Buried Treasure! The Hidden Gem of the Maldives
Touching down at London Heathrow Airport, I took a moment to reflect on the incredible two weeks I had just spent on my luxurious Maldives holiday. We all know about the sapphire blue seas, white sand beaches and year round warm weather, but the Maldives has so much more to offer, it has undiscovered treasures, and that’s what I wanted to share with you on this blog article.
Diving is often thought to be the best way to see the true beauty of the Maldives, but as a fairly new diver, I was a little sceptical about going out to sea, for half an hour only reliant on an oxygen tank, a much more daunting task than splashing around the swimming pool, where fresh air was only a few centimetres away. I tried to escape the expedition by saying ‘the place is so beautiful anyway, I don’t need to see anymore’ and in my eyes there was plenty of wildlife to be seen on the land, such as the rare birds and the occasional turtle that ventured onto the beach. However, my husband, a keen diver, ignored my protests and chivvied me onto the boat. After reluctantly boarding, we set off out to sea, and eventually arrived at the spot where we were to plunge under water. Standing on the side of the boat with my back to the drop, I could feel the butterflies in my stomach. We rocked backwards and then crash, we hit the water.
After a few moments of only being able to see white water, I was suddenly astounded as my eyes opened up onto a wonderful plethora of colour, my eyes feasted on the sight. The abundance of tropical fish of every colour of the rainbow glided past my eyes and weaved through the ethereal coral reef as it swayed gently with the movement of the sea. All of my previous anxieties had disappeared; I was completely dumbfounded by the beauty that danced before my eyes. A tap on my shoulder by my husband, woke me from my reverie, he did a big ‘thumbs up’ and even behind the mask I could see his huge grin and I could feel my face as it involuntarily cracked into a huge smile, I couldn’t stop it!
Marine life in the Maldives
We swam amongst the reef, watching the fish as they swam almost entirely ignoring the fact that two humans had just entered their habitat. Then we were both tapped on the shoulder by our guide and asked to swim back to the top where we clambered back onto the boat. It took me a few moments to gather myself before I said to my husband, ‘thank you that was the most amazing experience I have ever had.’
Coral in the Maldives
The underwater world was something that I had never even imagined would be a part of my holiday to the Maldives. I was just there to lie on the beach, read a few books and eat and drink till my heart was content. Our Maldives holiday was a world away from what we expected and I hope you will go to the Maldives and scratch beneath the surface and discover the true beauty of these islands.
Category: Beaches
I would love to see the sea turtles!! Beautiful place to visit .. It is in my list now!!!
They are spectacular, and I would really encourage you to go and see them! Why not visit Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru in the Maldives, where you can help to look after new born turtles, at the turtle conservation center.