Famous Underwater Wrecks to Explore in The Maldives
Underwater Treasures of the Maldives
With a vast ocean surrounding its over 1200 islands, the Maldives is known as one of the best diving regions in the world. This, in large part, is thanks to the many shipwrecks in its waters, which make it possible for amazing marine ecosystems to develop and flourish.
As coral reefs grow on the hull of the shipwrecks, they create sprawling underwater forests that attract all kinds of marine creatures from tiny shrimp to various species of sharks. Diving among the wrecks, you'll be inspired by an otherworldly underwater environment with the sunken metal being overgrown with interesting flora and fauna. Here are some amazing underwater wrecks that guarantee an amazing diving trip that’ll wow you with what the Maldives has to offer.
Kuda Giri Wreck, South Malé Atoll
Kuda Giri wreck is located just southwest of Dhigu island, south of Malé. This underwater pinnacle has a thriving coral population close to the surface but dive down 18 metres, and you'll discover a sunken fishing trawler lying upright against its slope. With the ship's bow pointing upwards, the stern rests at about 30 metres below the waves. Throughout the wreck, you can find various types of coral, both hard and soft, and a large population of jackfish, batfish, and glassfish, among other creatures—an underwater secret you’ll be thrilled to uncover.
Machchafushi Wreck, Kudhi Maa, South Ari Atoll
Located at the Maldives' island of Machchafushi, this steel Japanese cargo ship, was intentionally sunk in 1998 to create an artificial reef for divers. Dive and enjoy a unique opportunity discover this historical shipwreck up close as you dive 12 metres down to 30 metres. This wreck is bursting with life including corals, batfish, pufferfish, and large lionfish as well as tiny creatures which make this site one of Maldives' great diving sites for macro photography—letting you snap some of the best underwater diving photos you’ll ever get. You can even explore the ship's interior with access points on both sides of its hull.
SS Sea Gull, North Malé Atoll
Dive back in time and see the SS Sea Gull: a large 1000-tonne steamship that sank in 1879 while on a journey from London to Calcutta. Located northeast off of Gaafaru Island, this wreck can be hard to spot at times since it's almost completely covered in coral. The ship's anchor sits just one metre below the waves and can be spotted at low tide. The body is split in two and sits at 45 degrees on the reef edge extending down to 30 metres. You can often spot stingrays, eels, and barracudas here—great for thrillseekers looking for a deep sea adventure.
Discover our resorts
Kani
MALDIVES
The Finolhu Villas
MALDIVES
The Shipyard, Lhaviyani Atoll
This location is one of the most unique Maldives diving sites as the wreck here has its bow breaking the surface of the water. There's also a second wreck on the seafloor nearby (at 28 metres deep) which can be seen when conditions are good. There's a large variety of colourful creatures here including corals, sponges, antheas, bat fish, angel fish, and even stingrays for you to spot if you’re lucky!
Lady Christine, North Malé Atoll
The Lady Christine sank outside of Gaafaru Island in 1974 when it was laying down communications cable and conducting underwater survey. Most of the shipwreck is scattered on the reef that it got caught in but its bow remains protruding above the water. At 30 metres deep, there are stunning caves which hold beautiful creatures. In fact the whole, area is teeming with life including large animals such as turtles, sharks, and a variety of rays. Who says a shipwreck can’t be beautiful and teeming with life? It’s indeed an experience guaranteed to captivate you.
Erlangen, North Malé Atoll
The Erlangen is a wreck of a 3,500-tonne German ship which lies about 1.5 kilometres west of the Iruvai Kandu. It sank in 1894 when it was sailing from Hamburg to Colombo. While most of the wreck lies above 15 metres, you can also see a big part of the ship, which broke in half when you dive down to past 30 metres. Besides juvenile wrasses, emperor fish, and several species of sweetlips, you'll even be able to spot some manta rays passing by here.