Rasdhoo Channel

Rasdhoo Channel lies along the atoll rim near Rasdhoo and Kuramathi in Ari Atoll, one of the channels connecting the atoll's inner lagoon to the open sea. Channels like this in the Maldives are dived primarily as drift sites, where divers ride the incoming or outgoing tidal current along the reef edge. This particular channel is known among Ari Atoll operators as a spot to encounter hammerhead sharks, typically on early morning dives in deeper water off the channel mouth. The reef bottom here reaches a maximum depth of around 25 metres, with strong current running through it, and it is rated an advanced dive. Eagle rays, Napoleon wrasse, and reef sharks are regularly seen along the channel, and divers have also reported stingrays on the reef.

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

• Reef sharkReef sharkConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
• StingrayStingrayReported here · unconfirmed
• Napoleon WrasseCheilinus undulatusReported here · unconfirmed
• Oriental SweetlipsPlectorhinchus vittatusReported here · unconfirmed
• Whitetip Reef SharkTriaenodon obesusReported here · unconfirmed
• Powder Blue TangAcanthurus leucosternonReported here · unconfirmed
• Midnight SnapperMacolor macularisReported here · unconfirmed
• Freckled HawkfishParacirrhites forsteriReported here · unconfirmed
• Moorish IdolZanclus cornutusReported here · unconfirmed
• Small Giant ClamTridacna maximaReported here · unconfirmed
• Redtooth TriggerfishOdonus nigerReported here · unconfirmed
• Clown TriggerfishBalistoides conspicillumReported here · unconfirmed
• Eagle rayEagle rayConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
• Napoleon (humphead) wrasseNapoleon (humphead) wrasseConfirmed present · 2 independent sources