Thila, Giri, Faru, Haa, Gaa, Out Reef, House Reef, Corner, Kandu, Wall

Most of these words probably sound very outlandish to you. If you have dived in the Maldives you will have come across them already. They actually will give you a clue of what the dive site is all about. Let us explain.

Thila
In Baa as well as in Raa Atoll, we mainly dove Thilas. They are full of beautiful coral and marine life. A Thila is an underwater pinnacle that can be found either inside an Atoll or in a channel. They differ in size but usually you can explore the entire area in one dive. Typically, the top of the Thila starts at around eight meters and deeper. These are the most colourful reefs.

Thilas near Ocean Dimensions: Dhigu Thila, Dhonfan Thila, Anemone Thila

Giri
Different Atolls have different topography. For example Lhaviyani Atoll has more Giris whereas we have only a few Giris. Giris have their charm too and offer a huge variety of marine life. A Giri is similar to a Thila but it is very close to the surface of the ocean and can often be exposed during low tides. You can see the water break on the surface around a Giri. A Giri would usually have less currents flowing around and through it, making it more suitable for beginner divers.

Giris near Ocean Dimensions: Kuroshi Giri, Maamunagau Giri

Faru
Faru translates to Reef in the local language Dhivehi. It can be a reef enclosing a lagoon. We do not have many Farus in our region.

Farus near Ocean Dimensions: Angafaru

Haa
A Haa is deeper than a Thila and you can’t see it from the boat. This makes a Haa hard to find. In the old days the captains used triangulation to get near the Haa. For example when the highest tree of one island aligned with the jetty of another island and the radio antenna of a 3rd island was in line with the stern of the boat. Then it was up to the dive guide to free dive down and find the exact spot. Nowadays with phone apps and GPS it is much easier to find. To dive a Haa we need experienced Nitrox divers to explore it.

Haas near Ocean Dimensions: Dhigali Haa, Dorangali Haa

Gaa
Gaa translates to rock in the local language Dhivehi. A Gaa is a small dive site. We usually start our dive at the deep end and like in a spiral, we circle our way up until we reach the top.

Gaas near Ocean Dimensions: Kuda Gaa, Bodu Gaa

Out Reef
Out reefs start at around 5 meters and are part of the outer edge of an Atoll. The reef either slopes down or it might have several terraces or is in shape of a wall. The reef would end at the bottom of the ocean maybe at 2km depth.

Out Reefs near Ocean Dimensions: Neyo Out Reef, Kottefaru Out Reef

House Reef
A house reef surrounds an island. Typically it can be easily reached from the island itself. At Kihaa we often do our course dives and night dives at the house reef.

House Reefs near Ocean Dimensions: Kottefaru House Reef, Kihaa House Reef

Corner
Corners are the entrance from the outer reef to inside of the Atoll. Here we can have strong currents and therefor big schools of fish can be found here.

Corners near Ocean Dimensions: Sola Corner, Dhigufaru Corner, Batthala Corner

Kandu
A channel is the gap in the Atoll between one outer reef to the next outer reef. A channel should only be dived on an incoming current when cooler fresh water from the open ocean is coming into the Atoll. Here you can see big fish in strong currents. A channel dive with a scooter is an additional highlight.

Channels near Ocean Dimensions: Batthala Channel

Wall
A steep reef usually with some overhangs. To dive a steep wall for the first time, looking down into the abyss can sometimes make you a little queasy and then you start to love it. You never quite know where to look.

Walls near Ocean Dimensions: Golden Wall, Vandhoo Wall, Dhonfan Wall

We have it all, you can get all the different types of dive sites the Maldives have to offer diving with Ocean Dimensions.