Maldives Travel Pictures

The Maldives are a tropical island paradise, with picture-postcard, impossibly-brilliant turquoise sea, fine white sand beaches and sensational marine life.

Travel to the Maldives for some amazing snorkeling and diving. Dives here are mostly drift dives and there can be some strong currents. I'd recommend not wasting time to learn diving here, come prepared with your certificate. Compared to the Red Sea there is less coral but more colourful fish. I encountered Dolphin (in the water!), shark, Giant Stingray, Eagleray, Stonefish, Moray Eel, so many yellow striped Snappers and Lionfish and whatnot.

The Maldives are brilliant to unwind, being very laid back, no discos, no animation, no nightlife. You can take off your shoes when your arrive and put them on when you leave, keeping just sand under your feet for your entire stay. Coming into contact with the locals is difficult. The tourist islands are small and self-contained, the personnel are mostly men from the islands themselves, Bangladesh and other countries. Travel to the capital Male is not usually on the program. These pictures are from a tour of Velidhu Island on the Ari Atoll. I recommend it because it has a riff for snorkeling right at the beach so you can explore with your mask anytime you like, day or night: on some islands the riff is way out so you need a boat to take you there. I did my PADI Advanced diving certificate there and the night dive was quite an adventure, taking place right in the middle of a storm.

Sunrise over the Indian Ocean

This is like a dream. The Maldive Islands continue for miles, just like giant beautiful bacterial colonies in the Indian Ocean

Landing on the "airport island". The other island with buildings is Male, the capital

This seaplane flew from Male to Velidhu Island in the Ari Atoll

Reefs lined up in the brilliantly turquoise blue water

"The Beach"

Dream Beach on Velidhu

Sunset Sky

The setting sun over a neighbouring island

Velidhu Island at dusk

A chameleon on the island

There are many funny hermit crabs on the beach

Does anyone have a clue what this is?

Yellow 

Idyllic native Island

Fishing bird

Local boats called Dhonis have a very characteristic look

Dhoni used for diving

Crab walking on Coral amidst shells

Maldives is a honeymoon destination. The hotel personnel puts a lot of effort into the beautiful decoration

Street name in Male, capital of the Maldives. The Maldivian script is unique.

Maldivians are Muslims. Here are some kids playing in a Male park

Continue on to my underwater pictures of the Maldives