Diving with Wrasses
Extraordinarily Colored Fish
Most wrasses species have extraordinary, bright coloration. With over 600 different species, wrasses are as varied in size as they are in their brilliant color. They are identifiable by their elongated bodies, protruding canine teeth, and thick lips. It is fantastic to dive with wrasses and watch them swimming around coral reefs firsthand. These lively fish make coral reefs even more colorful.
Wrasses are found worldwide in tropical, subtropical, and temperate saltwater regions, most commonly along coasts and on coral reefs. Possibly more intriguing than their beauty is their unique ability to clean other sea creatures. They are often referred to as “cleaner fish” as they offer cleaning services to other marine animals such as groupers, eels, turtles, manta rays, and many other fish. The most famous of its kind is the Napoleon wrasse found throughout the Indian Ocean. It’s an amazing experience to dive with the enormous Napoleon wrasse with its trademark large bumped head. Have you ever seen one? Click here to find out where you can dive the wrasses of the world.
Dive sites with this animal Show more on map
★★★★☆ Villingilli Thila
Small Thila directly on the island of Villingilli on the offshore plateau in the direction of the channel between Raa and Baa Atoll. Usually a jump into the blue water east of the Thila above the plateau at the edge for approx. Let drift along 30m towards Thila and then slowly climb up the Thila. Current !!!!
★★★★☆ Kudathulhaadhoo Caves
Drift dive along Kudathulhaadhoo Island. Large overhang with soft corals in the west, caves in the middle, and a small bay and the tip in the east is full of fish
★★★★☆ Kinolhas Kandu
Drift dive with the current flowing from the western tip of Kinohlas along the north side towards the small Thila. Lots of fish on the top of the reef, some really nice little overhangs deeper. Experienced divers dive to the thila, beginners stay over the overhangs and slowly ascend the Sandy Slope
★★★★★ Northern Arch
Northern Arch is a renowned site that often has large pelagic species and current. The Arch is deep and bottoms out at over 36m, there is interesting structure on either side of the Arch and the Northern side of the Arch keeps sloping away down to 50m+.
★★★★☆ Magic Wall
A very colourful wall dive. A short distance from Blue Mao Mao Arch on the opposite side of the Labrid Channel and in good conditions with no current, both sites could be seen on the same dive for divers good on their gas consumption and navigation. The walls maximum depth is around 20m.
★★★★☆ HMNZS Waikato wreck
The HMNZS Waikato is 113.4m long, 12.5m beam and a draft of 5.5m she was the first of the Leander class frigates built for the NZ navy in 1966. Decommissioned in 1988 and sunk in late 2000. The HMNZS Waikato rests in two pieces leaning on it’s side in water 28m deep