The abundance of marine life in Maldives is truly amazing and the great thing is you can spot many of the varied species while snorkelling or diving; here are some of the highlights.
Sharks
Forget what you’ve seen in movies about sharks because not all kinds are ferocious predators! In the Maldives, beach resort properties with house reefs provide an ideal chance to safely encounter lemon sharks, blacktip reef sharks and nurse sharks. Further afield, you may also come across huge and harmless whale sharks too.
Rays
This destination is also ideal to spot a variety of rays including stingrays and eagle rays. Those based at Raa Atoll resorts such as Dhigali Maldives or have access to excursions to the Baa Atoll (May to November) can also see manta rays; swimming alongside these majestic creatures will be truly unforgettable.
Other Fish
Since there are plenty of other fish here, it’s good to get an idea of what some will look like; you may already be familiar with clownfish which you may recognise as ‘Nemo’ from the Finding Nemo animated film! Lionfish, Napoleon wrasse, groupers, fusiliers, tuna, batfish and bannerfish are some of the other fish you may encounter.
Turtles
You may also spot sea turtles when snorkelling or diving in Maldives. There are in fact, five sea turtle species that inhabit these waters, though the regularly seen varieties are green turtles and hawksbill turtles. From June to November is the nesting season and turtles are known to come ashore to lay their eggs as well.