MOOFUSHI KANDU

The Republic of the Maldives is a small country located southwest of India, in the Indian Ocean, between the Arabian Sea and the Laccadive Sea. The Maldives is an archipelago of 26 natural atolls each one made of a coral reef, of different shapes and sizes, that contains a lagoon and some islands ( in Dhivehi, the official Maldivian language, atoll comes from the word atholhu that means "lagoon-island") . The coral reef is cut off by channels, called kandu, through which the water of the Indian Ocean flows into the atoll generating strong currents. This water is formed largely by the rising currents of the ocean depths which are very rich in nutrients that helps to create an ideal habitat for many fishes.

Altogether the Maldives consists of about 1190 islands, of which about 200 are inhabited, while there are just over 100 that are used as tourist villages; all the others are uninhabited and desert. Almost all the islands are surrounded by their own coral reef enclosing a lagoon.

On the west-central side of Ari Atoll, the second westernmost atoll in the Maldives that contains about 50 islands, there is the tourist island of Moofushi. The south side of the island overlooks on the Moofushi Kandu.

In just ten minutes of sailing westwards you end the canal by reaching the Indian Ocean. This is where is located one of the most exciting dive sites in the Maldives as the combination of strong currents and nutrient-rich waters create the perfect habitat for large groups, sometimes as many as fifty and more specimens, of different pelagic fishes. Diving close to 40 meters deep of the drop-off will be possible to encounter giant trevally, barracudas, manta rays, eagle rays, sharks and whale sharks.