Rannalhi Faru
3.9029°N 73.3506°E · reef
Rannalhi Faru is the outer reef section adjacent to Rannalhi Island in South Malé Atoll — a faru (outer reef wall) dive offering a classic Maldivian reef wall experience with a consistent display of reef sharks, healthy coral coverage, and the occasional large pelagic visitor.
Overview
Running along the atoll’s outer rim, Rannalhi Faru presents the characteristic outer reef wall profile: an exposed face beginning in 2–3 metres of surge zone before settling into a clean, well-structured wall descending to 25 metres. The upper section (5–12 metres) has excellent hard coral coverage — table corals, brain corals, and branching staghorn formations that attract butterflyfish, parrotfish, and surgeonfish in large numbers. Moving deeper, the wall features overhangs and crevices sheltering sweetlips and large grouper, while the base transitions to a coral rubble and sand zone favoured by resting white-tip reef sharks. Eagle rays and occasional grey reef sharks appear along the outer face when current is running, drawn by the productive upwelling conditions of the Atoll rim.
Site Information
- Location: Maldives, Asia
- Entry Type: Boat dive
- Site Type: Reef
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Maximum Depth: 25 meters
- Typical Visibility: 15-30 meters (50-100 feet)
- Current: Moderate, strengthens with tidal flow
Marine Life
White-tip reef sharks, grey reef sharks, eagle rays, sweetlips, grouper, parrotfish, surgeonfish, butterflyfish, sea fans, hard coral formations, moray eels, and turtles.
Diving Tips
- Start the dive at depth (20–25 metres) along the outer wall then ascend gradually for a natural multi-level profile.
- On the way up, slow down in the 10–15 metre overhangs — this is where the largest sweetlips and grouper tend to shelter.
- Outgoing current (ocean to lagoon direction) typically clears visibility on this outer reef wall.
- Rannalhi Faru and Rannalhi Bodu Giri make an excellent pairing for a half-day two-dive trip.
Getting There
Rannalhi Faru is in South Malé Atoll, reached by boat from local resorts or from Malé, approximately 30–60 minutes by dhoni or speedboat.
Sea-surface temperature and wave height from Open-Meteo Marine (ERA5 reanalysis, monthly averages).
45 verified species observations (32 species) logged within ~11 km of this site between 1984 and 2023, from the Ocean Biodiversity Information System.
- Gnatholepis
- Trimma emeryi
- Trimma flammeum
- Trimma striatum
- Eviota nebulosa
- Trimma naudei
- Phyllidia alyta
- Pteraeolidia ianthina
- Mariaglaja inornata
- Phyllidiella rosans
- Aplysia nigrocincta
- Phyllidia ocellata
Scientific survey records skew toward sampled taxa (molluscs, corals) and do not reflect what you are guaranteed to see on a dive.
Source: OBIS (obis.org), aggregated Darwin Core occurrence records.
Conditions change with the tide and the season. If you have dived this site, share what it was actually like — date, visibility, current, and what you saw. Real, recent reports from divers are exactly what this guide is built to collect.
Send a conditions report ›