Things to do
The islands and waters of the Maldives are famed for their rare beauty. The profusion of psychedelic colors and the abundance and variety of life underwater have fascinated divers and snorkellers since Maldives was discovered as a diving destination. The dual offerings of high visibility, sometimes exceeding 50 metres and warm temperatures throughout the year makes diving in the Maldives a delightful experience. Some of the best dive sites in the world are located right here and many visit this country for the sole purpose of diving. All resorts in the Maldives have professional dive schools with multi-lingual instructors that conduct courses for beginners as well as the advanced. Many of the resorts have excellent house reefs. A very short swim from the beach takes snorkelers to unparalleled regions filled with underwater wonders.
Every resort in the Maldives caters for scuba divers and international certificates of all types are accepted. The dive schools are well equipped. For those learning to dive, resorts offer a variety of dive courses in several languages. They conduct open water and advanced courses such as night diving, rescue diving, underwater photography. Courses such as naturalist and shark specialist courses have proved most popular due to the growing interest in the marine environment. At resorts, diving is conducted daily all year round. Most resorts have access to a protected reef on the leeward side of the island that enables them to dive even during times of rough seas and strong winds.
All resorts in the Maldives have dive schools on them. Facilities, equipment and staff differ from resort to resort, depending on its size, its location and clientele. All the resorts offer beginners’ dive courses and a variety of other courses towards PADI certification. While some dive schools are Instructor Development Centers (IDCs), others too offer a wide variety of advanced and specialized dive courses. It is advisable to check up on the languages of instruction and courses available, before you book at a resort for your diving holiday. Equipment wise, all have the basics – compressors, tanks, BCDs, wetsuits, weights and weight belts and can provide a limited number of other accessories such as lamps and dive computers. Only some dive schools rent out underwater cameras and video cameras. Dive schools at all the resorts conduct daily dive boat trips to dive sites around the island, throughout the year. However, bigger schools offer a variety of trips everyday to different dive sites. In these resorts, the advanced diver would have choice of dives daily, to choose from. Night dives and other specialized dives are not conducted on a daily basis at all the resorts. However on the more specialized dive resorts, these too are available. The same goes for night diving in the resort’s house reef. The dive schools in all the resorts invariably consist of one or more classrooms – air-conditioned at some, wet room and storage space for the school’s as well as private equipment. Some of the bigger schools also have dive shops and video processing facilities.
That Maldives is the best place in the world to photograph fish is an unanimous conclusion among many photographers. This is mainly because nowhere else is there such form and variety of fish and coral life. The best dive sites for photographing large pelagic fish such as sharks, mantas or jacks are the atoll passes or channels. Currents are often strong in the channels and it may become necessary to hold on to something to remain still. For good images of colorful fish and corals, it is best to dive in the ‘thilas’ or shoals inside the atolls. The conditions in these often are suitable to calmly and carefully frame shots. Under Water cameras are available for rent at most dive schools in the Maldives.
Steps have been taken to avoid over-exploitation of natural resources. Protected Marine Areas were established in 1995. This was the first step in protecting these areas from the detrimental effects of over-fishing, coral mining, anchor damage and rubbish. The killing of turtles, which is under threat of extinction, is banned and the export of turtle shells and products made of turtle shell is prohibited. Sport fishing practiced by some islands is now confined to the tag and release method.
Snorkeling over the shallow reefs of the islands is an ideal way to explore the underwater world. The house reefs of most of the islands are just a few strokes away from the beach. Even if the reef are quite shallow, one may simply walk up to the reef to enjoy its beauty. Snorkeling equipment is available at all the resorts. Some organize regular snorkeling excursions to give visitors a chance to experience the diversity of marine life and reef structures in the Maldives.
With the introduction of the German built Whale Submarine, divers and non-divers alike can enjoy the enchanting beautiful coral reefs and magnificent tropical fish from the comfort of an air-conditioned submarine with friends, family or loved ones. This incredible adventure takes place aboard the world’s deep diving largest passenger submarine. It descends to100 feet below the ocean surface making it possible to witness ocean life and other treasures, sights once only seen by scuba divers.
Boasting a 100% safety record worldwide, this is a must experience for every visitor, an excursion only available in a very few parts of the world. This submarine is the only one of its kind in the world.
