Maldive Victory Wreck

83 metre cargo ship that struck the Hulhulé reef on Friday 13 February 1981 while approaching Malé with provisions from Singapore. Built in Liverpool in 1958 as the Malatian and renamed Maldive Victory in 1971, she now lies upright in the channel between Hulhulé and Malé, southwest of the airport island. The mast tops out around 12 m, the bridge sits at 18 m, and the hull rests on sand at 35 m. Funnel, masts, derricks and cargo holds are all intact and penetrable. Schools of bigeye trevally, batfish and yellowtail snapper hang over the wreck; lionfish and giant moray work the holds. Current rips through the channel at 1 to 3 knots and only slackens briefly at the tide turn, which is when most operators drop divers.