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Hotels, dive operators, gear, and how to get here are on the North Male Atoll location page.
Overview
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.
Briefing note
Channel dive with persistent current, typically 1 to 3 knots — operators run it on slack tide and use a shotline down to the mast. Advanced certification, surface marker buoy and reel are standard. Sand bottom at 35 m puts a hard cap on bottom time on air; nitrox is common. Penetration of the holds and superstructure is possible but the wreck has been heavily worked over by salvage and storms, with silty interiors and no permanent guide lines; overhead training is assumed. The site reopened to recreational diving in May 2021 after a multi year closure for a debris clean up.
What you'll see
7 species curated- year-roundBigeye trevallyPeak: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec
- year-roundBatfishPeak: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec
- year-roundYellowtail snapperPeak: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec
- year-roundCommon lionfishPeak: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec
- year-roundGiant morayPeak: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec
- seasonalGreen turtlePeak: Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct
- year-roundHoneycomb grouperPeak: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec
Conditions
| Month | Water | Visibility | Current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27–29 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
| Feb | 27–29 °C | 25–35 m | moderate |
| Mar | 28–30 °C | 25–35 m | moderate |
| Apr | 28–30 °C | 25–35 m | moderate |
| May | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | strong |
| Jun | 28–29 °C | 10–20 m | strong |
| Jul | 27–29 °C | 10–20 m | strong |
| Aug | 27–29 °C | 10–20 m | strong |
| Sep | 28–29 °C | 15–25 m | moderate |
| Oct | 28–29 °C | 15–25 m | moderate |
| Nov | 28–29 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
| Dec | 27–29 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
Season calendar
Peak season highlighted · current month outlined
Next step
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