Vandhoo & Kottefaru is located in eastern Raa Atoll in the northern Maldives. This area encompasses three islands: Neyo (south), Kottefaru (central), and Vandhoo (north), which are surrounded by inner and outer facing reefs, as well as small and large thilas (underwater reef pinnacles) that lie in the channels between the islands. Outside the channels, the depth drops steeply to 350 m within 1 km of the atoll’s eastern rim (Stewart et al. 2019).

This area is influenced by the South Asian Monsoon (Gischler et al. 2013). Productivity in this region peaks during the southwest monsoon (May to November) (J Haines pers. obs. 2019–2022), in which the weather is typically characterised by higher rain and cloud cover, along with reduced underwater visibility and stronger wind speeds resulting in rougher seas (Stevens & Froman 2019). The strong monsoonal winds create oceanic currents that flow northeastward during the southwest monsoon. The outside reefs Kottefaru and Vandhoo act as a barrier to these currents, displacing the water as it flows through and around the atoll, creating deepwater upwelling that brings nutrient-rich water into the euphotic zone and leads to a bloom in phytoplankton; therefore, increasing zooplankton abundance (Stewart et al. 2019; Godfrey 2023).

Kottefaru, Vandhoo, and Neyo are easterly facing reefs. Two of these outer edge atoll reefs (Kottefaru and Vandhoo) are structurally unique in the Maldives, with a sheer drop-off or a wall-like structure reaching depths of ~200 m at the seafloor. This structure of reef formation is very different to the typical sloping reef structure as seen at the Neyo reef which ranges from a top reef depth of ~5 m to depths of ~30 m (Godfrey 2023).

Situated between Kottefaru and Vandhoo Islands is a large, underwater reef pinnacle in the middle of the channel. This is rectangular shaped, with a top reef depth of ~15 m, reaching depths of ~60 m on the surrounding outside area. Situated between Kottefaru and Neyo Islands are two other underwater reef pinnacles, the smallest of the two is a more rounded typically shaped thila situated closest to the west of Kottefaru Island with a top reef depth of ~6 m, whereas the larger pinnacle is situated in the middle of the open channel and is a more rectangular shaped thila with a top reef depth of ~8 m, sloping to depths of ~40 m in the channel area (Godfrey 2023).

This Important Shark and Ray Area is benthopelagic and is delineated from inshore and surface waters (0 m) to 100 m based on the depth range of Qualifying Species in the area.