectsaswellasfancorals.Keepaneyeoutforshrimps,glassfish,flatwormandnudibranchsespeciallyinthecaves.Mostinterestingisthenorth-westandwestofthegiriwhichoffersahugevarietyofmarinelife.

Whattoexpect: Fancorals,turtles,morayeels,overhangs.nudibranchs,soldierfish,flatworms,shrimpsandmanybeautifulreeffish.



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6. MAAFUNAFARUFARU


Description: About15minutessouth-westofKudaFunafaruwefindMaafunafaru,anuninhabitedislandwhichissurroundedbyastunningreefcoveredinhardcorals.Thereeftopitselfisfulloffusiliersandbannerfish.Onthewestsideyouwillfindbeautifuloverhangsatabout19meters,whichareadelightformacrofans.

Whattoexpect: Leathercorals,nudibranchs,schoolingfish,octopus,morayeels,jackfish,needlefish,boxfish,nudibranchs,shrimpsandmanybeautifulreeffish.

Depth: 3meters25meters


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7. DHEEFURAMFARU


Description: TothewestofKudaFunafaruwefindthissmalluninhabitedisland.Eventhoughyoucouldeasilymanagetogoallthewayaround,thediveismainlyconcentratedonthenorth-westandeasternsideoftheisland.Thereefslopesdownfromaround5metersto30metersandiscoveredwithnumerousoverhangsatvariousdepths.Intheseoverhangsyouwillfindanabundanceoflifeincludinglobsters,lionfish,groupersandmorayeelsaswellashuntingtrevallies.Turtlesandstingraysarealsofrequentlyseenhere.

Whattoexpect: Turtles,nudibranchs,overhangs,stingrays,morayeelsandmanybeautifulreeffish.



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8. UTHURUMAHAATHILA


Description: Tothenorth-eastwefindthistopdivesite.Thereefstartsatabout12meterswhereyou’llfindanarrowreeftopcoveredwithmanycoralblocksoftenusedbynursesharksasahideout.Onthereefitselftherearemanyoverhangsrangingindepthsfrom16to30meters.Insidetheoverhangstherearealargenumbersofglassfishandjuvenilepelagic.Outsidekeepaneyeoutforjackfish,tunas,greyreefsharksandevensometimessilvertips!Onthereefitselfmakesuretolookoutforscorpionfish,nudibranchsandribboneels.

Whattoexpect: Nursesharks,scorpionfish,tuna,greyreefsharks,ribboneels,nudibranchs,scorpionfishandmanybeautifulreeffish.


ExperienceLevel: Advanced(current,depth)

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9. BODULHIMENDHOOTHILA


Description: Namedaftertheclosebyisland,swirlingschoolsoffusilierswillaccompanyyouthroughoutthedive.Thissitecanbereachedbya55-minuteboatride.It’sathilalocatedinthemiddleofachannelwiththeshallowestpointat16meters.Becauseofitslocationthissiteisoftensubjectedtofairlystrongcurrents.Youwillfindschoolsofhumpbackandbluestripesnappersaswellasvarioussweetlipshidingonthereef.Napoleonsandcuriousbatfishoftenapproachdivers.Keepaneyeoutfortuna,stingraysandeaglerays,dolphinsorotherpredatorsontheprowl.

Whattoexpect: Schoolingfusiliers,snappersandsweetlips,tuna,stingrays,eaglerays,napoleons,batfish,dolphinsandmanybeautifulreeffish.


ExperienceLevel: Advanced(current,depth)

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10. KOMANDHOOHAA


Description: NorthofKuda-Funafaru,wefindthisdivesitewhichisonthesurroundingreefofanuninhabitedisland.It’sontheoutsideoftheatollandmeasuresabout150metersby50meterswithareeftopat5metersslopingdowntoasandybottomataround20meters.Dependingonthecurrentwedivethenorth-eastorthesouth-westcorner,wherewewillfindallthefishaction.Usuallylargeschoolsoffusiliers,redandyellowsnappers,sweetlipsandbannerfishcanbeseen,aswellaslargerspecimenslikenapoleonsorgroupers.Withabitofluckyoumayfindnursesharkssleepingundercoralblocks.Evendolphinshavemadeanappearancehere!

Whattoexpect: Schoolingfish,fusiliers,bannerfish,snappers,sweetlips,groupers,nursesharks,napoleonsandmanybeautifulreeffish.



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11. GEMENDHOOFARU


Description: Gemendhooisatiny,uninhabitedislandabout45minutessouthofKudaFunafaru.It’smainlyanestinggroundforbirdsbutonthewest,northandeastsideitalsooffersaspectacularunderwaterworldfordiverstoenjoy.Manydifferentsizedoverhangsandcavesdotthereeffromaround5mto25m.Softcoralscovermostoftheoverhangsaswellaswhipandblackcoral.Bigschoolsoffusiliers,humpbacksnappersandsurgeonfishaccompanydivers.Thetopreefiscoveredwithbeautifultableandstaghorncoral.

