Raja Laut

The Maldives are an archipelago of 1,190 coral islands grouped into 26 coral atolls in the Indian Ocean. 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.

The Maldives many atolls are swept by the Indian oceans current creating channels for pelagics to swim in and carrying the nutrients for the stunning coral reefs to flourish. This creates the perfect habitat for reef fishes and the larger pelagic fish to feed and grow.

The Maldives hosts a myriad of marine life large and small with the emphasis whilst diving on the larger animals. Manta rays love the currents that travel across the reefs and gather here in large numbers to be cleaned and hang in the currents to feed. Whale sharks are drawn to the area during their migration around the Indian ocean to feed on the plankton blooms that occurs in various areas around the Maldives creating a magnet for adventurous divers at certain times of the year. Schools of colourful reef fish hang above the stunning soft coral reef that are the trademark of the Maldives and sharks patrol off the walls in the blue looking for their next meal.