Maldives underwater world. The underwater world of the Maldives. Manta rays in the Maldives

The Maldives (Republic of Maldives) is an island state in the Indian Ocean, located on a group of atolls south of the Hindustan Peninsula, just north of the equator. The archipelago consists of 20 atolls, which include almost 1,200 small islands formed by the skeletons of coral polyps on an underwater hill. Only about 200 islands are permanently inhabited.
All the islands of the atoll archipelago barely rise above the surface of the ocean - the most high point- 6 m above sea level.
The capital of the state is the city of Male, located on the atoll of the same name.

Underwater world of the Maldives

The climate of the Maldives is typical for the equatorial island zones. The average annual air temperature is +27 degrees. C, is little subject to seasonal and daily fluctuations - the environment is affected by the ocean.

As befits an area with numerous coral structures and reefs, the underwater world of the Maldives is extremely rich and diverse. Here you can meet a wide variety of sea inhabitants - from fabulously beautiful corals, colorful fish, graceful jellyfish and beautiful mollusks, to whale sharks and large stingrays. If you are lucky enough to see the underwater world of the Maldives while diving, this sight will never be erased from your memory.

The saturation of the reefs with life could not go unnoticed by sea predators - in these places there are many sharks, and the most different types. Experts say that 26 species of sharks are found in the Maldives archipelago, but most likely this is not the limit. After all, many species of gray sharks are so similar in appearance that even an ichthyologist specialist can hardly recognize individual individuals of different species.

Among the predatory “celebrities” found in the local waters, it is worth noting tiger sharks and the long-finned oceanic shark - longimanus, as well as hammerhead sharks. These predators are considered dangerous sea creatures for humans, and world statistics know many cases of tiger shark attacks on people.
Longimanus are no less dangerous, but these sharks prefer to stay in the pelagic region and almost never appear in coastal waters. Hammerhead sharks are not so bloodthirsty - only the giant variety of this fish can pose a threat to humans, however, it is recommended to stay away from them.

From April to November, whale sharks swim to the eastern regions of the Maldives, completely safe for people, despite their impressive size. These giants of the sea are protected by conservationists, so any harm done to a whale shark is against the law.
However, the same can be said about other types of predators - in the area of ​​many Maldivian atolls, hunting and fishing for any sharks is strictly prohibited. There are fewer and fewer sharks every year - this is due to man’s ancient “love” for these predators, the ecological situation in the coastal waters of many seas, and the Asian fascination with shark fin soup.

The remaining species of Maldivian predators are represented by small species of sharks, and reef species are most often caught by divers. These fish do not reach impressive sizes - even a one and a half meter reef shark is considered large. According to the stories of divers who visited the coastal waters of the Maldives, such “large” specimens of sharks are now a rarity. If you are lucky, you will meet predators measuring about a meter or a little more.
You can also meet some bottom predators, including squatinids, cats, mustelids and other types of sharks.

Sharks are one of the attractions of the Maldivian coastal waters, a peculiar article tourism business. In order to give curious people the opportunity to gaze at the mistresses of the sea, bait is specially scattered in many places to attract flocks of predators. For those who want to admire marine life Without diving into the depths, excursions are organized on small vessels with a transparent bottom.
The water in these places is surprisingly clean, despite numerous and strong currents, so you can gaze at the underwater fairy tale without fear.

Despite the wide species and quantitative range of the shark community in the Maldives, this ocean area is considered one of the most safe resorts world in terms of the number of known incidents between humans and marine predators. For all the time that the ISAF center in Florida has been keeping statistical records of such cases, only one confirmed case of a shark attack on a person has been known since 1580, which did not have any serious consequences for the victim - a minor bite from a small shark.

