The pristine Maldive Islands has established itself as a major tourist destination, attracting holidaymakers and honeymooners from across the globe to its sandy beaches. The delightful year round tropical sunshine, white sandy expanses of beach and inviting sapphire waters make the Maldives one of the world’s finest vacation destinations.
No visit to the Maldives is complete without a snorkelling and diving excursion. The Maldives present some of the world’s finest diving and snorkelling locations with mesmerizing marine seascapes and ocean denizens making each underwater outing a memorable experience.
The Maldives are an archipelago of more than a thousand islands formed principally of coral scattered in the vast expanses of the Indian Ocean. It is an exotically delightful location for divers and snorkelers with an environment that may be unsurpassed in the entire world. With temperatures hovering around 30 C the waters of the islands shimmer invitingly all the year round.
The colourful coral formations and multitude of vibrantly hued marine life are undoubtedly the most memorable aspects of snorkelling or diving in the Maldives. The sheer variety and numbers of delightfully picturesque marine creatures including fish such as Humpback Snappers, Black and White Snappers, Unicornfish, Barracuda, Trevally Jacks and Yellowback Fusiliers will mesmerize the visitor. Scuba divers should make it a point to investigate the numerous sea caves which contain creatures such as black corals, different kinds of sea fans and sponges, nudibranchs, gorgonians, feather stars, sea cucumbers, pink ascidians and hydroids as well as giant worms. In fact there is so much marine life to see that several dives are necessary to truly admire the amazing sights on offer.
For the adventurous diver there is the option of diving in the Ari and Felidhu atolls, where they will glimpse manta rays and sharks. In the Northern Ari Atoll it is possible to sight the huge whale sharks which may only be spotted whilst diving.
Another great option for the diving enthusiast is liveaboard diving Maldives. In this regard Atoll Explorer is an excellent choice; it has the distinction of being the first ship in the Maldives to offer a first class Maldives cruise in 1996. The vessel takes passengers to different diving sites as well as luxury resorts, uninhabited islands and villages assuring a memorable excursion.