Clear blue sea amidst atolls of Maldives : Travel Ideas

Advantage of window seat is the views upon take off and landing

With Airasia commencing direct flight from Kuala Lumpur to Male in Maldives again, it is not difficult to pick a beach & sea vacation in Maldives’ small atolls. Maldives are trickled with atolls with reefs, mainly divided into north and south atolls. Days are hot and humid, with mainly clear blue sky in April. Although the wind does blow through cloud that pours rain on and off through the day and night.

Most visitors arrive via the small & packed Velana International Airport located at Hulhule island which is also an extension on reclaimed land from Male island. Coming down from the airplane, you are immediately soaked in sweat in the hot & humid weather even late at night. The airport is pretty small & compact, but able to cater to quite a number of flights. Coming out from the arrival areas, visitors are greeted with hotel representatives. If you missed yours, there are always the hotel booths to look for assistance.

Ferry terminal is just next to airport, literally a 2 minutes’ walk under the canopy

Linked ferry terminal for snorkelling trips are also nearby. Beautiful colour on a hot day

The biggest island of Male has a population of approximately 250,000, mainly consisting of 5 islands ie Hulhule, Hulhumale, Vilimale, Gulhifalhu and Thilafushi.

Upon landing and coming out from the airport (it was pretty dark by the time we arrived, hence we only managed to see the views the next day), it is easy to spot the busy ferry terminal just next to the airport and the pretty Sinamale Bridge (previously known as the China-Maldives friendship bridge). The airport is surrounded by sea and my own experience flying in made me feel like we have just glided through the seawater and had to quickly step on the brake to stop along the seemingly short airport runway.

Maldives has mostly new infrastructures and buildings, and the I love the way they have decorated the tiles on the walls. Beautiful.

Sandbanks are a nice short stop before going for snorkelling, but during hot days, be prepared with sunglasses and lots of sunscreen. Many visitors are bound to take lots of photos at the sandbanks with clear blue (or green) water at the bottom and blue sky dotted with beautiful white clouds.

Views of the vast sea enroute to sandbank. The hues of blue is often changing as the speedboat brings you along

Clear water while walking (or swimming) from the boat to sandbank

Snorkelling in the hues of blue is pretty easy with clear views underwater. There are fishes everywhere, and colourful ones too. Stringrays are pretty huge but they are not shy to come over. It feels a little squishy for them to be so near you and touching you while your face is just next to them. A little scary actually…

Still pictures from the go-pro while snorkelling

Huge and squishy. A little scary for me.

Although there are plenty of fishes, the corals and reefs are not doing well at all. These are mostly dead, washing ashore many of the beaches. Hence, swimming along the beaches may not be so comfortable with all the dead reefs and corals poking at your feet. The rising temperature since the 1990s has contributed significantly to the bleaching event in Maldives coral reefs (increase in water temperature resulting in the coral expelling the living algae in the tissues which resulted in the coral reefs turning white). With the climate changing, the continuous reclamation and significant increase in tourist activities, I am not too sure how sustainable the nature’s beauty will continue to stay on.