Sleeping with the Fishes
 
 

 

Note: this is a highly abbreviated report.  Not much to say, but some nice pictures to share.

 

The Maldives are normally thought of as a destination for honeymooners or possibly scuba divers, but I am neither.  Still, it is a UN member country so I need to check it off my list.  And I shouldn’t tarry, as Saint Greta and the global warming brigade warn that any week now it will be submerged neath the rising oceans.  Due to a dearth of land-based sights or activities I sign up for liveaboard boat offering six days of snorkeling its world-famous reefs.

 

The country consists of some 1200 islets arrayed into 26 atolls in a double string in the Indian Ocean.  The configuration is clearly visible from the plane.

                 

 

 

There are about half a million inhabitants, of which about a quarter are crammed into the two square miles of the capital, Male.  (The airport is on an adjacent island.). 

The historic mosque, built of coral stone with a thatched roof, dates from the 17th century.


 

There are a couple dozen modern mosques, a fish market, houses, shops, and not much else.  A few hours stroll is enough to see it all.

 

My home for the rest of the week is the 14 passenger wooden Sea Farer. Not luxurious, but the food is good.

                 

 

There are a variety of other boats catering to differing tastes and budgets.

 

The economy consists of fishing and tourism.  The vast majority of visitors stay in self-contained overwater bungalows.

 

The country is 100% Muslim, and very conservative.  Local bathers have no need for expensive imported creams to protect their skin against overexposure to the sun, but, should you prefer to don non-compliant swimwear, there are “bikini beaches” walled off by visual barriers to protect their eyesight from overexposure to western flesh.

                 

 

The Maldivian language, when transliterated, produces long similar-sounding names. (Look at the atoll names in the map above.)

 

The characters in written language all look the same.


 

And speaking of sameness, the weather forecast doesn’t vary much.

 

 

The real show is underwater.  It’s like swimming in an aquarium.

                 

 

I have my waterproof GoPro, but a shipmate has a newer model with wireless upload.  His photos came in first (I needed to get home to download) and are different, so I have taken the liberty of interspersing them with mine. (Photo credits: Raphael Stiglitz)

                 

 

                 

 

                 

 

                 

 

                 

 

                 

 

                 

 

 Most evenings offer a colorful sunset. A highlight is swimming with the sharks.  These are nurse sharks, who have been instructed to restrict themselves to the fish the crew tosses overboard rather than chowing down on the tourists.   That's it. Time to say adios, or, as they say in Maldivian, dhanee.  

Trip date: November, December 2023

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