Maldives Snorkelling Book Day

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Tim Godfrey Dive Maldives 2   Dive Maldives Sam Harwood   Diving and Snorkeling Maldives Lonely Planet

World Book Day! An apropos time to showcase the top books on snorkelling (and diving) in the Maldives. There are 3 main books on snorkelling (and diving) in the Maldives…

  • Dive Maldives by Tim Godfrey – The original. More focused on scuba diving, but it does highlight which sites are great for snorkelling too.
  • Complete Guide to Diving and Snorkeling the Maldives by Sam Harwood and Rob Bryning – No dive charts like Godfrey features, but Harwood and Bryning do have more information specifically on snorkelling. For example, for every site they indicate not just a star-rating for diving, but also one for snorkelling.
  • Diving & Snorkeling Maldives by Lonely Planet – A relatively recent find, though also out of print. Thinner and less comprehensive that the other two, but a handy guide for the most prominent sites.

All three cover the atolls with the most resorts…

  • North and South Male
  • Ari
  • Felidhoo
  • Lhaviyani
  • Seenu
  • Baa

Lonely Planet and Harwood/Bryning also both cover…

  • Dhaalu
  • Faafu
  • Raa
  • Meemu

But only Harwood/Bryning cover the following atolls…

  • Thaa
  • Kaamu
  • Gaafu (Alifu amd Dhaalu)
  • Noomu
  • Shaviyani
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Stick Your Head Under Water

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David Attenborough

No election is needed to anoint wildlife presenter David Attenborough more than Commentator in Chief of all thing nature. More of an exhaulted grandmaster. His infamous series including ‘Life of Birds’, ‘Frozen Planet’ and of course, ‘The Blue Planet’.

The Blue Planet is as fine a cinematic exploration of the undersea world as you will ever watch. After 60 years of delving into every exotic nook and cranny of our vibrant planet, he shared (thanks Karla) what experience strikes him the most…

“So which spot on the planet would he recommend to give people a chance to enjoy living creatures at their best? The Galápagos with their iguanas? The Amazon rainforest? His answer comes as a surprise. “People say you cannot beat the rainforest. But that is simply not true. You go there and the first thing you think is: where the hell are the birds? Where are the animals? They are hiding in the trees, of course. No, if you want beauty and wildlife, you want a coral reef. Put on a mask and stick your head under the water. The sight is mind-blowing. ‘And that, actually, is still a mystery: why are coral reefs so beautiful and colourful? It is not immediately obvious, though the wildlife is wonderful: shell-less molluscs, crustaceans and shoals of fish that do not give a damn whether you are there or not. Your first trip to a coral reef will be one of the most transforming moments of your life.’ There is, of course, a downside. Coral reefs are now being destroyed at a staggering rate. Some estimates suggest around 600 square miles are lost every year, a rate double that of rainforest destruction. Reefs are dying because ocean waters are being acidified as carbon dioxide levels rise in the atmosphere as a result of human industrial activity.’”

So the best nature experience you can do is a snorkel on the coral reef. And the best place for snorkelling in the world is the Maldives. Simply the best experience in the world.

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Snorkelling Tops Maldives Activities

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Snorkelling survey 1

The votes are in! And, standing on a platform of dazzling views and enchanting creatures, the winner is ‘Snorkelling’.

In a recent “Maldives Visitor Survey 2011”, Snorkelling was listed as the ‘Activity Most Enjoyed’ by a landslide with 40% of the votes. People often think of the Maldives as a dive haven, and certainly the two are related, but Snorkeling was cited nearly twice a highly as Diving (17%…which was the #2 activity).

A landslide vote of confidence for the greatest snorkelling on Earth.

 

Snorkelling survey 2

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Snorkel Safari Alternative Big-5s

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Scorpion Fish attacks Octopus

Lions and Tigers and Bears…oh my!

