Maldives Holiday Travel Guide
Scuba Diving
The Maldives is famed for its rare underwater
beauty. The profusion of psychedelic colours and the
abundance and variety of life underwater have fascinated
divers and snorkellers since Maldives was discovered
as a diving destination. The highest level of visibility
that one could expect- sometimes exceeding 50 meters
- and warm temperatures throughout the year makes
diving in the Maldives a delight you would want to
experience over and over again. The Maldives has some
of the best dive sites in the world and many visit
the Maldives repeatedly for the sole purpose of diving.
Some popular dive sites
Wreck of the Maldives
Victory (Ship Wreck)
In the early morning hours of 13 February 1981, a
Friday, this 35,000-ton freighter ran at full speed
onto the southern tip of the island of Hulule - the
airport island near the Capital. Panic spread through
the island when it became known that the long-awaited
foodstuffs and building materials were lying on the
bottom of the ocean.
Banana Reef
Shaped like a banana, this reef stretches from North-East
to South over a length of some three hundred meters.
Nearby resort islands include Fullmoon Island, Club
Med and Kurumba. Ever since scuba divers began to
dive in this part of the North-Male' Atoll, twenty
years ago, Banana Reef has remained an ideal spot.
A favourable feature is that since the fish show absolutely
no fear of photographers on this reef, one can take
excellent shots. However, together with the strong
current and the fragile reef it makes anchoring your
boat not always an easy task. You are requested to
be careful not to damage the fragile reef when anchoring
your boat.
Shark Point
As the name suggests, encountering and observing
sharks at this point is a frequent and regular happening.
They swim to and from at the end of the channel where
the currents are strongest. Friendly Gray reef sharks
and whitetip reef sharks are those most likely to
approach the divers.
Barracuda Giri
Barracuda Giri lies in the North Male' Atoll, North
- Northeast of Bandos Island Resort and South -Southeast
of Thulhagiri Island. Barracuda Giri boasts some truly
spectacular dives. Life forms include large schools
of black spotted sweetlips, schools of large batfish,
black coral, barracuda etc.
Manta Point
Manta Point, which lies in the northern section of
the channel leading out of the Ari Atoll, is - as
the name suggests - an ideal place for close encounters
with Mantas Rays. From December until the middle of
April, the Mantas are regulars at this site, the topography
and the location of the site making it an ideal habitat
for all species of fish that live on plankton.
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