Whattoexpect: Overhangs,caves,fusiliers,snappers,coralsandmanybeautifulreeffish.



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12. MALHENDHOOKANNMATHI


Description: South-eastofMalhendhoo,anuninhabitedisland,wefindastunningreef.Itslopesgentlytoabout12metersafterwhichitturnsintoasteepdropoffwithmanydifferentsizedoverhangsandcaves.Theseoverhangsarecoveredinyellowsoftcoral.Hugegorgonianscanalsobefoundheregivingthisreefabeautifulsurreallook.Don’tforgettokeeponeeyeoutsidetheoverhangsandintheblueasthereareoftentunapassingbyandschoolsoftrevally.

Whattoexpect: Softcoral,overhangs,tuna,schoolingfish,nudibranchs,morayeelsandmanybeautifulreeffish.



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13. MAAFARUUTHURUMAHAA


Description: ThisreefislocatedontheoutsideoftheatolleastofKudaFunafaruandismainlyknownfortheimmensevarietyandamountoffish.Basicallyeverytypeofschoolingfishyoucannamewillbetheresurroundingyouthroughoutthedive.Surgeonfish,fusiliers,differenttypesofsnappersandevenbatfish.Thisplaceisalsocalledhometoagroupofnapoleonsandoftenalsostingrayswhofeedoffthesandybottom.Keepyoureyesoutforeagleraysflyingby.

Whattoexpect: Schoolingfish,napoleons,rays,tunaandmanybeautifulreeffish.



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14. KANDHOODHOOBEYRU


Description: InthesouthoftheatollwefindDhonaerikadoodhoo,anuninhabitedislandborderingachannel.Thereefonthesouthandeastsidedescendsinplateausrangingfrom8metersto33meters.Thedeeperplateaushavelongoverhangswhichformtheperfecthidingplaceforturtles,bothgreenandhawksbill.Alongtheeasternsidetheplateausturnintosteepdropoffsboastingvariouscanyonsandoverhangs.Allthesearecoveredinanabundanceofcoral.Asforthefishlifehereyouwon’tfeelleftoutasitisteemingwithmanykindsofschoolingreeffishandtheirpredators.Alsonapoleonsareregularshere.

Whattoexpect: Overhangs,corals,schoolingfish,turtles,tuna,andnapoleonsandmanybeautifulreeffish.

Depth: 5meters30meters


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15. KEDHIVARUFARU


Description: Kedhivaruislocatedsouth-westofKudaFunafaru.Wediveonthewest,northandeastsideofthereefsurroundingtheisland.Thereefstructureconsistsofagentlyslopingreeffromabout5metersdownto18meters.Duetothedepthandmildcurrentsthisisaperfectdivesiteforalllevelsofdiverstoenjoythemanyschoolsoffishthatinhabitthisreef.Apartfromfishalsoturtlesarefrequentvisitorshereaswellaseagleraysand,withabitofluckintherightseasonevenmantarays.

Whattoexpect: Turtles,tuna,schoolingfish,eagleraysandmanybeautifulreeffish.



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16. KUDATILA


Description: KudaThilaisashortboatridetothenorthofKudaFunafaru.It’sasmallthilameasuringabout40metersby20meterswithareeftopconsistingoftwo“humps”startingat15meters.Thewholethilaiscoveredinbeautifulsoftandhardcorals,whichprovideaperfecthidingplaceforallourfavoritereefdwellers.Somesmalloverhangsarehometonumerouscleanershrimp,nudibranchsandothersmallmarinecreatures.Keepyoureyesoutforgreyreefsharks,nursesharksandeagleraysastheyarefrequentlyspottedhere.

Whattoexpect: Greyreefsharks,nursesharks,eaglerays,overhangs,shrimps,nudibranchsandmanybeautifulreeffish.


ExperienceLevel: Advancedlevels

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17. MANADHOOBEYRU


Description: Thisreefisalsoknownas‘MantaPoint’,asduringtheseasonthesegracefulcreaturesusethissiteasacleaningstation.ThereefislocatedatManadhoo,thecapitalislandoftheatoll.It’sagentlyslopingreeffromabout5metersdownto30metersandmore.Itisalsofamousforitshugeamountoffishlife.Manyturtlescanbeseenyearroundaswellasmorayeels.

Whattoexpect: Turtles,schoolingfish,morayeelsand,intheseason,mantaraysandmanybeautifulreeffish.

