Diving in Huraa, Maldives: Sites, Prices & What to Expect

Banana Reef is arguably the most cited dive site in the Maldives and is the country’s first designated marine protected area. The reef is named for its distinctive banana shape and features a dramatic wall of overhangs, caves and canyons on one side, dropping from a reef top at 3 to 8 metres to beyond 30 metres. Thousands of blue-lined snappers fill the water column, giving the site a characteristic look that appears in most Maldives diving photography. Napoleon wrasse, grey reef sharks, eagle rays, moray eels and large trevally are commonly seen. The eastern wall’s overhangs are particularly well-colonised with soft corals and sea fans. This is one of the most accessible major sites from Huraa and is regularly included on two-tank morning dive programmes. Suitable for Open Water graduates upward. Morning light on the eastern wall makes it especially good for photography.

Manta Point and Lankan Manta Point are two of the most productive manta ray cleaning stations in the Maldives. Both operate year-round, with manta activity highest during the southwest monsoon (June to September) when plankton blooms bring larger numbers of rays to the station. Lankan Manta Point sits at 15 to 30 metres; the cleaning stations themselves are typically accessed at 10 to 12 metres, meaning you can watch manta rays circling just above you at shallow depth. Groups of 3 to 15 mantas are typical at a single visit. Nurse sharks, reef sharks and eagle rays are also commonly seen at these sites.

Important: maintain a minimum 3-metre distance from all rays. Do not dive underneath them to block their path to the cleaning station. No flash photography. A responsible guide will brief you before entry and manage your position in the water. Sightings are never guaranteed.

HP Reef, officially Girifushi Thila, sits on the southeastern edge of North Malé Atoll between two outer islands. The permanent nutrient-rich currents flowing through this position produce some of the most spectacular soft coral growth in the atoll. The reef top starts at around 5 metres and drops to 30 metres, with caves and overhangs covered in sea fans, soft corals and gorgonians at multiple depths. Schools of big-eye trevally, rainbow runners, barracuda and tuna are the dominant pelagic life here. Grey reef sharks patrol the deeper edges and eagle rays are regularly seen. Angel fish are abundant across the reef top.

HP Reef is well-known among Maldives divers and is considered one of the atoll’s most spectacular reef dives. The currents that make it rich can also make it demanding: check conditions with your guide before entering, and be prepared to descend quickly on the mooring line in stronger current days.

Nassimo Thila is a pinnacle dive site in North Malé Atoll with a jagged structure of caves, canyons, overhangs and cracks, maximum depth around 30 metres. The overhangs are covered almost entirely in soft corals in multiple colours, with very large gorgonian sea fans throughout. Nurse sharks are often spotted resting in the overhangs. Napoleon wrasse, barracuda and schools of black snapper patrol around the pinnacle. In stronger current, the pinnacle produces excellent drift diving.

This site is best suited to divers with some experience beyond their Open Water qualification. The currents can be unpredictable and the depth demands proper air management. Keeping maximum depth to 20 to 25 metres allows most divers to complete a circuit of the thila in a single dive. Worth pairing with a shallower site such as Manta Point on the same morning.

The Maldive Victory is a 110-metre cargo ship that sank on 13 February 1981 after striking the reef between Hulhule and Malé at full speed. The vessel was carrying goods from Singapore to Maldivian resorts; all crew and passengers survived. The wreck now lies upright with a slight tilt on the sandy bottom, with the shallowest point (the mast) at around 12 metres and the main deck at 25 metres, reaching 35 metres at the hull. The wreck was designated a protected site by the Maldivian government in February 2021.

The hull, superstructure and three open cargo holds are colonised with soft corals, sponges and diverse fish life: schools of trevally in the cargo holds, groupers, batfish, lionfish, pufferfish, turtles and moray eels throughout. Napoleon wrasse sometimes shelter beneath the bridge. Best diving is typically in the early morning with a slight current. DSMB is mandatory due to boat traffic in the channel. Strong outgoing currents are possible; this dive requires Advanced Open Water certification, experience in current diving, and ideally Deep Diver specialty or equivalent logged dives below 30 metres. Not suitable for divers fresh from their Open Water course.

North Malé Atoll has approximately 40 officially listed dive sites and Huraa’s central position gives access to many of them. Other sites that may feature on Huraa dive programmes include Aquarium (a sheltered beginner-friendly reef inside the atoll), Kuda Haa (a marine protected area shaped like two camel humps, strong currents, prolific fish life), Himmafushi Corner (easy drift dive on a slope to 30 m, sharks and stingrays), and Rasfari Corner (outer reef, grey reef sharks, eagle rays). The exact sites offered depend on your guide’s assessment of conditions on the day and your certification level. Always ask which sites are planned and why before departing.