Diving in Maldives

Written by Administrator

Thursday, 15 January 2009 07:06

The amount of land that lies above sea level in the Maldives represents only a tiny fraction of the country’s overall land mass, most of which lies below sea level. The islands of the Maldives are the visible coral tips of an oceanic volcanic mountain range whose outer edge at some points plunge to depths of over 3000m. Deep channels separate 26 atolls that run from Haa Alifu in the North over 800 nautical km to Addu atoll in the South.

The relative isolation of the Maldives, far from any landmass, has led to a fabulous variety of marine species. Seasonal oceanic currents flowing through the country have forged channels from the open ocean in to all the atolls. These channels, or Kandu in Dhivehi, concentrate plankton rich waters into and out off the atolls, which in turn support an incredibly rich marine ecosystem. Once inside the atoll, reefs, sandbars, islands and lagoons have evolved over millennia forming the habitat and nurseries for many of the reefs inhabitants.

REEFS AND DIVING

The Maldives boasts an incredible number of dive and snorkel sites. With the development of previously inaccessible areas, new dive sites are being established in Atolls ranging from Huvadhoo in the south to Haa Alifu in the North.

The diverse nature of dive sites in the Maldives makes it suitable for divers of all experience levels. Within each atoll there are sheltered reefs located away from fast flowing currents that are suitable for training new divers as well as those who have recently qualified. By contrast experienced divers will enjoy some of the best drift dives in the world. Channels in to the atolls generate fast tidal flows, which in turn attract many of the shark, ray and fish species for which the Maldives are renowned. Every island in the Regaldive programme provides an excellent and varied range of boat dives.

Last Updated on Thursday, 15 January 2009 07:12