Depth: 3metersto30+meters


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18. KUDAFUNAFARUHULHAGU


Description: Thisisthewestsideofourhousereef.Itfeaturesastunningcoralgardenstartingat5metersandslowlydescendingtoadepthof20meters.Itistheplaygroundformanylobsters,whicharehidingamongstthecoralformations.Turtlesarealsoregularshereaswellascuriousbatfishthatoftenaccompanydivers.

Whattoexpect: Turtles,lobstersandmanybeautifulreeffish.



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19. HUIVANIFALHU


Description: ThisisaverylongshallowreefneartheislandofHuivani.Mostofthetopreefliesinbetween7metersand10meterswhereyoucanfindmanybigcoralblocksunderwhichyoucanoftenfindsleepingnursesharks.Whitetipreefsharksandturtlescanalsobeseenaswellasschoolsofsnappers,surgeonfishandfusiliers.Intheseasonitisalsoafeedinggroundformantaraysthatcanbeseenwiththeirmouthswideopen,feedingjustbelowthesurface.

Whattoexpect: Nursesharks,whitetipreefsharks,turtles,mantaraysandmanybeautifulreeffish.



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20. RAIMASTHILA


Description: Thisthilaisknownforitsenormousvarietyoffish.Ithasareeftopataround7meters,whichiscoveredbymanycoralblocksandtablecoralswhereyoucanfindhugenumbersofdifferentkindsofsnappers.Allsidesarecoveredbyoverhangsfilledwithglassfish.Duetothelargeamountofjuvenilefishandschoolsoffusiliersyouwillseemanytunaandjackfishhuntinghere.

Whattoexpect: Tuna,jackfish,schoolingfish,overhangsandmanybeautifulreeffish.


ExperienceLevel: Alllevels(Moredemandingwhenstrongercurrentarepresent)

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21. ORIMASTHILA


Description: Amustsee!TothewestofKudaFunafaruwefindthisamazingthila,itbeginsatadepthof15metersandalengthofapproximately80meterswithalittlesaddleinthemiddle.Theeastsidedropssteeplytoaround25meterswithhugeoverhangs.Thewestismoreagentlesandyslopefromabout18metersto25meterswhereoftenstingrayscanbefound.It’salsohometoalargeschoolofbatfishandbarracudas,eagleraysandtrevalliescanbeseenroamingaround.Onthetopofthereefyoucanoftenfindgreyreefsharksgettingagooddentalcleansingbythenumerouscleanerfishthatlivethere.

Whattoexpect: Greyreefsharks,barracuda,eaglerays,trevallies,batfishandmanybeautifulreeffish.

Depth: 17metersto31m

ExperienceLevel: Advanced(Currentscanmakeitachallengingdive)

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22. KUDAFUNAFARUUTHURU


Description: ThisisthenorthsideoftheKudaFunafaru’shousereef.Thereeftopslopesdowngentlyfromaround8metersto20metersandiscoveredbyabeautifulcoralgarden,perfectforaneasydriftdive.Leathercoral,massivetablecoralofferahidingplaceforahugeamountoffish.Bigschoolsoffusiliers,differentkindsofsnappersandhuntingtunaareregularshere.Thereisalwaysagoodchancetoseeeagleraysflyingbyhereaswellasstingraysonthesandybottom.Anumberofturtleshavealsomadethisreeftheirhometurfandareoftenseenhere.

Whattoexpect: Turtles,schoolingfish,stingrays,eaglerays,andmanybeautifulreeffish.



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23. DHEKENANFARUTHILA


Description: Thisisasmallthilaonthewestsideoftheatoll.Thetopofthereefliesataround13metersbutsinceit’sattachedtothemainreefbya15meter‘saddle’youcaneasilyswimovertofinishyourdiveintheshallows.Therearemanyoverhangs,somereallybig.Quiteoftennursesharkscanbefoundsleepinghereaswell.Aroundthethilakeepyoureyesopenfornapoleonsandhuntingtuna.

Whattoexpect: Nursesharks,tuna,napoleons,overhangs,macrolifeintheoverhangsandmanybeautifulreeffish.

Depth: 13metersto30meters(mainreeftopat5meters)


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24. KALEIDHOOKANNMATHI


Description: Locatednorth-westofKudaFunafaruthisdivesiteoffersprobablythemostspectacularcavesandoverhangsintheMaldives.Someofthesecavesarehuge,upto15metersinheight.Theinsideoftheoverhangsarecoveredinbeautifulyellowandbluesoftcoralswhichcreategreatlighteffectsandaperfectbackgroundforphotographers.Onthenorth-westsideatabout15metersofdepththereisan8meterslongverticalswimthroughconnectingtwooverhangs.

Whattoexpect: Overhangs,softcorals,swimthrough,tuna,jackfish,schoolingfish,macrolifeintheoverhangsandmanybeautifulreeffish.



