Joanna James
The Maldives has a wide variety of marine life that call the turquoise blue waters that surround the 1,200-island archipelago home. Put yourself in a snorkelling suit and hit the alluring waters to get up close and personal with fascinating creatures of the world beneath the tropical blue.
Swimming with whale sharks is something that most tourists to the Maldives look forward to and the turquoise waters that surround the archipelago certainly won't leave you disappointed. At 18 metres in length, whale sharks are the largest known extant fish species and the largest living non-mammalian vertebrate. With their huge size and wide, terminal mouth, these slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet sharks may appear intimidating at first, but they are the last creatures to cause you any harm underwater. However, it is advisable to maintain your distance if you were lucky enough to spot one.
Similar to the aforementioned whale shark, smaller whitetip reef sharks too are so used to snorkelers and divers that you can share a few lovely and memorable moments with the fascinating creatures without a care in the world. This also treats you to some epic photo opportunities to capture a few bewitching underwater shots. If you happen to spot a whitetip reef shark, you'll immediately notice that there are no other sharks around, as they chase away their competition for its meal — large schools of small fish, especially bony species.
Sharks are one of the most prominent species of marine life found in the waters surrounding the archipelagic nation. The most common species of shark found in the islands of Maldives is the blacktip reef shark. These long snout sharks are easily distinguished with their prominent black tips on their fins, hence, their name, blacktip reef shark. They are fast swimmers and can be found largely in shallow, inshore waters, mostly in large schools.
Oriental sweetlips — also known as Indian Ocean oriental sweetlips and oriental blubber lips — get their name from their large, oddly shaped lips and the fact that they are found only in the oriental part of the Indo-Pacific region. These species of ray-finned fish are quite easy to spot thanks to their contrasting black and blue horizontal bands and the big black spots in the bright yellow background. They are, without a doubt, one of the most colourful and striking species of marine life one could spot in the waters of the Maldives.
Dolphins are undoubtedly one of the most prominent species of fish found in the South Asian islands and can be even spotted from the ground if you are staying at one of the many Maldives beach hotels, including the likes of Cinnamon Velifushi Maldives.
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