This statistic is also unusual because the Maldives is one of the world’s most popular beach resorts, which attracts hundreds of thousands of swimmers to its shores every year. Perhaps the main reason lies in the fact that the Maldivian surf has little attraction for surfers and other fans of such sports, who are most at risk of experiencing the sharp jaws of sharks? Or coastal shallow water coral islands does not attract large and dangerous predators such as tiger sharks?
One way or another - if you are going to relax in these paradisiacal places, you should not be afraid of toothy sea predators - shark attacks in the Maldives are less likely than a pike attack on a fisherman in the Volga region. However, there is no need for carelessness either - scuba diving and swimming in the sea are always fraught with danger. Indeed, in addition to sharks, other dangerous creatures live in these places - moray eels, poisonous mollusks and bottom fish, stingrays, jellyfish, etc. Therefore, one should not neglect general rules safety when traveling under water and swimming - a cut from a shell fragment or a prick from a sea ruffe - scorpionfish also do not give pleasure during rest.

In the final post, I collected photographs of the underwater world of the Maldives and its inhabitants. This is a real paradise on Earth - warm clear water, rich vegetation and kilometers of picturesque beaches. There is no better place to dive and relax.

The Maldives archipelago consists of approximately 1,200 small islands, believed to be of volcanic origin. They form a double chain of 26 atolls - large coral land areas that look like a broken ring. The first Redin settlements were founded on the islands as early as 2000 BC. According to numerous testimonies of sailors, for a long time the islands were ruled by female sultanas...

The population of the archipelago, excluding guests of the country and tourists, is approximately 400 thousand people. The capital of the Republic of Maldives is the port town of Male. The population of the capital is only 105 thousand people, others major cities not in the country:

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Coastal waters are teeming with a wide variety of life forms. The coral reefs that form the islands of the archipelago are home to a great variety of shellfish, several species of starfish (including quite rare ones), lobsters and crabs:

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Approximately 2,000 species of fish have been found in the coastal waters of the Maldives, of which 300 are reef fish. The largest whale sharks have a length of 20 meters:

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In the next post I will talk about how I drowned a camera for 400,000 rubles, but that will happen next year. Happy New Year!

The planet has such picturesque corners, after visiting which tourists will not disappear the feeling that the natural beauty of the sea and land is trying to compete with each other. The Maldives can rightfully be noted as one of such places. They attract travelers with their tall green palm trees, white sandy beaches, but primarily the beautiful coral reefs. As you know, the Maldives is the best place for diving in the world. Among the inhabitants of the oceanic underwater kingdom of the Maldives you can see seaweed, coral reefs, incredible colors and shapes, big fish and much more. All these delights of nature paint the ocean with different colors.

Interesting information about the country

• The Maldives are islands in the Indian Ocean, which scientists have proven were inhabited 5 thousand years ago. Europe learned about the islands thanks to the travel of Marco Polo, who nicknamed them “flower Indian Ocean».
• The official name of the state is the Republic of Maldives. The country is located southwest 700 km from Sri Lanka.
• The Maldives is a country in the entire world with only one city. The capital Male is a port city, which is located on the islands of Vilingile and Male, and is the most densely populated place in the country.
• The Maldives consists of 1,192 coral islands (atolls), but only 200 islands are inhabited by people, 80 have tourist resorts. Some of the islands are uninhabited. total area country 90 thousand km2. The population of the Maldives is about 393 thousand people.
• The country has the flattest territory in the world. The average elevation of the Maldives above sea level is 1.5 m. The highest point is 2.4 m above sea level.
• The climate on the islands is subequatorial monsoon, the average temperature throughout the year is 25-30 °C. The rainy season runs from June to August.
• The length of the Maldives from south to north is 823 kilometers, and from west to east it is 130 kilometers. There is not a single river or other source of fresh water on the islands of the country.
• The Maldives is a Muslim country, so compliance with local laws and traditions is mandatory for guests.
• Tourism and fishing are the main industries that support the country's economy.
• Motor and sailing boats are the main transport of the Maldives. Also, a huge part of transportation is carried out by air.
• Approximately 2,000 species of fish have been found in the coastal waters of the Maldives, of which 300 are reef fish. The largest whale sharks are 20 m long.
• The Maldives is a paradise, clear ocean and tropics that open the way to a completely different world. If you look at the Maldives from a bird's eye view, the picture will blow your mind; the blue surface of the ocean and the green islands look like a fairy tale.

Scuba diving is the main attraction of the Maldives

Favorable climatic conditions and distinctive properties geological structure The islands have created the conditions for some of the best dive sites in Asia. All over the world it is believed that the Maldives is the best place for diving. Coral reefs are ready to reveal their secrets to an attentive and leisurely swimmer who has an exciting desire to see the underwater beauty of the ocean. The amazed diver, carried away by the undercurrent, will slowly drift past majestic jellyfish, vibrant corals and fish, who are also watching him. The impressions from the amazing spectacle, from the fantastic beauty of the fauna and flora will be stunning, and often after the first dive the whole picture seen will merge into a general feeling of delight, admiration and peace.

Inhabitants of the underwater world of the picturesque Maldives

The underwater kingdom of the Maldives is so beautiful and rich that a few meters of depth is enough to see a lot. If you obey the current, which drifts slightly to the side, a panorama of underwater grottoes and coral thickets will unfold before your gaze. Swimming along the reef, in the bushes of coral gardens you can meet slow turtles, luxurious tropical fish, fabulous stingrays, evil moray eels and dangerous sharks. The bright palette of colors and outlandish shapes will inspire any scuba diver, but corals are as fragile as they are beautiful, so you need to be extremely careful and careful not to destroy a natural work.

Breathtaking panoramas and unforgettable experience will give the ocean at night. Under the water at sunset, inhabitants appear that are impossible to see during the day. Of them most of feeds on plankton, which rises to the top at nightfall. And here the hunters show themselves in all their glory: starfish, extraordinary anemones and corals set their amazing traps, and crabs use their claws to separate shells from their prey. Taking advantage of the fact that the sharks' victims cannot see anything, they also perk up. The parrot fish avoids danger in a very interesting way - it releases a bubble and rests inside, but as soon as someone touches the shell, it wakes up and runs away.

Features of diving in the Maldives

Every tourist will be able to feel like an amphibian. The islands have everything you need for exciting diving. Most hotels have diving schools on site that issue certificates. Large diving clubs offer a very wide program: training for beginners, improving the skills of already advanced divers. The set of programs also includes training in snorkeling.

In order to immerse yourself in the underwater world, it is not necessary to take a full course. A one-time dive after short preparation is carried out to a depth of 2 to 12 meters. If you have found a common language with the abyss of the sea and are drawn deeper, then you need to begin serious preparation and take a course of study. Experienced divers should remember that they may be asked for a dive diary and a valid medical certificate before any dive.

In the Maldives, diving is possible all year round. For beginners, diving sites with gentle slopes and soft, colorful corals are suitable for diving. And experienced divers can take advantage of night dives and the opportunity to swim in the underwater current among many caves and sunken ships.

On ships that sail between atolls there are centers underwater diving. Cruise ships are an excellent opportunity to visit different islands of the archipelago, fishing and uninhabited islands, which is difficult to do if you stay in a hotel.

A diving safari represents a journey across the ocean on an equipped yacht, which has everything you need for relaxation. If you choose a diving safari, you can get the opportunity to take a break from huge amount divers who dive in the most accessible places. During the safari you can see uninhabited islands, complement the palette of sensations in ocean fishing and try cooked fish that you just caught.

The inhabitants and coral reefs of the islands are a real natural phenomenon, which is located in the waters of the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is a place where magical landscapes and solitude are prized, especially for scuba diving enthusiasts. Not only professionals, but also those who put on fins and a mask for the first time can enjoy an amazing array of shells, bright corals, and colorful fish. As you know, the Maldives are famous for the diverse, vibrant, amazing shapes and sizes of marine fauna and flora. Diving enthusiasts can see a huge whale shark and microscopic plankton. You can get the impressions of a lifetime if you see the amazing and colorful underwater kingdom of the amazing Maldives.

