Resort Snorkeling

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Most of the resort islands have areas where the water never reaches more than waist high,the water is warm & teaming with fish.This combination is ideal as you dont have to go far to experience the diverse sea life.The instant gratification is enough to get you hooked for life as it did with me.

THE SCAREY ONES

There are among other things small nurse sharks that do their rounds as well as the larger reef sharks ...
...depths of sea at your resort island you may want to swim to the edge of the lagoon depending how far it is on your particular island.This varies greatly.

You can see the point where the sea meets the lagoon by the difference in coulor of the sea.There will be a distinct dark blue line that meets the turquoise of the shallow water of the lagoon.
Here where the reef drops down to the sea some much larger fish & huge shoals can ... more

With their crystal clear waters & incredible sea life the Maldives are a fantastic place to snorkel & a great place to learn if you dont already.
For beginners it is an excellent start as fish are plentiful in the shallows.All you have to do is get your head wet...And learn to breath under water of course which is a lot easiers than it sounds.

Most of the resort islands have areas where the water never reaches more than waist high,the water is warm & teaming with fish.This combination is ideal as you dont have to go far to experience the diverse sea life.The instant gratification is enough to get you hooked for life as it did with me.

THE SCAREY ONES

There are among other things small nurse sharks that do their rounds as well as the larger reef sharks .Despite the thousands of dives that occur every day in these waters there has never been a casualty.After a quick inspection they will swiftly swim off to sea dissapearing as fast as they arrived.

Of course if you are the kind of person who carries meat in your pocket then you can expect trouble.So please empty your pockets before snorkelling.

THE PRETTY ONES

One of my favourites is the small black & white striped Damsel fish,some of the tiny babies are about the size of a penny.
I have also seen Wrasses checkerboard , moon & slingjaw.Angel fish,Butterfly fish which form couples that remain together for life.Ahhh!

I made the mistake once of stopping too long & passing over the small piece of coral cluster that was home to a pair of Double Saddled Butterfly fish & their babies.Even though they were only the size of my hand they did not hesitate to chase me off & give me a few nips in the legs for good measure.It didn't hurt but it was a shock.I respected their privacy & space after that!!!

THE OTHERS

Regularly seen visitors to the shallows are shoals of small Barracudas with their slim silvery striped bodies & powerful tails.Not to be confused with the Great Barracuda which can grow to 2 metres in length and weigh 40 kg.

The Titan Trigger fish the giant of the trigger fish family is a funny mustard coloured fish with well defined scales,the most photographed being the Clown Trigger fish with its black & white spotted belly & yellow mouth & tail.They have sharp teeth to allow them to get inside the shells of their prey,mainly sea urchin & shellfish.

Surgeon fish & the strange looking Unicorn fish with its horn like feature sticking straight out of the front of its head,like a Unicorn. These fish quite often group together in shoals of several dozen & are truely an amazing sight to see.

SWIMMING OUT OF THE LAGOON.

Once you have become confident with the depths of sea at your resort island you may want to swim to the edge of the lagoon depending how far it is on your particular island.This varies greatly.

You can see the point where the sea meets the lagoon by the difference in coulor of the sea.There will be a distinct dark blue line that meets the turquoise of the shallow water of the lagoon.
Here where the reef drops down to the sea some much larger fish & huge shoals can be seen.

I have seen a Stingray from 30 feet above resting at the bottom of the seabed.Shoals of coulorful Blue Surgeon fish ,one of the prettiest Surgeon in my mind,Halfmoon & Orangestripe Trigger fish,Turtles ,Lobster hiding in the coral & some huge fish easily the size of me that scared me half to death but I dont know the name of.They were not harmful but the sheer size was awsome & took my breath away.Not a good thing when your face is stuck in a snorkel under water!!!

Parrot fish are responsible for the poduction of the fine white sand here.They feed on algae that grow in thin layers on the surface of the Corals scraping it off with their beaks.The algae get digested whilst the calciferous bits are expelled in the form of fine coral sand.What a good job they do!!

BACK TO THE SHALLOWS

About the same time each day there are a few visitors that swim along the edge of the waves as they lap against the beach.One of them is Eels either alone or in pairs allowing themselves to get washed ashore then writhe around on the sand until the next wave takes them back in.Seems like the Eel equivelant of playing chicken!

Although Porcupine fish are meant to be nocturnal I have seen them more than a few times at around 5pm patrolling the waters edge for sand crabs.They are very pretty & have huge cartoon eyes with what looks like false eye lashes.How well thay hide the danger that lies with getting on the wrong side of them.

BOAT TRIP TO A REEF

This has to be the best way to see it all.The boat will take you to either the house reef or another close by but equally busy reef.
You can jump out of the boat & low & behold you are right above the most amazing sights.This is where you are likely to see clown triggers and many more of the deep water fish.You may even spot a Turtle or Lobster.This is an excellent way of snorkelling as you just float around then get back in the boat when you are tired.

TRAVEL

We booked through Kuoni whos prices vary depending the rating of the island.These prices are for a first class island.

Prices start at £954 for 7 nights in Jan - Feb
£1124 for 7 nights in July - Sept

This is in a delux room in a twostorey building with minibar,tea coffee making facilities,telephone,CD player,ceiling fan,air con ,shower & balcony or terrace.

Packages usually contain one snorkelling excursion but can also be arranged once there at a local cost of around $30 to $40

First choice also fly out and may be slightly cheaper.It is also worth booking a last minute deal as all the island are beautiful.This would be a cheaper way of seeing if Maldives is your cup of tea.

CLOSING NOTES AND TIPS

I could go on & on but you may fall asleep reading this so I will spare you that & just finish with a few tips.

I think it is best to take your own well fitting snorkelling gear.It is cheaper to buy it & always have it then to throw money down the drain hiring ill fitting equipment when you get there.

All islands have a notice board on which tide times are listed,make sure you check it out when you arrive there is nothing worse than trying to swim against the tide to get back to the island when you are tired.

All islands have life guards familiarise yourself with where they are located.

Do not disturb,touch or remove any living creature from its natural habitat while snorkelling & try not to step on the coral or damage it in any way.

You can NOT take home any shells you have found in the Maldives it is a severely punishable offence.
Enjoy the wonderful under water world that is the Indian Oceon.

Taking pictures under water with a disposable camera is loads harder than you can imagine.First you have to float still then press the button before the fish has completely gone past more or less before it even gets in to your view finder.

I have lots of pictures of heads and tails!My best are here for you to see.
Always remember the maxim:Take only photographs;leave only footprints. 

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