DIVESITES GAN / EQUATOR VILLAGE

1. Equator Village Housereef:
After 50 metres from the beach is the edge witch slopes from 2 to 25 metres. There are some nice table coral, some big coral blocks. It is possible to see eagle rays, stingrays, turtles, fusiliers and glassfish.


2. Gan Inside
Gan Inside is an ideal beginners dive near the eastern end of the airport runway. Towards the outside of Gan Kandu, there is a small wall starting at five metres. On the top of the reef are wide sandy corridors, sometimes with ten ore more resting stingrays. There are also encounters with many hawksbill and green turtles. Further inside the channel the reef slops more gradually to 14 metres. The bottom is sandy with large coral boulders housing a wide variety of marine life. Here divers will find schools of pelagic like blue-fine jack and darts, also sting rays and eagle rays.


3. Mulikolhu Fara (Manta Point):
The corner into Viligili Kandu is long and rounded with a gently sloping reef from five to 30 metres. Laying on the sandy bottom are about 35 metres is a large hollow steel ball, 25 metres in diameter. This was one of the buoys used for supporting the submarine net across Viligili Kandu. Big barracuda, white-tip reef sharks and huge manta rays up to four metres across are common around the corner. Two hundred metres further into the channel is a large chain used for supporting the submarine net. Near the chain mantas can be seen all year around making this the “Manta Point” of Addoo Atoll. There is also an overhang nearby that is a favourite resting place for nurse sharks. There are more overhangs inside the channel at 30 metres.


4. Banana Thila:
There is a small reef inside Viligili Kandu ideal for night dives and beginner divers. The reef is half-moon in shape and has a beautiful coral garden on the eastern side. Coral heads protrude from the reef slope to the sandy bottom at 20 metres. Fish life includes eagle rays, sting rays and turtles.


5. Huludhoo Outside:
This reef is on the east side of the atoll and is a nice drift dive. The top reef is between 5 and 10 metres and drops to about 35 metres. On the sandy bottom are common white-tip sharks and sting rays and between the coral blocks you can find nurse sharks. There are also all types of hard corals.


6. Meedhoo Outside:
The reef is on the north – east side of the atoll. It is a spectacular drift dive. The top reef is on about 5 metres depth and drops to an unknown depth. There are nice small plateaus where you can find sleeping sharks. Fish life includes all different kind of reef sharks, big napoleons, oriental sweetlips, fusiliers, and jack fish


7. Maakandu Outside:
The outside reef is an easy slow drift dive suitable for beginners with magnificent table and brain corals, school of fusiliers, turtles, eagle rays and sometimes mantas makes this beautiful reef an absolute joy to dive.


8. Muda Kan:
No diver should miss Mudakan. This drift dive starts outside of Maa Kandu channel and ends inside the Atoll. On the east side, there is a large plateau on about 22 metres with very nice table corals. Huge manta rays up to four metres are common around the plateau. At the entrance of the channel, you can see all different kind of reef sharks, eagle rays, napoleons and fusiliers.


9. Bushy East Channel:
On the west side of  Maa Kandu Channel is this reef.  There are all different types of hard coral between 9 and 24 metres. It is possible to see big Napoleons, Turtles and eagle rays.


10. Bushy Outside:
The outside reef is a slow drift dive with magnificent table and brain corals, schools of fusiliers, turtles and eagle rays. Between the hard coral there are many many coral fish witch makes the reef very colourful and there are different fan coral.


11. Bushy West Channel:
The reef on the west side of Kandu Huraa has a beautiful coral slope dropping to the bottom at 22 metres. There are large coral heads all down the slope and nurse sharks are found. This is an easy drift dive that produces regular sightings of eagle rays, napoleon and turtles. Here you also can find all different kind of hard corals.


12. Mahala:
The reef is on the west side of Kudu Kendo Channel. It slopes down from 5 to 27 metres. On the sandy bottom there are big coral blocks with all different kind of hard coral.


13. Fihali Fara:
This is a one km long drift dive along the west side of Kudu Kendo. The reef extends well into the atoll and has big coral heads down the reef face to the bottom at 30 to 35 metres. Fish life includes big red bass, eagle rays, sting rays and turtles.