There are all types of ‘Big 5’ possibilities for types of ‘Snorkel Safaris’. The TripAdvisor Maldives Forum discussed this subject a while back where I proposed the following added ‘Big Five’ lists…

Rare (for snorkelling) Big 5…

  1. Whale
  2. Seahorse
  3. Cuttle fish
  4. Manta
  5. Dolphin

Mini Big 5

  1. Nudibranch
  2. Anemone Fish
  3. Christmas Tree Worm
  4. Sand Eels
  5. Cleaner Shrimp

Camouflage Big 5 (for the eagle-eyed Where’s Wally fans)

  1. Stone Fish
  2. Leaf Fish
  3. Octopus
  4. Scorpion Fish
  5. Frog Fish

One I thought of since would be a ‘Namesake Safari’. Not the biggest nor most prominent sea creatures, but the ones who by name most evoke a ‘safari’…

  1. Lion Fish
  2. Leopard Moray
  3. Tiger Shark
  4. Zebra Shark
  5. Elephant Ear Mushroom Coral

And in a safari, one of the most prized events you can catch is a ‘kill’. Some predator like a lion or leopard catching a gazelle or water buffalo. I would say that in Snorkel Safaris spotting such an occurrence is even rarer, but the YouTube video (see above) of ‘Scorpion Fish Eats Octopus’ is an epic example of what might be dubbed the ‘Battle of the Camouflage.’

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Snorkelling Certification

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PADI Snorkeling Certification

If the Maldives has the best snorkelling in the world, then why not the best snorkelers in the world. Perhaps the most unsung PADI course of all is its “PADI Skin Diver” certification which teaches basic skills of snorkelling. Most guests heading to the diver centres are mostly the hard core divers, though many dive centres do coordinate snorkel safaris and manage the snorkelling gear.

The PADI web page describes the course…

“The PADI Skin Diver certification helps you get – and keep – your fins wet. While snorkelling is limited to peering down from the surface, skin divers generally venture further than snorkelers, making frequent surface dives to interact with aquatic life, up close and personal. The course provides basic information on skin diving equipment, dive science, the environment, problem management and safe skin diving practices. Inwater training includes various techniques for donning and adjusting equipment, entering the water, checking buoyancy, surface swimming, clearing water from your snorkel and performing effortless surface dives.To enroll in the PADI Skin Diver course, you must be at least eight years old [and] comfortable in the water…And, when you’ve finished the course, you’ll get a PADI Skin Diver certification card for your efforts and be ready for your next adventure. The PADI Skin Diver course teaches you to use basic snorkelling equipment including a mask, snorkel, fins, buoyancy control device (BCD), exposure protection like a wet suit and dive weights as needed.”

I think that this would be a great activity for family with young children (over 8) to all do together and help acquaint them with some of the finer points of this signature Maldives activity. It would help them to get even more out of their entire stay.

I was introduced to the course by Vakarafalhi, but many other resorts offer the programme such as Kandooma, W Retreat, Hyatt, Conrad Rangali, Sheraton Maldives, Dusit Thani to name a few.

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Best of the Maldives: Snorkel Guide – Vakarufalhi

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Vakarufalhi snorkel guide Tania

No matter how good you are at something, a local expert and guide is always a sound move.

My wife and I do most of our skiing (I snow board) with our best friends who happened to meet as ski instructors. We tag along to which ever of their favourite European slopes catches their fancy this season. Having such experts along transforms the experience. The stress is halved and the excitement is doubled. The stress is cut because you don’t have to worry about getting lost, or going somewhere over your capability. The excitement is doubled because they introduce you to places literally of the beaten path and point out things that you probably would have missed focusing on where you were going.

Those same slope benefits are the reason to grab a snorkel guide at a resort whenever you have the opportunity. My wife and I are advanced divers and have snorkelled over 100 times, but we still benefit from having a local expert show us around. In and among all those guided outings, the guides have all been superb. But we have never come across a guide quite so enthusiastic and proactive as Tania Gae Militello, the marine biologist at Vakaufalhi.