The Maldives has long been considered a Mecca for scuba divers. It's rare to see such an abundance of marine life. Even with a simple mask and snorkel you will be able to immerse yourself in a fantastic underwater jungle: see with your own eyes in a natural environment habitats of a giant sea turtle, fish of all shades of the rainbow, an octopus, an elegant small reef shark, a moray eel, a barracuda pike, a graceful stingray... And most importantly, for this there is no need to go on additional excursions, all this can be enjoyed every day while swimming snorkel around your island hotel.

Maldives- one of those few places where everyone, from beginner to expert, will find excellent conditions for scuba diving. The resorts operate special schools for both those preparing for their first dive and experienced scuba divers. Even beginners can dive in areas with soft corals, gentle slopes and plenty of tropical fish. Experienced divers have the opportunity to dive at night and drift in the underwater current, as well as many steep walls, caves and even sunken ships.

You can swim underwater in the Maldives everywhere - both in the lagoon near the resort and on remote reefs.

In the Maldives– 26 atolls consisting of many small coral islands. Each atoll is surrounded by a large lagoon with a depth of 40 - 90 m. The calm water in the lagoon creates favorable conditions for the formation of branching and reef-building corals, where about 900 species of tropical fish are found.

The underwater world of the coral reefs of the Maldives is striking in its beauty- many tropical reef fish live here: angelfish, groupers, scorpion fish, clown fish, wrasses, butterfly fish. You can see huge moray eels and sea turtles. But the most vivid memories for divers remain from meetings with other inhabitants of the Maldivian waters: tuna and barracudas, huge Napoleons, nurse sharks, reef and whale sharks, manta rays.

The lagoons have channels that cut through the outer reefs, and straits behind the lagoons that separate the atolls. And in the channels and in the straits - strong current, providing a wealth of marine life, and the gentle slopes with overhangs provide refuge for a variety of fish, crabs and lobsters. The straits offer excellent drifting opportunities; The depth of the straits is more than 200 m. The channels can be both shallow and very deep.

The water on the outside of the atolls is very clean, and the marine life is extremely varied and full of colour. Some reefs on the western side of the Male Atolls are favored by starfish, which, unfortunately, cause significant damage to the corals.

Each island is fringed by a so-called house reef, giving excellent snorkeling opportunities at almost all resorts. Visibility in the lagoons near the islands is usually good (up to 40 m).

The beginning of the tourism boom in the Maldives in the 70s of the 20th century is associated with coral reefs. The first island to establish a tourist center in 1972 was Kurumba in North Male Atoll. In those days, about 90% of tourists were diving enthusiasts. The underwater world of the Maldives, to this day, attracts divers from all over the world.

And this is not surprising - there is everything that divers can only dream of: schools of colorful fish, friendly manta rays and dolphins, reef sharks, underwater rocks, canyons, coral gardens and wrecks.

Today, only 15% of the islands' guests are divers who come here to see the underwater world of the Maldives; the islands have become popular due to their spa centers. And it is not surprising that vacationers are clearly divided into 2 groups: those who prefer beach holiday, and supporters of direct contact with the sea and the nature of the reefs, who prefer the so-called. dive safari. Typically their voyages last from 7 to 14 days and include several dozen different underwater dives.

The most popular among divers are the channels connecting the lagoon and the sea (for example, Emboodhu, Kanahaldi Kandu), as well as the underwater hills of the Maldives (for example, Kanduma Thila, Kudara Thila, Maaya Thila). If you want to better understand the various features of the seabed topography, you can explore, for example, Kudara Tila (“Broken Rock”), a canyon that cut the underwater hill into two parts. It is also worth going to the outer part of the reef, to the eastern part of the South Male Atoll, in the vicinity of the islands of Lohifushi, Guraidhoo and Kanduma. The slope of the underwater mountain, dotted with grottoes, drops sheerly to a depth of over 30 meters.

