Top 5 Dive sites for Beginners at Komandoo

December 2, 2023 admin 4 Star Hotels & Resorts, Diving & Snorkeling 0

If you’re planning a holiday to Komandoo Maldives, or you’ve already booked and are excitedly looking forward to your stay with us, you’ll probably already know that it’s an incredible place for scuba diving, recently named as one of the Top 10 Diving Resorts in the Maldives. As well as the adrenalin-rush-inducing channel crossing dives at sites frequented by sharks and rays, there are plenty of gentle but beautiful dives that give the feeling of diving in an aquarium – perfect for beginners who need a slower pace. Komandoo’s very own house reef is wonderful but there are many more dive sites accessible by a short boat trip, the team at Prodivers, the dive centre at Komandoo, have compiled a list of their top 5 sites that beginner divers (and those who are more experienced) love.

Komandoo Island Resort & Spa — Komandoo Island Resort Spa

Kuredu House Reef – Tiny, colourful nudibranchs and flamboyant mantis shrimps hide amongst the corals, schools of colourful reef fish move past hiding moray eels and resting stingrays. If you’re lucky, you may even spot cruising eagle rays and reef sharks swimming along the edge of the reef. The house reef is also home to a shipwreck which is a magnet to marine life, a big napoleon wrasse and a resident school of bat fish among many other species are seen here.

Aquarium – Sheltered from strong currents, Aquarium is perfect for beginners. Schooling blue stripe snappers and humpback snappers swarm around the coral big coral blocks sticking out from the reef. Octopus can be found hiding away along the length of the reef. Hawksbill turtles are often seen feeding on algae and sponges growing on the reef. Aquarium is also a spot which gives regular sightings of Guitar Sharks.

Tinga Giri – A beautiful underwater island offering an abundance of fish life in a sheltered location. Large coral blocks on the top reef drop away at the edge of the reef down to the sandy bottom at 25 metres. A large cave provides sanctuary to numerous painted rock lobsters and the small overhang next to it is home to a ribbon eel and at certain times of the year, the ornate ghost pipefish. The reef teems with clown fish living in different types of anemones.

Bodu Giri – A big, shallow underwater island protected from strong currents, and offering an abundance of schooling fish and coral growth. Butterfly fish, brightly coloured coral groupers, moorish idols, oriental sweet lips and schools of blue-striped snappers can be found in large numbers across the length of the reef. Thousands of yellow-back and neon fusiliers can be seen coming from the blue water to the reef for protection from the blue-fin jacks and tuna which are often seen hunting them. Painted rock lobsters hide under the coral blocks and big napoleon wrasse cruise by to check you out. Look above your head for the big-nose unicorn fish playing in your bubbles!

Caves – This reef is also known as ‘Turtle Airport’ due to the large population of green sea turtles that live here, resting in the overhangs and taking off to ‘fly’ to the surface for their next breath before coming back in to ‘land’. The ceilings of the overhangs are covered in soft corals and soldier fish swimming upside down. Stingrays can also be spotted on the sandy areas on the deeper ledges and big napoleons can also be seen cruising by. Porcupine fish, lion fish, moray eels, leaf fish and scorpion fish all make the overhangs their home.

This is just a taster of what’s in store if you join us for diving at Komandoo. You do not even have to be qualified or do a course, the PADI Discover Scuba Diving dives will also give you a glimpse of some of the incredible marine life. Those thinking of doing a diving course should explore the PADI eLearning option where all the theory can be completed online at your leisure before you arrive at the resort then it’s just the fun stuff in the water to complete during your holiday!

We look forward to hearing all about your underwater adventures during your stay with us.