14. Kuda Kandu Corner:
The corner dive is a slow drift dive. This reef slopes from 5 to 25 metres. Outside is a very nice drop off between 20 and 40 metres. We have seen green turtles, white tip reef sharks, eagle rays, napoleons and schools of snappers.

15. Kuda Kandu Outside:
This is an outside reef with beautiful hard and some soft coral. The reef slopes from 7 to 25 metres. The fish life includes eagle rays, reef sharks, turtles, napoleons and lobsters.


16. Umar’s Place:
The reef is east of Hithadhoo. This dive site is for a long drop-off dive. There are many different hard coral, fan coral and some small soft coral. The top reef is on 6 metres where you can see turtles, oriental sweetlips and fusiliers.


17. Kuda Hoholha:
This is a very nice wall dive where you can find some small caves. Sometimes you can find nurse sharks resting in the caves.
In the wall there are growing many different hard and soft coral. For every Addoo Atoll diver it is a must to dive this dive site.


18. Bodu Hoholha:
It is like Kuda Hoholha a nice wall dive. On 28 metres is a big cave where the nurse sharks are resting or sleeping. Do not forget to bring the torch.


19. Gulda Lamago:
This reef lies to the south east of Kottey and is characterised by a steep slope decorated with hard coral and fine soft coral. There are some caves with lobsters and at about 35 metres the reef undercuts itself to a sandy bottom at about 40 metres. This dive also has a reputation for sharks.


21. Kottey Outside:
On the outside reef near Fen Muli are a series of plateaus stepping down at different depths. There is a plenty of fish life and between 20 and 30 metres are many white-tip and grey reef sharks. There are also napoleons, schools of surgeon, barracudas and sometimes manta rays. At 30 metres there is a steep drop-off. This dive can only be reached in calm weather and diving is sometimes strenuous due to strong currents.


22. British Loyalty (Wreck):
History:
The 5583 tonne oil tanker, British Loyalty was built in 1928 by Palmers Co. Ltd. Newcastle. The ship was torpedoed twice by submarines during the war. The first time was by Japanese midget submarine in Diego Suarez harbour, Madagascar on May 30. 1942. The ship settled on the bottom but it was later repaired. She was torpedoed again in Addoo Atoll on March 9. 1942. The submarine had fired through a gap in the submarine nets blocking Gan Kandu. The ship was damaged but not sunk and remained there for the rest of the war. The Loyalty was finally scuttled on January 5. 1946, before the British withdrew from Gan. According to Mr. Mohammed Ibraheem Loutfi who was a Maldivian liaison officer during the war, the ship was towed by tug to its present location and finally sunk by the guns of a British warship. Mr. Husain Didi from Hithadhoo, who was a 15-year old boy at the time the ship was scuttled, said:
There were many shots fired into the starboard side and oil floated into the harbour killing some dolphins and fish. The oil continued to come ashore for about 10 years.

Diving:
The wreck lies 30 minutes by dhoani from the Equator Village between the island of Maradhoo and Hithadhoo. It is laying on the starboard side and the bottom is at around 33 metres. The port side is at 16 metres and the bow points almost directly north. The total length of the wreck is 140 metres and it is 20 metres width. Coral growth is excellent with large clumps of hard coral all over and a good covering of soft coral. At several places on the railing, big balls of coral look like natural fenders.
The propeller is at 28 metres and originally had four blades made of brass each two metres long. Now the topmost blade is missing but the remaining three are covered in big bushy black coral trees. In front of the engine room, about 60 metres from the stern are two large holes, one on the deck, and the other on the keel. These are so big; divers can easily swim through from one side to the other. The holes were most likely caused when the torpedo exploded. Visibility averages around 20 metres. Schools of blue – fin jack and a large turtle swim around the deck while on the upper side many smaller fish have found a home among the coral. 

23. Maradhoo Inside:
This inside reef slopes from 3 to 22 metres. On the sandy bottom there are big coral blocks where you can see all different kinds of hard coral. For example table coral and mushroom coral. Around the coral blocks there are some lobsters and turtles.

24. Turtle Point:
This out reef is south of Gan. It slopes from 7 to 27 metres and you can see many many turtles. Sometimes there are also eagle rays and stingrays.