Diving in Maldives
The spectacular variety of
marine life is what keeps
divers coming back.
Diving in Maldives
Diving in Maldives is a spectacular experience that everyone should try. Because of its white sand beaches, crystal clear waters, coral reefs and marine life that are evident, it becomes one of the best diving sites in the globe. Maldives is also on many scuba diving check list for its astonishing oceans and is a place where divers go for unforgettable trip.
Manta Rays can be easily seen throughout your dive and it is only one of the many reasons why divers should go visit Maldives. Majestic creatures like different species of sharks, rays, turtles and fishes will welcome you in the ocean. Beneath the clear waters are colorful fishes like Angelfish, Butterfly Fish, Clownfish, Parrotfish, Spotfin Lionfish, Oriental Sweetlip and many others. Can also be photographed are Barracudas and Whitetip Reef Sharks.
Maldives can also feed your eyes with beautiful scenes of corals with its high density of marine life. Pristine reefs are fascinating and it comes in variety. From Brain, Cup, Staghorn, Whip, Star, Sea Fans, Carnation, Tree, Bubble Corals and Sea Pens you can observe more stunning living structure reefs. Maldives is also popular for its liveaboard that will surely give you the best experience that the place has to offer.
If you want to dive in Maldives all year-round, that’s possible with its water temperature being fairly constant throughout the year at 26°-29°C. However, if you want to really enjoy your trip, start packing your appropriate clothes from November to May because it is when the sea is calm and the visibility is excellent which ranges from 15 up to 40 meters though it’s changing depending in the season and location.
Currency: | Maldivian rufiyaa (MVR) |
Language: | Dhivehi |
Capital: | Malé |
Electricity: | Three-Square UK Plug |
Government: | Unitary Presidential Constitutional Republic |
Timezone: | UTC +5 |
Calling Code: | +960 |
Network Providers: | Dhiraagu, Ooredoo |
National Airline: | Maldivian |
Republic of Maldives or Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, as the official name, is an independent country island in the north central Indian ocean and southeast of India extended more than 510 miles from north to south and 80 miles from east to west. Maldives’ islands are small and low lying which no one rise to more than 1.8 meters above sea level. It is composed of about 1200 small coral islands and sandbanks but only 200 of which are inhabited.
In the central part of Maldives lies its capital, Male, traditionally called “King’s Island” and is about 400 miles southwest of Sri Lanka. In addition, Maldives is one of the most geographically dispersed countries in the world and it the smallest Asian country.
Given its relatively small area, Maldives also had the smallest population in Asia which is counted at approximately 366 thousand as of the start of 2016. They are almost entirely belongs to the Maldivian ethnic group, which is the result of the different people who lived there.
The people uses Indo-European language called Dhivehi as their official medium of communication. Some Maldivians also speak Arabic, Hindi and English.
As for their religion, Islam became their official state religion in which non-Muslims cannot become a citizen. Maldives embraced Islam in 1153 and since then, it has been followed by the Maldivians that even this religion became part of the school curriculum.
Maldives has two dominate season- the dry season which is associated with the winter northeastern monsoon and the rainy season which brings strong winds and storms. The shift occurs in April and May.
Approximately 1190 coral islands formed Maldives and 99% of the country consists of water. With this, it is clear that its marine ecosystem is very vital and striking to Maldivians. This is where they found their source of living by fishing and tourism.
Coral reefs are very abundant in the place serving as habitat for the variety of marine animals. Multicoloured tropical fishes in various shapes and sizes, shells, sponges, crustaceans and echinoderms comes also in wide range. Commonly observed water creatures throughout the archipelago are variety of sharks, eels, rays, dolphins, whales and turtles.
Maldives has two dominate season- the dry season which is associated with the winter northeastern monsoon and the rainy season which brings strong winds and storms. The shift occurs in April and May.
Tourists who arrive at Maldives usually land to Male Ibrahim Nasir International Airport on the island of Hulhule, 2 kilometers off from the capital Male. In addition, there are also three airports in the archipelago offering international flights. These are on the island of Hanimaadhoo, Maamigili and Gan.
Some airlines offers flights only in certain seasons. Frequently, flights’ schedules are in line with the demand of the tourists.
Maldives has an excellent health care and hygiene awareness. People here tend to stay healthy by being careful and sensible.
There are doctors in most of the resorts in Maldives. However, if your are seriously sick, you are highly encouraged to go to the capital Male like in Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital and ADK Private Hospital which has the best medical equipments in the country.