Habili Ali
Depth is the range from the top of the site to its usual maximum; "recommended cert" is the mainstream-agency level operators usually ask for, not a legal rule. Currents and visibility change daily, so treat everything here as planning ranges.
A habili is a reef that never quite grew to the surface, and Habili Ali is the St John's group's strongest expression of the form: a sheer-sided tower standing in open water, its top a few meters down, its base out of sight. With no lagoon or plateau to shelter in, everything happens on the walls and in the current - giant gorgonians on the deeper faces, black coral thickets, grey reef sharks riding the up-current side, and schooling barracuda coiling off the corners. Hammerheads and silvertips pass through in the cooler months, and bumphead parrotfish graze the crest in dawn light. It is a compact, intense dive that punishes sloppy buoyancy and rewards divers who can hold position, look out, and wait.
The moment you come for: Giant gorgonians and black coral; sharks on the up-current face; a pure pinnacle profile with no easy exit.
Topography: A submerged tower rising from deep water to within meters of the surface, walled on all sides
Entry: An exposed St John's pinnacle that never reaches the surface; entries are negative drops onto the up-current face.
Know before you splash
Hazards: Strong current with nowhere to hide; blue-water ascents; depth creep on featureless walls.
Nitrox: Worth it here: profiles sit in the range where enriched air meaningfully extends no-stop time (with the training to use it).
Who you'll meet
Bumphead Parrotfish
Great Barracuda
Grey Reef Shark
Napoleon (Humphead) Wrasse
Scalloped Hammerhead
"Charted here" species were listed by our editors from the sources on this page. Counts are GBIF occurrence records: observations logged within about 5 km of the charted position since 1990, matched only against the species in our catalogue. They show what has been seen there, not a promise of what you will see.
For photographers
Wide angle: ★★★★★ · Macro: ★★☆☆☆ (editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting)