AN UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHER’S GUIDE TO THE MALDIVES
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SITUATED SOUTHWEST OF India and Sri Lanka
in the Laccadive Sea, the Maldives is comprised of
26 natural atolls that envelop almost 1,200 islands.
Ninety-nine percent of the nation is covered
with water, and what little land there is barely
breaks the surface, averaging an elevation of
only three feet above sea level. As such, this oneof-a-kind archipelago is a mecca for underwater
photographers dreaming of dramatic manta
aggregations, abundant fish life, and vivid softcoral seascapes.
atolls (dhuni) through channels and passages,
carrying with them the nutrients that support
the vast numbers of fish and dense assortment
of sponges and soft corals that decorate almost
every dive site.
DIVING IN MALDIVES
The two most common types of dive sites in the
Maldives are channels (kandu) and pinnacles
(thilas). Because of the unique topography,
currents sweep from the outer reefs of the
The northern half of the country is
characterised by pinnacles and internal reef
structure (faru), covered in clouds of colourful
reef dwellers, while in the south, pinnacles are
less common, instead giving way to current-
This one-of-a-kind
archipelago is a mecca for
underwater photographers