Maaya Thila
Conditions & tides
Scored by DiveConnect's site-physics model
Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.
Dived here today? How were conditions vs. what we showed?
About this site
Maaya Thila is a round thila in the Maldives, about 80 metres across, protected as a marine reserve. The top starts at 6 metres and the reef edge drops from 12 metres to 30 metres and more. It can be circled in one dive if the current is favourable, though many divers stay in one area.
Several coral outcrops sit on the northwest and south sides, and there are many caves and overhangs all around. The big cave on the north side is full of fish. A large rock on the south side has a swim-through a metre wide at 24 metres. Soft coral and gorgonians cover the reef faces.
Whitetip reef sharks are the centre of attention, often dozens circling the reef, and they favour the side where the current is strongest. Grey reef sharks are also common. Dogtooth tuna, great barracuda, blue-faced angelfish, Moorish idol, tall-fin batfish, parrotfish, butterflyfish, clown triggerfish and lionfish fill the cave, with stonefish and anglerfish for the careful observer. Fusiliers and bluestripe snapper crowd the reef top, and a large turtle is a regular.
Read the full guideShow less
Current is medium, and a strong current can run, so it suits intermediate divers.
Marine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
Manta rayManta rayReported here · unconfirmed
Clark's AnemonefishAmphiprion clarkiiReported here · unconfirmed
Day OctopusOctopus cyaneaReported here · unconfirmed
Blackfin AnemonefishAmphiprion nigripesReported here · unconfirmed
Giant MorayGymnothorax javanicusReported here · unconfirmed
Longfin BatfishPlatax teiraReported here · unconfirmed
Bignose UnicornfishNaso vlamingiiReported here · unconfirmed
Hawksbill Sea TurtleEretmochelys imbricataReported here · unconfirmed
Spotted LinckiaLinckia multiforaReported here · unconfirmed
Spiny Cushion StarCulcita schmidelianaReported here · unconfirmed
Whitetip Reef SharkTriaenodon obesusReported here · unconfirmed
StonefishStonefishConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
ParrotfishParrotfishReported here · unconfirmed
SnapperSnapperReported here · unconfirmed
Eagle rayEagle rayConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
DamselfishDamselfishReported here · unconfirmed
OctopusOctopusReported here · unconfirmed
FrogfishFrogfishReported here · unconfirmed
BarracudaBarracudaConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
AngelfishAngelfishReported here · unconfirmed
TunaTunaReported here · unconfirmed
TriggerfishTriggerfishReported here · unconfirmed
BatfishBatfishReported here · unconfirmed
LionfishLionfishReported here · unconfirmed
FusilierFusilierReported here · unconfirmed
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
No notes yet. Dived here? Be the first to leave a tip.
Share a write-up or a photo. Submissions are reviewed before they appear on the page.
Nearby dive sites
Shops that dive here
No shops have listed this site yet.