Joanna James
Crystal clear waters, year-round sunshine and coral reefs — they aren’t the only things that make snorkelling in the Maldives exciting, but also the schools of tropical fishes that call the turquoise blue waters home. Hit the alluring tropical blue, where these fascinating creatures await you.
As one of the most abundant species of sharks inhabiting the Indian and Pacific Oceans, including the waters that surround the Maldives, blacktip reef sharks are a frequent sight when snorkelling in the tropical island nation, especially as a species that prefer shallow, inshore waters. As the name suggests, they are best known for their prominent black tips on their fins, which tend to fade as the fish age. Coming from the family Carcharhinidae, the majestic requiem sharks are grey in colour with a white underbelly and have a rather long snout.
The waters that surround the archipelagic nation of Maldives stand to offer a real-life “finding the nemo” experience as clownfish or anemonefish, aka the real-world fish species portrayed in the favoured animated movie, is one of the most commonly found species of fish here in these tropical waters. In fact, there isn’t just one species of clownfish, but thirty, all of which may not be found in the waters of the Maldives, but there are quite a few endemic ones found nowhere else but in the Indian Ocean island nation.
“Oriental” for only being found in the oriental part of the Indo-Pacific region, and “Sweetlips” for its large, fleshy lips, oriental sweetlips is one of the most beautiful species of fish you are bound to find when snorkelling in the Maldives. It is also known as “Indian Ocean” oriental sweetlips for its regional habitation and oriental blubberlips, again for its rather large lips. The striking combination of yellow and blue shades are breathtakingly beautiful, and is undoubtedly a gorgeous sight to witness on your tropical island getaway.
Charmingly quirky with its rather strange lips, a parrotfish or if even more lucky, a school of parrotfish during snorkelling would undoubtedly be your funniest encounter underwater. A sight of a parrotfish is supposedly reminiscent of a parrot, which is how the fish gets its appealing moniker. The beautiful marine creature is known to be a group of about 90 fish species regarded as a family, or a subfamily of the wrasses. If a parrotfish happens to catch your eye, you are bound to find it feeding itself on algae off coral reefs as it is how the species spends most of its life.
If you are wondering how the convict surgeonfish gets its super interesting name, it is said that the sight of the fish is reminiscent of a prisoner. Despite the rather rickety reason behind its moniker, it is a wonderful creature to witness in the waters of the island nation. Get your fill of striking tropical fish and retreat to a fine all inclusive hotel in Maldives the likes of Atmosphere Kanifushi.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
