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Ari
Atoll Dive Sites
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| Broken
Rock |
Location:
South Ari Atoll, Dhigurashu Kandu
Description: About 80
metres long, what distinguishes this thila from the others
is a canyon that cuts through the diameter of the thila. The
canyon is about one to three metres wide and 10 metres deep.
It slices the reef from south east to north west. The top
of the reef is 14 metres and the canyon reaches a maximum
depth of 24 metres. Swimming through this 50 metre long canyon
is one of the highlights.
Depth range: 12 - 28 metres.
Marine life: The strong
currents and protected pockets on the reef have made an ideal
environment for an amazing variation of marine life from strong
branching seafans and soft coral to schools of barracuda,
fusilier, tallfin batfish and turtles.
Instructor's comment:
Excellent opportunities for photography but have to be extremely
careful not to cause damage to the corals. It is not advisable
to take your cameras, when current is running in. Sharp corners,
jutting outcrops and narrow squeezes make this site especially
vulnerable to diver damage. |
| Dhigurah
Thila |
Location:
South Ari Atoll, a kilometre north of Dhigurah Island.
Description: The eastern
side of the thila is exposed to ocean currents and drops quickly
down from 8 metres to the ocean plateau at 45 metres. The
reef wall is about 400 metres long, the whole length interspersed
with caves and overhangs. Midway along the thila on the eastern
side is a fracture in the reef, starting at 15 metres and
descending to 40 metres.
Depth range: 8 - 30 metres.
Marine life: The fracture
is crowded with marine life of all types and sizes. Check
out the coral outcrops along the wall of the thila. In the
southwest monsoon make it a point of watching out for the
whale sharks that are commonly seen here.
Instructor's comment:
The top of the thila is good for snorkelling, with leather
corals and lots of feeding turtles. |
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