Liquidstate

On this occassion we were honoured to see an absolutely fantastic Manta Ray display on the eastern side of the Thila towards the end of the dive. We all slumped down onto the reef at about 15m and watched these fantastic animals fly above the reef while the cleaner fish peck out any bacteria and other nasties. We had two Mantas, one male, one female. The female being the larger, darker colour.  We stayed a bit longer than we planned to watch this display, so surfaced on about 30 bar!  Thankfully, we were in a big group, fairly shallow, and the boat new where to find us. In total, we had about 30-40 minutes with the Mantas.

Dhonfanu is an oval shaped reef starting at a depth of 7 to 14 meters. One side of the Thila forms a beautiful swim-through beginning at 18 meters and ending around 25 meters. There is a canyon on the other side of the Thila between the main reef and a large block that stands slightly with astonishing corals and aquatic life. When the conditions are right, Grey reef sharks, Eagle rays, Barracudas and big schools of Jack fish can be seen.

We originally went hunting for Mantas, but it didn’t quite go according to plan. Instead though, while Jen and I were off exploring by ourselves, we managed to find ourselves a friendly turtle who was feeding off the coral.  We were originally doing our 6-9m safety, but the turtle at 16m was just too good to miss!  Can’t wait to see the photos!

This was another dive on the Horubadhoo Thila, or Dhigali Haa, as its also known.  However, this time it was a night dive!  We had a nice drift with a gentle current, and about 4m visibility.

Dhigu Thila is a very long, narrow reef which rises from the sea floor to the crest at 8 to 16 meters depth. Both sides of the Thila drop down like a wall and most of the overhangs are between 20 to 25 meters. On either the western or eastern end of the Thila, depending on the direction of the current, a fine selection of fish can be seen; Fusilier and Banner fish, Eagle Rays and Jack fishes. Drifting along the side of this long Thila is equally exciting as,during low season, schools of Glassfish come here and Manta rays cruise the top.

This dive site is a marine protected reef. The top of the Thila (a submerged mountain) is 12 to 16 meters deep and is inhabited by different coloured varieties of soft and hard corals. If conditions are optimal, you will see a vast scale of marine life from the tiniest of creatures to the huge Barracuda. There are large, rough blocks on either side of the Thila which sweep up the current allowing schools of Fusiliers to escape the hunting Jack fishes. During low season (May to November), Manta Rays come to the cleaning stations on the Thila and big clouds of Glassfish gather around this coral formation.