The fact that she holds daily routine guided excursions on the house reef is a key and relatively uncommon at resorts. Other resorts either have the marine biologist on demand or else they have periodic guided excursions. Her regular excursions mean that you can simply work it into your daily routine. You don’t have to feel self-conscious about asking for a guide as she is going anyway. She will also do special excursions to suit you for free as well (schedule permitting).

We took advantage of this ad hoc offer to do a sunrise snorkel (on the wise advice of TripAdvisor Destination Expert ActiveGirl) where we saw tons of sights. Lots of stuff we would have missed if it wasn’t for her trained eye as well as knowledge of the local seascape and knowing where the interesting critters tend to congregate.

One of the best examples is a loggerhead sea turtle named Camilla. She has a favourite resting space on the house reef drop-off ledge about 3 metres deep. Tania showed her to us. More importantly, without any provocation or disturbing her, Camilla popped out and came for a swim with our group when she saw that Tania had arrived. Camilla seemed to recognize Tania and seemed very comfortable around her (no, Camilla does not do any feeding of marine life whatsoever). As close to a guaranteed turtle sighting as you wil get.

As I mentioned at the top, a guide also allows you to push yourself further than you might. When we did our morning snorkel, Tania took us around the further house reef side…and a storm squall came in about 30 minutes into our venture. Normally, I would have been quite spooked being a good distance from shore with a dark, windy sky. But, Tania knew that we were strong swimmers and we were going with the current towards the jetty and reassured us that everything would be fine. When the squall (aka mini-monsoon) hit us, aside from some swells in the ocean and the tickle of rain on our back, the snorkel was as delightful as any. As a result, we were rewarded with some memorable sights we would have missed without her support.

She also took a number of videos and pictures on both of outings with us and loaded them onto a USB stick for us so we could have them.

Tania is passionate not just about the undersea world, but also about the snorkelling itself and makes it even more accessible and thrilling at Vakarufalhi.

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Best Snorkelling in the World

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Snorkelling Four Seasons

Is the Maldives the best snorkelling in the world?

The debate rages in the diver community about the best diving in the world. A number of clear criteria are considered…

  • Clarity of water
  • Quantity and diversity of fish (including ‘Big 5’ and ‘Little 5’)
  • Quantity and diversity of coral

The top ten areas regularly includes the Maldives along with the likes of the Red Sea, the Great Barrier Reef, Cayman Islands, Indonesia.

But what would be the criteria for the best snorkelling and which areas would prevail?

First of all, the basic dive criteria would be a foundation and all would apply equally as well for snorkelling. But snorkelling requires more considerations…

  • Shallowness, low current
  • Easy access to shore (so you can just jump in…no boat trips needed)
  • Warm water (so you can just go in your swimsuit…no wetsuits)

I am surprised how little the topic is discussed in online forums and magazine articles. When it has been reviewed, the treatments seem shallower than a coral cropping at low tide. For example, Costal Living did the piece ’10 top spots to snorkel’ but only covered North America in its selections.  This Forbes piece ‘World’s Top Snorkeling Spots’ is one of the best lists I have seen, but there is little accompanying text and the entire Indian Ocean is conspicously absent.  The Island magazine piece on ‘World 23 Best Islands for Snorkeling’ is the most comprehensive and includes the Maldives, but its singling out Veligandu would be hotly debated by many (my own research seems to point more to Kandoludhoo).

While Maldives is renowned for romance (top honeymoon spot) and diving, I think it really makes a strong case for being one of the top snorkelling destinations in the world. The atoll topography is just right for ideal snorkelling and ‘house reef’ conditions. Most ‘house reefs’ offer a stunning snorkel experience just meters from your beach villa (unlike the Great Barrier Reef which usually requires a boat ride). The waters are warm (unlike the Red Seas which requires a wet suit to be comfortable). I am more of a Maldives expert than a worldwide snorkelling expert, but most of the divers and divemasters that I meet in the Maldives who have themselves snorkelled around the world, tend to concur with my bold conjecture. Certainly, it warrants a place on anyone’s top 10.

