When I first started visiting the Maldives, a friend advised that I look for a resort with a “house reef”. This is where lots of coral has grown attracting marine life for great snorkeling. Over time, we learning how to scuba dive and shipwrecks (plentiful in this land of lurking shallow reefs) were a highlight to visit. Now . Siyam World has introduced (yes, ‘introduced’) the Maldives’ first ‘house shipwreck’. In the desolate sandy lagoon near the island, they have sunk a retired ship to create a massive habitat for all sorts of marine life as well as a new dive site that is as captivating as it is convenient.
It was launched last week as the “Wreck to Reef” event.
- “The story began in 2021 when Sun Siyam Group Founder and Chairman, Hon. Ahmed Siyam Mohamed, shared a vision of creating something truly meaningful beneath the waters of Noonu Atoll, a dive experience that would not only attract visitors but also contribute to the future of the marine environment. What followed was an ambitious journey to source, prepare, and scuttle a vessel that could serve as both a world-class dive site and the foundation for a future reef ecosystem. After being located in Lhaviyani Atoll, carefully cleaned and prepared near Malé, and following government approval, the vessel was transported to Noonu Atoll and scuttled within Siyam World’s territorial waters in October 2024…The bow points dramatically towards the reef at 10 metres while the stern descends to 24 metres, creating an exciting and accessible dive for certified divers…Already recorded around the wreck are guitar sharks, blacktip reef sharks, nurse sharks, lemon sharks, grey reef sharks, Napoleon wrasse, eagle rays, stingrays, turtles, moray eels, octopus, groupers, snappers, boxfish, batfish, angelfish, nudibranchs, and large schools of jackfish. Soft and hard corals have also begun colonising the steel structure, signalling the start of its transformation into a thriving underwater ecosystem.”