Maldives is fast establishing itself as a destination for surfers. Surfing is relatively new to the Maldives, especially compared to more established activities such as scuba diving. However, the recent O’Neil Deep Blue Contest has placed Maldives firmly on the world’s surf map. While most of the recognized surf breaks are in Male’ Atoll, there is certainly more to be discovered. For resort based surfing it is advisable to choose one of the resorts on the eastern side of North Male’ Atoll where one could get access to a number of excellent breaks. The southwest monsoon period from May to October is often wet and rainy and therefore offers the best period for surfing enthusiasts.
Surf Sites
- Chickens – Villingilimathi Huraa (Kuda Villingili), uninhabited island. Eastern reef of North Male’ Atoll
- Cokes – Thulusdhoo, Atoll Capital. Eastern reef of North Male’ Atoll
- Lohi – Lohifushi Island Resort. Eastern reef of North Male’ Atoll
- Piddlies / Ninjas – Kanifinolhu Resort. Eastern Reef of North Male’ Atoll
- Sultans – Tari Village Resort (Kanu Huraa) . Eastern reef of North Male’ Atoll
- Honkey’s – Thamburudhoo (Uninhabited Island), Eastern Reef of North Male’ Atoll
- Tomb Stones – Thamburudhoo (Uninhabited Island), Adjacent to ‘Sultans’. Eastern Reef of North Male’ Atoll
- Male’ Island Point – Full Moon Beach Resort, Furana Fushi Island, Eastern Reef of North Male’ Atoll
- Gurus – Male’, the capital. Eastern reef of Male’, Southern tip of North Male’ Atoll
- Twin Peaks – Miyaru Faru near the island of Gulhi, inhabited island, Eastern Reef of South Male’ Atoll
- Quarters – Gulhigaathuhuraa, uninhabited island attached to Palm Tree Island Resort. Eastern Reef of South Male’ Atoll
- Natives – Kandooma Resort, Eastern Reef of North Male’ Atoll
- Riptides – Guraidhoo, Inhabited Island. Eastern Reef of South Male’ Atoll
Fishing is not only the lifeblood of the Maldivian economy, it is also a popular pastime among locals as well as visitors. Maldivians enjoy a variety of different types of fishing, the most popular among these being night fishing. The boat leaves the island and anchors at a reef before the sun sets and darkness sets in, the lines are tethered with hooks and sinkers and dropped overboard from both sides of the dhoni. If the fishing is good, everyone is happy. If not, it gives you an excellent opportunity to relax under the night sky as the boat gently rocks with the waves.
Morning fishing or big game fishing involves trolling, usually outside the atoll along the reef. Fishing enthusiasts may prefer to bring their own equipment if they wish to experience the excitement during their visit. Almost all the resorts organize night fishing trips at least once a week. Big game fishing or morning fishing, if not included in the resorts weekly program, may be organized on request.
Maldives is an island destination and therefore a large part of its leisure activities centre in and around water. Majority of the resorts that guests stay in will invariably have sports such as parasailing, catamaran sailing, banana riding and the works. For more detailed information on the options available on water, please check our resort pages.
Maldives has a number of small and tiny islands numbering around 2000. It therefore becomes imperative that you do not miss out on exploring at least some of them while you are on your holiday. An island hopping tour is basically an excursion when you leave your resort island to visit another island or islands. Honeymooners for instance can opt to just take a stroll along the beach. The Maldives boasts a mix and match of inhabited and uninhabited islands for you to indulge in. For an entirely private getaway, you could charter a dhoni (local Maldivian boats) for the day and get whisked off to an inhabited island for a picnic and a some snorkeling. Some of the more popular islands in the country are always prepared for arriving tourists and have plenty of souvenirs and refreshments to choose from while others are the true desert island prototypes. Whether you chose to crash out on one island or explore many, you won’t be disappointed in the splendor of the Maldives.
An ‘island-hopping’ excursion would take you to another resort, an uninhabited island and an inhabited island all in a day-tour designed to give you a taste of the country. You would also get the opportunity to snorkel in the clear waters of a desert island and perhaps experience a barbeque on the beach. Some resorts take this a step further by conducting their excursion by sea plane as well.
You hop on board a local mechanized dhoni and sail away across the atolls to explore the different types of islands in the vicinity of your resort island. While you are at it, you could snorkel or swim and take a nap while you top up that tan in our tropical paradise. You could discover a local island and see Maldivians at work and experience their rustic island lifestyle.
