Four hundred kilometres southwest of India in the Laccadive Sea lies the tropical island nation of the Maldives, built up of 26 atolls consisting of over a thousand islands. With an average ground level of just 1.5 metres above sea level, the Maldives is the lowest country on Earth. Reefs of both dead and living corals form a natural barrier to the waves of the ocean around most of the nation. These ecological features have made the Maldives home to over 2000 different marine species.
There happens to be many Maldives beach resort options available for tourists looking for a place to stay just a short speedboat transfer away from the Male International Airport. Once you’ve touched down and checked into your hotel, you can then begin to explore the vast marine life beyond the surrounding crystal shores through the numerous recreational facilities provided for by the resorts in the area, such as Anantara Dhigu Maldives Resort.
There are two types of coral reef, the hard and the soft corals. The hard corals are easier to note as they have a skeleton upon which more coral can grow, while the soft corals don’t have such skeletons but live on the ocean floor.
The waters surrounding the Maldives are home to several different kinds of colourful fish. There are the smaller types that you would most likely wish to fill an aquarium, such as the angelfish, clownfish and parrotfish. The blue-lined snapper and long-nose hawkfish are examples of the larger fish that can be seen through these clear waters. However, even bigger is one of the most fearful predators of the ocean, the lonesome barracuda. On the contrary, friendly sea creatures such as the green sea turtle and dolphins are a more welcoming sight to those interested in engaging with the local marine life.
The waters of the Maldives have many neighbourhoods with different marine creatures, due to the diversity of marine life to be found in this island nation and each species’ own varied lifestyle, appetite and habitat.
Maggie Tulliver is a passionate travel writer. Her field of writing covers a wide array of content and articles related to travel and hospitality industry. Google+
