Also known as Fish Head, Maaya Thila in the Ari Atoll is a submerged pinnacle that rises steeply from depth and acts as a magnet for grey reef sharks, white-tip reef sharks, and large Napoleon wrasse. Night dives here are particularly spectacular when nurse sharks and octopus come out to hunt. The strong currents that make this an advanced site are also responsible for its exceptional fish density.
Colombia Shallows forms the upper section of the Colombia reef complex at the southern end of Cozumel and offers one of the island's most diverse fish experiences in just 8–20 m. Huge aggregations of yellowtail snapper, French angelfish, and spotted moray eels occupy every crevice in the spur-and-groove formations, and the large sandy channels between the spurs are reliable hunting grounds for southern stingray. It is equally popular for snorkelling and recreational diving.
Gladden Spit is the site of one of the ocean's most extraordinary spectacles: each year between March and June, on the nights of the full moon, hundreds of cubera and dog snapper gather to spawn in a feeding frenzy that attracts whale sharks up to 15 m in length. Divers descend to 20–30 m in the blue water and watch the giants filter-feeding on the spawn clouds, an experience that has no equivalent anywhere else in the Caribbean. Only permitted certified divers with licensed guides may dive the site.
Located on the outer reef of South Malé Atoll, this channel is a renowned manta ray cleaning station where reef mantas gather in impressive numbers to have parasites removed by resident cleaner wrasse. Divers kneel on a sandy ledge at around 12 m and watch mantas pirouette overhead repeatedly, sometimes for 45 minutes. The site is best visited between November and April when the northeast monsoon brings plankton-rich water.