Cybercaptain: Diving Kuda Haa

Thursday, March 08, 2012

Diving Kuda Haa

Looking at divesites Tim Godfrey have mapped out in his good book I settled to go to the Kuda Haa "thila" as it was the only one we had not yet visited. It was as far as Lion's Head at Thilafushi but a bit more north inside the atoll, just next to the Giraavaru Island. The reef is actually 8m underwater so finding it without a positioning system is not the easiest task. Actually we found it by seeing fish jumping out of water, it was a bit windy and waves were abt 50cm high so one could see the reef only when you were next to it.

BA chart 3323

Well, as we had arrived we ascertained the current direction that was slightly to the East and we plunged in at the Western point of the "thila". I descended to 15m off the top and started going East with the current, the reef was actually like 2 hillock with a saddle in between so at one point there was no current. Fish was aplenty and I could see preying Barracuda and Jackfish patrolling the waters around us, no wonder the fish was a bit jumpy.

Saddled sharpnose puffer

I think at the Western end I found a cave and inside I was chasing a big Emperor who ran away without me getting a good potshot of it and when I turned around I almost shat myself as I was looking at a monstrous grouper that was huddled in the back and gaping at me gaping at him. I managed to squeeze of a a few shots and then he swam away.

Yellowmargin moray

Giant moray

Undulated moray

As another curiosity I saw probably the biggest pufferfish I ever seen in my life, it must have been more than 50cm in length. There was also plenty of Emperor and Sleek unicornfish around including the usual pelagic small fish. I think we managed to circle the "thila" about two times before we ran out of air and had to abandon Neptunes Kingdom.