DIVE SITE
HELENGELI THILA

With the kind permission of iDive Maldives

Helengeli Thila is a dive site made of a large thila oriented on a southwest-northeast axis, located to the east of Helengeli Island in north Male Atoll in Maldives. Each side of the formation is a sloping wall, except the west side, which is a nice steep wall with overhangs and corals. The top reef is around 10 meters deep and the thila is surrounded by a 35-meter-deep sandy bottom. On the south end, you can find an anchor that is belived to be from a ship “the Swiss” that sunk in 1890. The site is more interesting during the northeast monsoon, and you can encounter many species, including sharks and eagle rays.

The water entry can be done upstream in the current, either at the southwest or northeast of the thila according to the direction of the current.
During incoming current, divers start the dive on the northeast side, where they can spot sharks and eagle rays, and then drift left shoulder along the reef towards the anchor. Then they can ascend toward the centre of the pinnacle.

During outgoing current, divers have two options: they can either start with the anchor and then drift right shoulder along the reef, or swim on the top reef where sharks and eagle rays can be observed. This site is accessible for divers with experience between 20 and 30 meters, and an extra care should be taken with the anchor, which is getting fragile due to its natural degradation.