Kandooma Thila dive site, South Malé Atoll

Why people come here

Kandooma Thila is a cigar-shaped reef that rises from forty metres to just five beneath the surface. The top is a maze of coral bommies, swim-throughs and overhangs; the sides drop away in sheer walls patrolled by grey reef sharks, eagle rays and the occasional silvertip. What makes it special, though, is the cleaning stations. Mantas gather here year-round, but from December to March the numbers swell—sometimes a dozen at once—hovering above the coral while cleaner wrasse pick parasites from their gills. The current can be strong, so I always tell clients to bring a reef hook; clip in, watch the ballet, and let the ocean do the work. The thila is also one of the few sites in the Maldives where you can freedive alongside scuba divers. The resort’s PADI centre runs daily freediving courses, and the visibility often exceeds thirty metres, so you can see the mantas from the surface before you duck down for a closer look.

The dive itself

Most boats drop you on the leeward side, where the current is gentlest. You descend to the first swim-through at twelve metres—wide enough for two divers side by sideand follow the tunnel until it opens into a cathedral of light. Schools of fusilier shimmer like silver curtains, and if you look up you’ll see the mantas circling above. The southern tip is the money shot: a cleaning station at twenty metres where mantas queue up, wings spread like aircraft on final approach. Grey reef sharks cruise the outer wall, and if you’re lucky you’ll spot a hawksbill turtle wedged into a crevice, munching on sponge. The dive usually finishes with a safety stop under the boat, where the current sweeps you along like a lazy river. Total bottom time is fifty to sixty minutes, depending on air consumption.

Who should go

Fede guides advanced divers first—anyone with fifty logged dives and a good handle on buoyancy. The current can be unpredictable, and the swim-throughs require confident finning. That said, the resort’s dive centre also runs ‘discovery’ dives for Open Water students; they stay on the leeward side, where the current is milder, and still see sharks and turtles. Underwater photographers love the site because the overhangs create natural snoots—soft, directional light that makes the mantas glow. If you’re travelling with non-divers, the resort’s house reef is a five-minute swim from the jetty and has its own cleaning station, so snorkellers can often see mantas from the surface.

How to get there

The thila sits inside the lagoon of Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma, twenty-five minutes by speedboat from Velana International Airport. The resort offers day trips for guests staying elsewhere in South Malé Atoll, but I usually recommend booking at least two nights so you can dive the thila at dawn, when the sharks are most active. For liveaboard enthusiasts, most South Malé itineraries include Kandooma Thila as a highlight; the boats anchor just outside the lagoon and tender divers in. If you’re coming from a resort in another atoll, a domestic flight to Maamigili followed by a thirty-minute speedboat ride will get you there.

The honest bit

The current is the biggest variable. On a slack tide the site is manageable for Open Water divers, but when it’s running you’ll need to be comfortable with drift diving. The resort’s dive briefings are thorough—listen for the hand signals they use to indicate current strength. Visibility is usually excellent, but plankton blooms between June and October can reduce it to fifteen metres. If you’re prone to seasickness, the speedboat transfer from the airport can be choppy; A good rule: to take motion-sickness tablets thirty minutes before departure. Lastly, the thila is a protected marine area, so no gloves, no touching, and no feeding the fish. The mantas are wild animals, not pets, and they’ll leave if they feel harassed.

Beyond the thila

South Malé Atoll has more than fifty dive sites, and the resort’s dive centre runs daily trips to the best of them. Guraidhoo Corner is a drift dive with napoleon wrasse and schools of batfish; Kandooma Caves is a series of swim-throughs lit by sunlight streaming through cracks in the reef. For something different, the resort offers night dives on the house reef, where you can see moray eels hunting and coral polyps feeding. Non-divers can join a sunset dolphin cruise, try stand-up paddleboarding, or take a cooking class in the resort’s organic garden. The spa has overwater treatment rooms, and the Italian restaurant serves handmade pasta that’s worth the trip alone.