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| The
Maldives is a nation of several hundred low-lying coral atolls
stretching across more than 600 miles of sea in the Indian Ocean.
The capital, Male, is located on one such atoll and the airport is
nearby. From Male, boats then take visitors to the island their
resort is on, in our case about a 45 minute ride away. Resorts are
one to an island.
Diving was superb on occasion (Banana reef), and merely ordinary more often. The dive operator at our resort was used to herd-diving European tourists, and selection of sites was dictated by lowest-common-denominator in terms of skills. With an open-water class just finishing as we arrived, this meant amateur diving at low-current, mostly played-out sites. Still, the few good sites were truly spectacular -- with enormous two-meter Napolean Wrasses and abundant, healthy sealife. Snorkeling off the beach was excellent as well. Underwater photos are here.
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Signature view of the Maldives: seemingly endless low-lying coral atolls. |
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| Checking-in at the resort with Yuri, Yoko and Konishi. | Our room at the resort; clean and bright. | |||
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| Spectacular sunset from 'our' island. | Near sunset, a faint rainbow after passing rain. | |||
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| Beach 10 meters from our room. | On the dive boat with Yuko. | |||
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| One minute after a great dive. | Pilot whale near our dive boat. | |||
Underwater photos here.