Extremely rare visitor at Lily Beach – Leopard shark
03 Oct 2016Again an exciting morning at Lily Beach! After our divers Jacaues, Helga, Daniel, Daniela and their guide Sascha did their first dive on the fabulous Kudah Rah Thila, they got ready for their second dive at Thinefushi Etere Thila. They thought that their first dive on Kudah Rah Thila could not be topped, but then they got surprised by an extremely rare visitor at Thinefushi Etere Thila: a leopard shark. Out of nowhere this fascinating shark had arrived and had done a couple of circles around the divers before he disappeared over the top of the reef into the blue.
Thinefushi Etere Thila is oval shaped, 100m long, and the top reef is only 6m deep. It is often exposed to the fast moving currents in the wide Dhigurah channel. Large coral blocks to the south east provide shelter for many fish, while much of the reef itself is a continuous network of ledges, caves and overhangs at depths of 10-28m. This gives firm rooting for spectacular sea fans and an array of other soft corals. You can also search for octopus, or look out into the blue for passing whitetip reef sharks and eagle rays. The top reef makes it an interesting safety stop.
A big thank you to Jacaues who shared his photographs with us. It was very nice to dive with you and we’re looking forward to seeing you again.
Leopard sharks are quite rare around Lily Beach, yet other species of sharks are a common sight, with one in particular being highly desired: the whale shark. Pay us a visit to try your luck at swimming besides the ocean’s largest fish in the Maldives’ famous South Ari Atoll.