Check out The Dhoonier Wreck and learn how and when to see it
This week, two aircraft were scuttled to create an exciting new diving and snorkelling site in the Maldives. The new dive site, which is only 20 minutes from Male’, has been named ‘The Dhoonier Wreck’. This name combines the European name of the aircraft – Dornier Do 228 – with the Dhivehi word, dhooni. Dhooni means bird (and is also a term of endearment) in the Maldives.
As you can see from the video, Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) moves the two former Air Maldives aircraft using a barge. You may recognise the name ‘MTCC’ as it is also the Maldives’ public ferry operator that serves many of the inhabited islands.
The planes are transported to the lagoon next to Kudagiri Picnic Island, in Male’ Atoll. Cranes lift them into the water, while scuba divers help guide the aircraft down to the seabed. Weights attached to the planes help them to settle onto the sandy sea floor.
The new dive site
The Dhoonier Wreck rests on the seabed at approximately 12m (39ft), according to experts at Maafushi Dive & Watersports. As a fairly shallow site, you don’t even need to be a scuba diver to see it – snorkelers and free divers can access it too. That’s because the Maldives has excellent underwater visibility (although this can vary depending on the weather and sea conditions). However, scuba diving is the best way to see The Dhoonier Wreck up close, for longer.
We recommend you wait at least six months (until about September 2025) before you visit The Dhoonier Wreck. That is because it will take some time before marine life starts growing on and living inside it.
The Housing Development Corporation (HDC), which manages Kudagiri picnic island, carried out The Dhoonier Wreck project in collaboration with MTCC and Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC). They say an Environmental Impact Assessment was conducted before the planes were scuttled to ensure minimal ecological impact.
According to Aviators Maldives, the two decommissioned aircraft used to create The Dhoonier Wreck were once a vital part of Air Maldives’ operations. Air Maldives was the Maldives’ first international airline and flag carrier. The company operated for 26 years before ceasing operations in 2000. As you can see, the two former Air Maldives Dornier Do 228s were languishing on the airport island, Hulhule, before their new lease of life as an artificial reef.
Diving around Kudagiri
The Kudagiri area is already renowned for excellent scuba diving. Kuda Giri dive site (close to The Dhoonier Wreck) consists of a giri (shallow underwater reef or pinnacle) and a shipwreck. It’s best suited to intermediate to advanced divers because of the depth (30m/98ft). There is a fairly strong current there too. But the cargo vessel, which was scuttled in 1994 to make the dive site, is well-preserved and stands upright.
You can see large schools of batfish hanging out in the Kuda Giri wreck, which has been colonised by colourful sponges and sun coral. Big schools of glassfish can also be seen, as well as small gobies peeping out from the holes in the boat. Turtles, humphead wrasse and reef sharks are frequently seen there too.
There are lots of garden eels and shrimp in the sandy bottom nearby. In the pinnacle itself, there are many nudibranchs and flatworms, as well as octopus, morays, shrimp and anemonefish. We have sometimes even spotted guitar sharks there too.
It’s hoped that the new Dhoonier Wreck will eventually be populated with similar marine life.
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