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Temp: Surf 29°C Bottom 29°C
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Dive type : Reef, Photo, Liveaboard
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Visibility: Good
Water: Salt
Specific gear used
- BCD: Cressi Sub - Aquapro 5R
- Wet suit: Ralf Tech - 3mm Full Body
- Computer: Suunto - D6
- Boots: Mares - Size 8
- Fins: Scubapro - Twin Speed
- Light: Ikelite - PCa
- Camera: Sony - RX-100
- Gloves: Ralf Tech -
- Mask: Atomic Aquatics - Ultraclear
- Regulator: Mares - Proton Metal
- Knife: Cressi Sub - Killer
- Weights: 3 kg
Recent Divers in North Ari Atoll
Recent Pictures in North Ari Atoll
Dive Shop & Buddies
Dive buddies:
Silje Scheen
Dive Profile
- 1. Nitrox 23
- 15L Steel
210 → 40 bar
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- Average depth: 17.5m
Data provided by EOL.org
Species Identified
Ginglymostoma cirratum (Bonnaterre, 1788) (Nurse shark)
During the day the nurse shark is a sluggish animal, spending most of its time resting on sandy bottoms, or in crevices in rocks and coral reefs. Often several nurse sharks may congregate when resting, sometimes even pili...
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During the day the nurse shark is a sluggish animal, spending most of its time resting on sandy bottoms, or in crevices in rocks and coral reefs. Often several nurse sharks may congregate when resting, sometimes even piling on top of one another . At night however, the nurse shark actively roams the sea bottom and reef for prey. It feeds on bottom invertebrates such as spiny lobsters, shrimps, crabs, sea urchins, squid and octopi . It is also feeds on fish, its nocturnal nature enabling it to prey on resting fish that would be too active during the day to capture . The nurse shark's small mouth and large pharynx enable it to feed by a unique suction method, effectively making the nurse shark the 'hoover' of the ocean floor. By cupping its mouth over a hole or crevice and expanding its throat, it creates a vacuum that sucks prey out of their hiding . This suction-feeding is also useful for extracting snails from their shells , and it will dig in sand to root out prey sensed by its fleshy barbels . The nurse shark is one of few sharks in which courtship behaviour is relatively well known . The male swims alongside the female, grabs one of the pectoral fins in his mouth, rolls her over and they mate . A large number of males will often try to mate with a single female, and females often bear numerous bite-scars and bruises received during mating attempts. It is therefore not surprising that females frequently try to avoid males by swimming in very shallow water, where they can bury their pectoral fins in the sand . Nurse sharks are ovoviviparous , a method of reproduction whereby the young develop inside a weakly-formed egg shell within the mother, receiving nourishment from their yolk sac, for five to six months . The females move to shallow seagrass beds and coral reefs to give birth to 20 to 30 pups in late spring and summer . Like many sharks the nurse shark is slow growing, with males not reaching maturity until 10 to 15 years of age, and females 15 to 20 years .
Triaenodon obesus (Rüppell, 1837) (Whitetip reef shark)
Despite its docile nature during the day this nocturnal shark can become aggressive when hunting at night, thrashing through coral reefs looking for potential prey. The whitetip reef shark usually hunts alone, but is non-t...
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Despite its docile nature during the day this nocturnal shark can become aggressive when hunting at night, thrashing through coral reefs looking for potential prey. The whitetip reef shark usually hunts alone, but is non-territorial and will occasionally work in cooperation with others in the pursuit of prey . Feeding primarily on bottom-dwelling octopus, lobsters, crabs and bony fish, it often chases its prey into a crevice before jamming its body in after it, sealing the exit . The extremely posterior location of the first dorsal fin compared to those of other sharks is an adaptation to this feeding habit, which allows them to get their heads and mouths much further into the gaps and holes in the coral . The whitetip reef shark's mating season varies with location . Reproduction is viviparous and after a gestation period of around a year the female will give birth to one to five live pups, which are completely independent at birth . Both sexes reach sexual maturity at approximately 5 years old, and it is estimated that this species can live to an age of 25 years .
Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos (Bleeker, 1856) (Gray reef shark)
Occurs on continental and insular shelves and oceanic waters adjacent to them . Common on coral reefs, often in deeper areas near drop-offs to the open sea, in atoll passes, and in shallow lagoons adjacent to areas of str...
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Occurs on continental and insular shelves and oceanic waters adjacent to them . Common on coral reefs, often in deeper areas near drop-offs to the open sea, in atoll passes, and in shallow lagoons adjacent to areas of strong currents . Coastal-pelagic near the bottom, near drop-offs at 1-275 m . Forms daytime schools or aggregations in favored areas . Although active during the day, it is more active nocturnally . Viviparous, with 1-6 pups . Feeds on reef fishes, squids, octopi, crabs, lobsters and shrimps . Tends to be aggressive under baited conditions and readily enters into a frenzy feeding pattern, at which time it may become quite dangerous. Repeatedly incriminated in human attacks. Utilized for human consumption, fishmeal, and other shark products. Minimum depth from Ref. 6871. Maximum length of female taken from Ref. 5213.
Myliobatinae (eagle rays)
Eretmochelys imbricata (LINNAEUS) 1766 (Hawksbill Turtle)
Hawksbills may take decades to mature and it could be between 20 to 40 years before they are ready to breed . Upon reaching sexual maturity, a female will typically lay up to five clutches of around 100 to 140 eggs in one ...
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Hawksbills may take decades to mature and it could be between 20 to 40 years before they are ready to breed . Upon reaching sexual maturity, a female will typically lay up to five clutches of around 100 to 140 eggs in one breeding season, and then wait a few years before nesting again . Nesting is much more dispersed than in other marine turtles, but individuals do tend to return to a particular beach season after season . Having survived the dash to the sea, hatchlings are believed to spend their first few years in the open ocean before returning to more sheltered coastal waters. Recent studies indicate that the oceanic phase may be shorter for hawksbills, or even omitted in certain regions, as hatchlings swim less vigorously than those of other species . Probably less than one out of 1000 eggs will survive and reach adulthood . Adults are opportunistic predators, using their sharp beak to prize invertebrate prey from crevices within the reef. Unusually amongst marine animals , sponges make up the majority of the hawksbill's diet .
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Kyrill
Maldives
Date: 2013-12-13 - 03:41
Max Depth: 26.3m Duration: 64mins
Dive with Russ from Mv Orion
Honeymoon Liveaboard 2013 - MV Orion - Dive #13
Fish Head - North Ari Atoll, Maldives
We started the dive by going under a overhang and position ourselves there. We scouted into the blue for sharks. I didn't see anything and after a while we started moving when we suddenly realised there was a huge Nurse shark sleeping right next to us in a cave! We the moved closer to the bottom on the outer side of the pinnacle where we started seeing loads of sharks. Very cool! We also saw a pretty big eagle ray in the distance, but it never came close. When moving back on top of the reef towards the end of the dive we saw a turtle eating breakfast and other little fishes. A very nice dive!