Siyam World Shipwreck: Noonu Atoll's Coolest Dive Playground

From Tuna Freighter to Ocean Icon

At Siyam World Maldives when someone says, "let's create a new dive site," they do not mean a new mooring buoy. They mean sinking an entire ship and launching a brand-new shipwreck site in Noonu Atoll. A former Maldivian tuna freighter has now been reimagined as a dynamic new wreck dive site and the foundation of a future living reef.

Over time, through natural coral growth and dedicated restoration efforts, the wreck will gradually transform into a thriving underwater ecosystem, creating new habitat for marine life and contributing to the long-term health of the surrounding environment. Developed in collaboration with the resort's expert team at Sun Diving, the project blends Maldivian heritage, conservation, and serious underwater adventure into one bold new experience.

What started as a playful dinner remark in 2021 quickly turned into a bold mission: Chairman and founder, Mr. Ahmed Siyam Mohamed shared a vision of creating something truly special beneath the waters of Noonu Atoll, a dive experience that would attract explorers while contributing to the future of the marine environment. And just like that, the challenge was set. Fast forward, a former Japanese-built tuna freighter from the 1980s, once responsible for transporting Maldivian tuna across the atolls to Malé and local canneries, has been reimagined as the region's newest underwater attraction. Measuring 66.36 metres in length and weighing 499 tonnes, the vessel now begins a second life beneath the waters of Noonu Atoll as both an exciting new dive site and the foundation of a growing artificial reef.

After being located in Lhaviyani Atoll and carefully cleaned and prepared near Malé, the vessel was towed to Noonu Atoll following government approval in August 2024. In October 2024, it was purposefully sunk on the north west side of Siyam World, within the resort’s territorial waters, beside a thriving reef already known for schooling fish and vibrant marine life.

Of course, no great story happens without a twist. During the initial sinking, trapped air caused the ship to settle upside down on the seabed. Not exactly the plan. Undeterred, Siyam World brought in a skilled local team from Miladhoo in early 2025 who, after weeks of precision lifting with massive air bags and ropes, successfully rotated the wreck upright. Mission accomplished.

Today, the bow points dramatically towards the reef at 10 metres, while the stern drops to 24 metres, creating an accessible yet thrilling dive for a wide range of certified divers. The marine life has wasted no time claiming its new address. Already recorded around the wreck are guitar sharks, blacktip reef sharks, lemon sharks, nurse sharks, grey reef sharks, Napoleon wrasse, eagle rays, stingrays, turtles, moray eels, octopus, groupers, snappers, boxfish, batfish, angelfish, nudibranchs, and large schools of jackfish. Soft and hard corals are already flourishing across the steel structure, transforming it into a living reef and highlighting its potential to become one of the Maldives' most exciting artificial reef projects.

Unlike a traditional reef dive, this site delivers atmosphere, scale and a real sense of exploration. Divers can glide along the ship’s striking exterior lines or venture carefully into open sections to experience its shadowed interiors and dramatic angles. The contrast between the bright blue open water and the moody steel silhouette creates unforgettable perspectives and serious photo moments. It is immersive, powerful and entirely unique to the region.

With official government approval to cultivate coral fragments directly onto the wreck, Siyam World's Sun Diving team is actively enhancing the site as a living, growing artificial reef. But the ambition extends beyond creating a new dive attraction. The wreck forms the centrepiece of Wreck to Reef, Siyam World's new annual ocean conservation initiative under the Sun Siyam Cares sustainability platform. As the project develops, guests will be able to follow its progress through future editions of Wreck to Reef, updates from Sun Diving's marine experts, and a structured reef monitoring programme led by resort Marine Biologist Mariyam Thuhufa (Thuhu). Coral growth, biodiversity, and the overall development of the ecosystem will be documented and assessed every three months, providing measurable insights into the transformation of the wreck into a thriving living reef. The goal is to create a lasting connection between travellers and the marine environment, transforming visitors into active participants in ocean restoration while ensuring the project's environmental impact can be monitored, measured, and shared for years to come.

The best part? This new wreck dive is available to all Siyam World guests, and to certified divers staying at other resorts within Noonu Atoll for a supplementary excursion fee. In short, it is set to become the atoll’s new must dive experience. At Siyam World, adventure does not stop at the waterline. Sometimes, it begins twenty four metres below it.