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Great House Reefs

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Maldives House Reefs

One of the first questions a true Maldives aficionado asks of a resort is ‘How good is the House Reef?’

When I first heard the advice to seek out the best house reef, I didn’t even know what a house reef was. We arrived at Laguna Beach (the resort that preceded Velassaru) and spent our days snorkelling around the coral croppings in the sandy lagoon. Then on an excursion to Bolifushi (soon to be Jumeirah Vittaveli), we went ‘over the edge’ and our hearts nearly leapt out of our snorkels. It is a truly dramatic experience to go from a few feet of water to a vast open expanse with a wall peppered with colourful coral and schools of tropical fish.

When I visited Vadoo, I got into a discussion with Assistant GM Alex Kovacs about great house reefs. Alex was proudly and valiantly making the case that Vadoo’s was one of if not ‘the’ best house reef in the Maldives’. My wife and I had to have a go with that kind of endorsement and can attest that it is a thoroughly fine experience. I would call it a first class house reef, but I balked at his claim that it was ‘the best’. I’ve covered ‘house reefs’ before including ‘Best House Reef’ (based on TA research), ‘Best House Reef Drop-Off’, and ‘Closest House Reef’.

He then challenged me, what makes a ‘great house reef’? I had some immediate responses, but it subsequently made me reflect on what it the characteristics really were. I came up with the following proposed list of criteria…

  • Drop-off (minimum 20 metre drop off)
  • Access (maximum 30 metres from shore to drop off)
  • Quantity and diversity of fish (especially ‘Little Five’)
  • Quantity and diversity of coral
  • Length
  • Low current (typically on the ‘inner atoll’ side of the island)
  • Warm water (this is a given in the Maldives and many tropical destinations, but not a guarantee at other snorkel spots around the world)
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Snorkel Safari ‘Big 5’

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Whale Shark snorkeling

When our family went on safari in Kruger National Park, the various resorts used to brag about how rich their park was by referencing the ‘Big Five’…

  • Lion
  • Elephant
  • Rhino
  • Leopard
  • Water Buffalo

The ‘Big 5’ represented the ‘main events’ on safari. Yes, the colourful birds, curious critters, adorable primates were all wonderful to behold, but these Big 5 had a certain cachet and thrill. It became a bit of a signature to a great safari to see all five.

That Big 5 tradition made me think that ‘snorkelling’ ought to have its own ‘Big 5’. Most snorkelling excursions are dubbed ‘Snorkel Safaris’ anyway. After a decade of snorkelling, there certainly are certain creatures that spark a real enthusiasm. An acid test of distinction is whether you shout out to perfect strangers swimming near by, ‘hey, check this out!’

But actually, on reflection, they break into two groups – treats and rarities. The ‘treats’ are the ones that you would pretty much hope or even expect to see at least one of on any good snorkel…but are still a special treat. The ‘rarities’ are the ones that one hardly ever sees snorkelling, but can especially if one seeks them out.

First the basic ‘treats’ that I would dub the ‘Little 5’. Most of these are fairly common in good snorkelling sites. For one reason or another they always bring a little smile and the dive camera comes out…

  • Shark
  • Turtle
  • Ray
  • Moray
  • Lion Fish

And the more exciting rarities which are the true ‘Big 5’ and the encounters that you will talk about in the bar would include…

  • Octopus
  • Scorpion Fish
  • Dolphin
  • Manta
  • Whale Shark

This list is a distinctly Indian Ocean / Maldives list. In the same way that the ‘Big 5’ was distinctly ‘African’. Tigers, orangatangs, and sloths would certainly figure into any one’s top aspirations in Asia jungles. Similarly, the dugongs of Australia, water snakes of Indonesia and seashores of Europe and America make for special occasions in those locales.

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