Orimas Thila - Maagaa Thila - Maldives Dive Site
Dive Site: Protected Marine Area
Location: North Ari Atoll, North side of Orimas Faru
Depth Range: 3m - 30m
Coral Growth: Excellent
Features: Reef fish, Caves, Coral
Fish Life: Abundant
Dive Site Map - Orimas Thila - Maagaa Thila
Diving Hints and Currents:
Orimas Thila is a beautiful dive site in the Maldives, sometimes referred to as Maagaa Thila, named after the island to its north. The northern side of this reef which spans 100 meters in length, has breath-taking landscapes with numerous features which make it a favorite of scuba divers visiting the Maldives.
There is a long, narrow crack on the reef top at six meters which is bursting with marine life. The face of the reef is jagged and at times very steep, and holds a cave that snakes along the reef between the depths of 15 to 18 meters. The cave houses many black coral bushes, as well as seafans and fine, weed-like soft coral.
The eastern ridge is peppered with crevices, cracks and canyons, with many eye-catching coral rocks. Further east of this dive location Maldives, the reef slopes down gradually to 30 meters. Although sea anemones can be found all around the dive site, there is a large, concentrated patch thereof at the eastern side at around 15 meters. The south east side of Orimas Thila contains another deep cave at 25 meters, which is home to black coral bushes and nudibranchs.
The south side of Orimas Thila drops slowly to around 30 meters in a gradual decline. The western side has a more sharp decline, and is home to schools of blue triggerfish and blue-striped snapper. The reef has a beautiful display of fire coral, staghorn coral and large table coral. Around Orimas thila you will find almost every variety of fish, the most common seen species being the flutemouth.
This best dive site in Maldives is a firm favorite of scuba divers looking to spend their time studying the fish and interesting underwater landscape. Because the dive site is a relatively small and cosy reef, special care should be taken not to disturb the marine life of damage the delicate coral growth.
More Scuba Diving Locations in the Maldives:
- Rangali Madivaru
- Rasfari Island
- Vattaru Kandu
