subject: The best wreck dives in the Maldives [print this page] The best wreck dives in the Maldives The best wreck dives in the Maldives
The best wreck dives in the Maldives
The Maldives once had a large and varied fleet of freight vessels and remains part of a popular shipping route. This nautical history,combined with the country's many atolls and relatively shallow waters,hasleft some spectacular wrecks on the ocean floor of this tropical diving paradise.
Wreck diving in the Maldives provides a fascinating glimpse into both nature and human history. Divers can witness firsthand how marine ecosystems adapt to and takeover these sunken relics of human civilization. The warm, clear, calm waters of the Maldives offer a fantastic opportunity to observe this process; as coral reefs grow over the hulls of wrecked ships, creating a magical home for localmarine flora and fauna.
Divers of all levels can expect to experience sunken vessels covered in both hard and soft corals, teeming with colorful species offish and providing shelter for eels, turtles, rays and sharks. Liveaboard diving safaris are the ideal way to access these incredible sites as they provide the most time, convenience and accessibility to a variety of top scuba diving spots.
Here is a list we've compiled on the best wrecks to dive in the Maldives:
Fesdhoo Wreck
The Fesdhoo (Fesdu) wreckin Ari Atoll is the final resting place of a 30 meter (100 ft) long fishing trawler, which forms a man made' reef on the ocean floor, some 30 meters below the surface. Hard and soft corals, sponges, feather stars and brightly colored sea slugs have colonized the outside of the wreck. Within its cavernous hull lurk moray eels, lionfish, schools of glassfish, anthia,blue fin trevally and groupers. Fesdhoo wreck lies alongside a small pinnacle (thila) that reaches a depth of 12 meters (40 ft). It is suitable for intermediate divers and is a great year-round wreck and reef site.
Maldives Victory Wreck
Located in North Mal Atoll at the Hulhule House Reef is the massive Maldives Victory wreck. The Victory is an incredible 110-meter (360 ft) long steel Singaporean cargo ship, which sunk on Friday the 13th, 1981. Suitable for only experienced divers due to strong currents and sharp protrusions, the wreck lies some 35 meters (115 feet) deep on the sandy ocean floor. The cargo rooms of the Maldives Victory are easily accessible and the entire coral-encrusted wreck is home to a large variety of marine life, including large groupers, batfish, lionfish, pipefish, puffers, hawkers and the odd sea turtle. The intact main mast of the Maldives Victory adds to the uniqueness of this ever-popular advanced dive site.
Kuda Giri Wreck
The Kuda Giri wreck is one of the principle wrecks located in South Mal Atoll. It is a small, intact wreck with a depth range of 18-30meters (60-100 ft) and is perfect for small group dives and also comes highly recommended for night dives. The bow of the wreck points towards a reef tower or giri', providing a fine dive on its own. The Kuda Giri wreck features a variety of corals, sponges, schools of glassfish, batfishand blue fin trevally, as well as the occasional leaf fish, frogfish, turtle, humphead wrasseand guitar shark. The gentle currents around the Kuda Giri make this site suitable for divers of all levels.
Halaveli Wreck
The Halaveli wreck, a 33-meter (108 ft) long freighter, was sunk in 1991 in North Ari Atoll, some 50 meters (165 ft) from the main reef. It is year-round dive site, which is suitable for intermediate level divers and is a great spot for night dives. The Haveli wreck is particularly popular for stingray spotting and is also home to moray eels, groupers, batfish, bannerfish and lionfish. This 18-28 meter deep wreck is covered in a variety of colorful soft corals.
The British Loyalty Wreck
For divers interested in history, the British Loyalty wreck is a must. Built in 1928 and hit by Japanese torpedoes in both 1942 and 1944, the giant oil tanker was finally purposefully sunk by a British warship in 1946 in Addu Atoll. The British Loyalty wreck is a whopping 140 meters (460 ft) long and 20 meters (65 ft) wide and lies on its sideat a depth range of 16 to 33 meters. The wreck is appropriate for all levels of divers and is teeming with marine life. Highlights include a large number of coral formations, parrotfish, clownfish, wrasse, angelfish, triggerfish and turtles. Experienced divers can swim through the torpedo holes or check out the Loyalty's still-intact propellers.
The Shipyard Wreck
Another great wreck dive in the Maldives is the Shipyard wreck, a special sitebecause it contains two wrecks, Skipjack 1 and 2, both of which sunk during the early 1980s. One wreck lies on its side on the ocean floor while the other sits on its stern with its bow poking several meters out from the surface of the water.Located west of Hinnavaru Island in Lhaviyani Atoll, the Shipyard wreck has a maximum depth of 30 meters (100 ft), is suitable for intermediate diversand isa highly recommended spot for night dives. The site is home to many species of hard and soft corals, schools of glassfish and species such as blennies, damsels, anthias, angelfish and butterfly fish as well as the occasional stingray.
