Maaya Thila

A round thila about 80 m across in North Ari, with its top at roughly 6 m and the edge dropping from 12 m to 30 m and beyond. Caves, overhangs and a swim-through ring the pinnacle, and whitetip reef sharks circle it in numbers, joined by grey reef sharks, eagle rays, turtles, moray eels and frogfish. It is one of the best-known night dives of the Maldives, when hunting whitetips, trevally and stingrays patrol the reef.

Facts

• Region: Maldives – North & Central Atolls
• Area: North Ari Atoll
• Depth: 6–30 m
• Level: intermediate
• Current: moderate
• Type: pinnacle, night
• Coordinates: 4.09188, 72.85637
• Highlights: whitetip reef sharks, grey reef sharks, eagle rays, turtles, moray eels, frogfish, octopus, nudibranchs, stingrays at night, soft coral, swim-throughs/overhangs
• Tips: Currents change quickly – follow the crew's call; night dives only in slack current. Listed as a protected area by the Maldivian government (fishing and anchoring are not allowed) – do not touch the reef or collect anything.

Sources

• https://www.padi.com/dive-site/maldives/maaya-thila/
• https://www.dive-the-world.com/diving-sites-maldives-ari-atoll.php
• https://resortlife.travel/dive-sites/maaya-thila-north-ari
• https://statisticsmaldives.gov.mv/yearbook2009/Environment/2.1.htm
• https://www.frontiersin.org/api/v4/articles/540138/file/Data_Sheet_1.PDF/540138_supplementary-materials_datasheets_1_pdf/1