Maldives, nature’s one of the best creations, welcomes its tourists to breath taking natural setting comprising of white serene beaches which are surrounded by turquoise lagoons, lush palm trees along with mesmerising coral gardens beneath the Indian ocean. Maldivian Island not only presents you with a refreshing environment to relax along with beautiful natural settings but also with umpteen numbers of water sports and excursions making your Maldives trip all the more exciting. Some of the popular water sports in Maldives are scuba diving, water skiing, parasailing, fishing, surfing, dolphin and whale watching, etc.
The island of Maldives is exceptionally famous for the sport of snorkelling. You are offered with amazing environmental conditions and facilities to make this sport as enjoyable as possible. The island boasts of around 70 different species of colourful coral and more than 700 species of fishes and other aqua marine creatures adding on to the attraction. While snorkelling, you have a glance at the sharks, turtles, and anemones, schools of sweetlips, eels, octopus and rays. And if you go for snorkelling in the late summer and during the fall, you can especially see mantas and whale sharks making for an interesting sight. Other aquatic creatures that you can spot during the sport are Dogtooth Tuna, Tuna, Trevally’s, Jacks, Sweetlips, Butterfly fish, Mating octopus, Wahoo and Fusiliers.
Along with rich flora and fauna, other conditions like high visibility of water are also favourable. The visibility of water is up to 15 - 40 metres (50 - 130 feet). It is best in the months of is best in March and April just prior to the onset of the wet monsoon. Even the temperature of water, on an average, is water temperature is 25°C (77°F) making snorkelling much easier.
The sport of snorkelling presents you with an exceptional opportunity to be close to breath taking marine creatures. It is exciting as well as a refreshing experience. The best place to go for snorkelling is the reefs. The slopes have interesting features like cliffs, terraces and caves adding to the charm of the sport. You can have a look at the differences of coral and other type of marine life with the increase in the depth of the water. The currents of water play an important role in the gathering of the big fish species. Some of the best sites for the sport of snorkelling are Sunlight Thila, Rasfari and the protected marine sanctuary of Kuda Haa. These are shallow enough for the sport. Banana Reef though has strong current can also be good for snorkelling.
Even in snorkelling you have variations to go for as per your preferences. You have various snorkelling trips organised by resorts and hotels. These are half day snorkel trips, full day excursions and night snorkeling trips. Almost all the resort and hotels on the island present their guests with excellent facilities and proper assistance for the sport. Qualified instructors help guests by offering lessons in shallow lagoons or swimming pools. You are provided with equipment like mask, snorkel and fins, etc. The resorts also offer dive boats to take you to sites for snorkeling.