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| Scuba Diving | Surfing | Dolphin Watching | Excursions | Visiting Male' | |
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| Diving - Dive Sites > Guraidhoo Corner | |||||
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| Dive Schools | Dive Safety | Dive Watch | Under Water Photo Gallery | |
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| Dive Sites > || Maldive Victory Wreck || Guraidhoo Corner || Banana Reef || |
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|| Kuda Rah Thila ( Broken Thila ) || Mushi Mas Mingili Thila - Shark Thila || |
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| Guraidhoo Corner | |||||
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Location This site lies on the east side of the South Male’ Atoll, outside of the reef. To be more exact, this is the south side of the channel mouth. Nearby islands are Losfushi, Guraidhoo and Kandooma. The reef top drops from ten metres (33 feet) to 30 metres (100feet) and more; there are grottoes and projections just about everywhere. The edges of the channel drop down to a depth of 30 metres (100 feet). Large isolated coral blocks grow, from the scarp of the reef upward. Dives At Guraidhoo Corner only drift dives are possible. It is therefore necessary to be quite an experienced diver on the reef; all the more so because there are powerful vertical currents all around the site at certain hours of the day. The direction of the principal horizontal current is towards the interior of the atoll. At the edge of the channel, which is also the deepest point, one comes drifting along the reef. The dive comes to an end along the wall of the channel or at the edge of the reef. Life Forms Because of its location outside of the reef, and because of the water movements and the topography, this place is destined to be the home of larger fish. On the edges of the channel, which is to say, at depths ranging from 25 to 30 metres (80 to 100 feet), the best chances are that one will be able to observe a great many grey reef sharks (Carcharthinus amblyrhynochos) and the local school of eagle rays (Aetobatus narinari). The latter tend to swim in the open ocean, at a considerable distance from the seabed. In this same spot large hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini), whale sharks (Rincodon typus) and sailfish (istiophorus platypterus) have been sighted frequently. Guraidhoo corner is also home to large schools of oriental sweetlips (Plectorhyncus orientalis), bannerfish (Heniochus diphreutes), and large black-and-white striped snappers (Macolor niger). And of course the large and friendly humphead wrasses (Cheilinus undulatus) are ever present. Respect for the Environment While skirting the reef, especially at the beginning, it is fairly easy to maintain an adequate distance from the coral. Greater attention is required when moving away from the edges of the reef. Indeed the reef, which presents fewer and fewer jagged edges, is literally covered with blocks of coral of considerable length and countless branches of acropora. Photography The photographer should prepare in advance to take photographs against the light of a school of fish, and a school of eagle rays. The focal lengths, from 20- to 50-millimetres, are perfect for this purpose. Suggested composition: In the presence of clear waters and moderate currents, one should attempt to move out to open water, beneath the school of eagle rays. These animals, shot in sharp relief against the light, will make for a rare and spectacular photograph. . |
 A group of spotted eagle rays (Aetobatus narinari) swims in compact formation at the edge of the pass of Guraidhoo Corner.
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