Kandooma Thila

Kandooma Thila sits in South Male Atoll, a thila (submerged pinnacle) rising from the atoll floor off Kandooma island. It is well known among Maldives dive sites for its overhangs, caves and coral-covered ledges around the pinnacle, which attract grey reef sharks, eagle rays and large schools of fusiliers and snapper. The site runs over a reef bottom to a maximum depth of around 20 metres, with the shallower plateau and ledges offering the bulk of the diving. Currents sweeping across the thila can be strong and unpredictable, and it is rated an intermediate dive, often done as a drift with a guide.

Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.

• Oriental SweetlipsPlectorhinchus vittatusReported here · unconfirmed
• White-spotted Eagle RayAetobatus ocellatusReported here · unconfirmed
• Whitetip Reef SharkTriaenodon obesusReported here · unconfirmed
• Titan TriggerfishBalistoides viridescensReported here · unconfirmed
• Blackfin AnemonefishAmphiprion nigripesReported here · unconfirmed
• Clark's AnemonefishAmphiprion clarkiiReported here · unconfirmed
• Sleek UnicornfishNaso hexacanthusReported here · unconfirmed
• Blackblotched PorcupinefishDiodon liturosusReported here · unconfirmed
• Granulated Sea StarChoriaster granulatusReported here · unconfirmed