Diving In The Kudahuvadhoo Channel, Maldives

 

 

Diving In The Kudahuvadhoo Channel, Maldives

The Maldives is a chain of 26 coral atolls (large groups of islands) that extend over 750 km of the Indian Ocean, to just south of the equator.
Of the 1192 islands in total, only about 290 are inhabited.
The atolls are surrounded by coral islands, spread over an area of 90,000 square kilometres, which means that over 99% of the Maldives is underwater.

There are about 150 resorts in the Maldives, ranging from the very comfortable to the super luxurious.
Each resort was designed in a unique architectural style, and the surrounding coral reefs offer different diving experiences.

Sport fishing is allowed in the Maldives, but the remoteness of these tropical waters means that the ocean is not overfished and that the coral reefs have a chance to grow.

Each dive site offers a different coral rock formation, and different breeds of fish make each area their home.
The dive sites are named by their underwater formation.
For example, you might visit a dive site that is called: “Vilamendhoo Thila” or “Enbudhoo Faru.”

The first word is the location, and the second word is a term that describes the underwater formation.
Here is a short explanation of the terms:

Atoll House Reef: derived from the word atolhu, a ring-shaped coral reef that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.

Thila: an underwater mountain or a pinnacle, which is completely submerged.

Giri: is similar to a Thila, but the top of these coral patches often extends close to the surface, or may even be exposed during low tide.

Faru: a small atoll with reefs extending above the surface, often in a horseshoe shape.

In the week that we spent in the Riu Palace, I saw a variety of sharks, small turtles feeding on the live coral, and sting rays flying in the deep blue like giant dinosaur birds, flapping in the sky.

The guests in the Riu Palace resort were mostly people from Russia and the Ukraine.
Covid or not, they made their way here to enjoy this popular destination.
The women wore the latest bathing suit fashions, with see-through flowing coverups.
Not many people were diving.
The majority came to dine, drink the unlimited alcohol included at this all inclusive resort, and rest by the beautiful beach.

Before leaving to take the seaplane to our next resort, we had to do another covid test, administered at the resort clinic.
The results came back in one day and were negative, so we could fly to the next resort without an issue.

While we were here, we nearly forgot that the world is still gripped by the claws of a pandemic.
We were only required to wear masks while selecting our food inside the buffet restaurant, and inside the reception area.
The rest of the time we spent outdoors in a most relaxed and enjoyable way.

Our next resort was older, and was designed in a more traditional island wooden architecture.
I will write again to describe this resort soon.
Meantime, I am adding more photos from the underwater corals.

With love and blessings,
Tali