Banana Reef

A long, curved reef near the airport and the southern resort islands, and one of the first dive sites in the Maldives to be explored. Its north-eastern side has caves, canyons and big overhangs where schools of bluestripe snapper and oriental sweetlips gather, while turtles, napoleon wrasse and reef sharks pass along the slope. The reef top sits at only a few metres, so it also works as a shallow dive.

Facts

• Region: Maldives – North & Central Atolls
• Area: North Malé Atoll
• Depth: 4–30 m
• Level: intermediate
• Current: strong
• Type: reef, wall
• Coordinates: 4.2392, 73.5322
• Highlights: swim-throughs/overhangs, caves and canyons, bluestripe snapper schools, sweetlips, napoleon wrasse, turtles, hard coral, soft coral
• Tips: Part of the 1995 Marine Protected Areas (listed as Gaathugiri). Currents can be strong at the eastern end, so dive it with a guide and an SMB. Marine Protected Area: fishing, anchoring and taking coral, shells or rock are prohibited.

Sources

• https://www.scubago.com/en/explore/divesite/banana-reef-fee-gaa-giri-106886
• https://www.baros.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Dive-Sites.pdf
• https://www.dive-the-world.com/diving-sites-maldives-north-male-atoll.php
• https://www.wannadive.net/spot/Asia/Maldives/Male_Atoll/North_Male_Atoll/Banana_Reef/index.html
• https://statisticsmaldives.gov.mv/yearbook2009/Environment/2.1.htm