Spanning over 1km along
the Northern side of the island, the Le Meridien Housereef is a spectacular and beautiful example of Maldivian biodiversity only a 3-minute boat ride from our dive center, filled with countless species of marine life. On the western side you can explore a sloping reef to depths of 20-30m. The top reef boasts an array of healthy hard corals, providing a habitat for a diverse variety of marine species. Along this reef slope you can tick many things off your bucket list; green and hawksbill turtles at cleaning stations, large schools of snappers, surgeonfish, pufferfish and unicornfish. Looking out into the blue you can see passing reef sharks as well as eagle rays! If you are lucky, you can even have amazing encounters with manta rays. Further out from the reef, in “Macroworld”, hardcore macro photographers will feel immediately at home. Proving size doesn’t matter, you can find amazing species of shrimp, pipefish, nudibranch, worms and crustaceans to keep you entertained.
Despite this,
the area which makes Le Meridien Housereef so special is our seagrass meadow; a feeding ground for Green Sea turtles and many species of stingrays, and a nursery habitat for juvenile fish, the seagrass is a key reason for the uniquely large array of marine fauna that are found throughout the reef. We are proud to say that this area is occasionally visited by the extremely rare and magnificent Ornate Eagle ray. It has something for everyone and whether you are dipping your toes in the ocean for the first time or a seasoned scuba veteran, you will never want to get out of the water! On the eastern side of the reef those trying scuba diving for the first time have the ideal place to take their first breaths. In hip-depth water standing inside the lagoon, you can gain confidence with your instructor before following the gradual slope down to the rest of the reef. First-timers can see all of the amazing marine life whilst always in sight of the bottom, allowing even the most nervous divers to get comfortable. Within just a few minutes they can see shimmering damselfish, shoaling fusiliers and for those interested in the bizarre you can search for ghost pipefish, porcupinefish, moray eels, lionfish and even frogfish – if you have a keen eye!
Instagram idols can pose
with our underwater bicycles or sunken buggy! These serve to form part of a larger artificial reef project curated by our marine biologists and are filled with glassfish and large schools of 100s of small juvenile fish. You can skip the nail salon, because hiding under the buggy we have a team of Cleaner Shrimp working in our underwater spa, ready to exfoliate any dead skin from passing species. This isn’t even everything!! Just a short swim out from the reef more experienced divers can find a ‘thila’ (the Maldivian word for a small seamount) dense with fish. Its exposed sides host large groups of blue striped snapper and resident clownfish hiding inside their anemones. For those who love thilas, we have another larger thila where, in the right conditions, elusive Grey Reef Sharks and Nurse sharks can be found, this thila is a dive in its own with much marine life to be found. The housereef alone has over 6 potential dive sites for you to explore, and such an abundance and diversity of marine life that it simply cannot all be listed here… You will have to come and experience it for yourself.