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25. THOLHENDHOOFARU


Description: Thislongreef(faru)runsfromtheuninhabitedislandofTholhendhooapproximately200metersintothechannel.Dependingonthecurrentweeitherdivetheoutsideortheinsideofthereef.Startingat10metersthereefslowlydescendsto25metersinthechannel.Throughoutthediveyouwillbeaccompaniedbyschoolsoffusiliers.Aroundthecoralblocksonthereeftopyou’llfindschoolsofsnappersandbannerfish.Schoolsofrainbowrunners,batfishandgrouperscanalsobeseenhere.Thecoralblocksthemselvesarehometomanynudibranchs,morayeels,shrimpandothersmallcritters.

Whattoexpect: Schoolingfish,tuna,morayeels,batfishandmanybeautifulreeffish.


ExperienceLevel: Alllevels(dependingoncurrent)

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26. DHATHAAFARU


Description: Onthewestsideoftheatollwefindthislongfaru,perfectforaniceandeasydriftdivealongacolorful,coralcoveredwall.Thereefstretchesoveradistanceofabout300metersandfeaturesmanyoverhangs,canyonsandswimthroughsandisfullofmanydifferenttypesofhardandsoftcoral.Allalongthedeeppartofthewallyouwillfindmanygiganticfancorals.Thetopreefiscoveredwithhugetablecoral.Throughoutthediveyouwillbesurroundedbyschoolsoffusiliers,bannerfish,batfishandtrevallies.Abigschooloforientalsweetlipsmadethisreeftheirhomeaswellasnumerousnapoleonsandtuna.

Whattoexpect: Schoolingfish,tuna,napoleon,overhangs,andmanybeautifulreeffish.



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27. RAAFUSHIKANN


Description: ThisdivesiteislocatedonthesoutherntipofNoonuatoll,atRaafushi,anuninhabitedisland.Thereefisnamedforitsabundanceofyellowsoftcoralsandpinkhydrocoral,typicalforthenorthoftheMaldives.Wediveonthenorth-eastcornerofthereefwhichisasteepwalldescendingfrom2meterstoaround28meters.Manynudibranchs,colorfulspongesandanemonescanbefoundhere.Alongthewalltherearemanycleaningstationswherelargerspeciescomeforagoodscrub.Usuallythereisn’tmuchcurrentsoitisidealforphotographers.

Whattoexpect: Hardandsoftcoral,overhangs,schoolingfish,andmanybeautifulreeffish.



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28. MAAFARUBOAT


Description: MaarfaruBoatisthewreckoflandingcraft,whichsankfullyloadedandwithtwoXXXin2010underheavyweatherconditions.Thewrecksitsonashallowsandyplateauwithsomecoralblocksaround.Itfeaturestwosmallswimthroughs:Oneunderthecaptain’scabinandanotheroneundertheloadingbridge.Theescalatorsarealsostillthereandcanbevisitedtowardsmainreefinthenorth.Monthbymonthmoremarineliveissettlingin.Thewreckislocatedinverymoderatedepthinbetween6metersand13metersandthereforesuitableforalllevelsofdivers.

Whattoexpect: Clownfish,pipefish,turtles,stingraysandmanybeautifulreeffish.



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29. LANDHOOFARU


Description: LandhooFaru,alsoknownasLandhooWall,ispartofthehousereefofthelocalislandLandhoo.Thereeftopislocatedat2meterstoapproximately10meters.Ontheedgeitdropsverticallytoaround22–30meters.Thewallfeaturessomeniceoverhangswhichareallaccessibleforthediver.Iftherearenooverhangsthereefiscoverdbysomenicegorgonianfans.ThefishlifeatLandhooFaruisquiteimpressive:Jackfish,napoleons,sharks,eaglerays,stingraysandafieldoflobsterscanbefound.

Whattoexpect: Sharks,eaglerays,jackfish,napoleonfish,lobsters,stingrays,clownfishandmanybeautifulreeffish.



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30. MANADHOOTHILA


Description: ManadhooThilaisalongsubmergedreefbetweenManadhooandSonevaJani.Thenorthfeaturesaverygenteslopefrom10metersto30meters.Asteepdropwithscatteredoverhangscharacterizesthesouth.Itslocationclosetoachannelgivesyouagoodchancetospotbiggerfish.

Whattoexpect: Honeycombmorays,jackfish,sharks,napoleonfish,anthias,andmanybeautifulreeffish.



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31. KUDALHEYGAH32. KUDALHEYFARU33. BOMASTHILA34. KENDIKULUDHOOKANNMATHI

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DIVE SITES OF NOONU - Maledivenforum - Malediven · 6 5. BODURAH GAA GIRI TIME TO DESTINATION: 35...

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