When diving in a canal, it is best to sink to the bottom and stay longer at its mouth. However, you must remember that according to the rules, diving is allowed to a depth of no more than 30 meters. After the disturbed reef inhabitants get used to the uninvited guests, divers will be able to admire the rich colors of the underwater world of the Maldives. Shrimp, lobsters, snaketails, starfish, urchins, snails and octopuses hide in the reef's crevices. Divers are surrounded by colorful schools of clownfish, butterflyfish, parrotfish and triggerfish. Sometimes a surgeon fish or a Moorish idol dances in bubbles of air, a gloomy Napoleon flashes by, and a gentle manta ray invites you to play. However, not all the inhabitants of the reef are peaceful. An encounter with the poisonous spines of a stingray, the sharp teeth of a barracuda or the terrifying predatory moray eels can end in disaster. Shark lovers can recommend the underwater valley of Ari Beach Beiro, well known to scuba divers, located on the outer side of the South Ari Atoll, where whale sharks feed. Swimming in the company of these peaceful giants, often exceeding 10 meters in length, makes an indelible impression. In turn, the Mai Yafushi reefs in North Ari Atoll were once popular as places to feed sharks. Despite the fact that feeding them is now prohibited here, they still gather as soon as they hear the sounds of approaching boats.

The underwater world of the Maldives is in danger. However, there are also places where the reef dies. There is no consensus on the reasons for this phenomenon. This may be due to El Niño, which is also why a significant portion of the world's coral populations have suffered. A likely cause may also be climate change and ocean water temperature, since excessively high temperatures are fatal to reef-forming corals. The development of tourist centers also causes pollution and overgrowth of coastal waters and, as a result, destruction of the reef.

To protect this natural ecosystem, 25 environmental protection zones have been created where fishing and anchoring are prohibited. In addition to this, all types of reef corals are protected by a special convention (CITES). Some atolls were declared shark sanctuaries in 1998, and since then there has been a ban on catching sharks within a 12-kilometer radius.

One of the attractions of diving in the Maldives is the opportunity to explore the remains of sunken ships. Some of them date back to the colonial period, and some were recently sunk specifically for the entertainment of divers (for example, Kuda Giri, a Japanese cargo ship). One of the most visited is the wreck of the Maldivian Victoria, located at a depth of 35 meters on the western side of Hulule Island.

Corals in the underwater world of the Maldives. The warm equatorial waters are home to various groups of animals with calcareous skeletons. These are mainly madrepore corals, and among them are acropores, porous corals, spherical meandrines, and brain corals. Their skeletons, mixed with gravel, sand and calcareous silt, into which particles of bones of other marine organisms (fish, oysters, snails) have grown, form an underwater shaft - a coral reef. An important element of the reefs, which is also part of their limestone foundation, are other colonies of living organisms, such as gorgonians, hydroid invertebrates, bryozoans, sponges and red algae. Reef-forming corals need warm water with a temperature of 18 to 35 C, so they are not found above 30 - 35 degrees north and south latitude.

The Maldives is sinking. The Maldives is in danger. They will disappear from the surface of the earth in approximately 100 - 200 years. Such alarming information is increasingly appearing in the media and is associated with global warming. Rising temperatures provoke a rise in the level of ocean waters by approximately 2–3 mm per year, sometimes even by 1 cm, while the highest point of the Maldives reaches 2.4 meters. The archipelago will be in danger if, in accordance with UN forecasts, the water level rises by 59 cm by 2100. In this regard, representatives of the Union of Small Island States(A0SIS) organized a meeting in the Maldives to highlight the fact that climate change threatens the fundamental human right to live in a safe and secure environment. But while the islands are not hidden by the depths of the sea, travelers can relax in luxury hotels, enjoy the pristine beauty and explore the underwater world of the Maldives.