North Male Atoll Dive Sites
Banana Reef
Due to the location of this site near to the airport and to the resort islands in the south of the atoll, this was one of the first dive sites to be discovered in the Maldives and it remains one of the best loved.
As you drop in here you will descend down onto a long reef shaped to its western edge in a curve giving the site its name. What you will notice here, especially if you have dived elsewhere in the Maldives, is the quality of the coral coverage. You will see large areas bedecked with acropora corals on the slope which are as clean and healthy as anywhere.
The topography of this site is also of interest. Your guide aided by the current should lead you along the reef in a north easterly direction where, between 10 and 25 metres, you will encounter a variety of spectacular caves, overhangs and caverns.
In this area, swimming around and about the colourful soft corals and sea fans you can spot giant groupers, angelfish and blue-lined snappers, as well as lurking morays and lobsters. Finning to the east is where the enormous school of resident bannerfish flutter in the current, which can really be strong. Indeed 1 section of this dive is often referred to as the 'Washing Machine'. In this area your heart rate is more likely to go up than your bubbles, so caution is advised.
On this wonderful dive, with due care, you can enjoy the varied, constantly changing scenery and the impressive profusion of fish-life that Banana Reef enjoys.
Banana Reef Basics: Sloping wall, drift dive
Depth: 5 - 30m
Visibility: 20 - 35m
Currents: Can be very strong
Surface conditions: Usually calm, can be choppy
Water temperature: 27 - 30°C
Experience level: Intermediate to advanced
Number of dive sites: 1
Diving season: All year round. Liveaboards less likely to visit May to July
Distance: 2 km west of Kuda Kalhi, 12 km from Male Town
Access: Liveaboard
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