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THE MAGAZINE OF ESCALE MALDIVES. WWW.ESCALEMALDIVES.COM
2011 ISSUE | FREE
BLUE, BLUER THAN BLUE THE TWO WORLDS OF FELIVARU KANDU GREAT NORTH MALE’ ATOLL SURF TRAIL HIDDEN CORALREEFS ANATOMY OF AN UNDERWATER PHOTOSHOOT THE DANCING SHORELINE
SNORKELLERS’ GUIDE TO REEF FISHES No.1 Travel Magazine in the Maldives. Get the latest information, updates and more on Maldives.
MADOOGALI MALDIVES Simply The Maldives
An exceptionally charming island with the ideal “Maldives holiday� atmosphere, Madoogali Maldives is full of lush vegetation and swaying coconut palms along with a soft and fine sandy white beach around it.
Madoogali Maldives, North Ari Atoll Tel: + 960 6660581, Fax: +960 6660554 Email: info@madoogalimaldives.com, web: www.madoogalimaldives.com
in this issue 28
34
74
Destinations COCO PALM DHUNI KOLHU - BENEATH 20 A MILLION STARS Winner of the 2010 World Travel Awards as Maldives Leading Resort, Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu never ceased to seduce tourists.
28
UTHEEMU
An island that guards the home of the Maldives’ most renowned hero.
34 THE GREAT NORTH MALE’ ATOLL SURF TRAIL Tidbits from a Surf Journal - A surfer’s passion reveals the best surf breaks around capital Male’.
CAPTAIN MORESBY AND HIS MYSTERI42 OUS IRON BAR IN THINADHOO History and mystery combines to talk about one of the most flourishing islands in Southern Maldives.
Environment - AN OVERLOOKED 48 MANGROVES HABITAT
A close-up of mangroves reveals the complexity and specificities of the habitat.
6
DISCOVERMALDIVES | 2011 ISSUE
Features THE ENVIRONMENT NEED MAN54 DOES AGEMENT?
82
Highlighting on the coral reef’s fragility, Dr. Reinhard Kikinger provides recommendations for maintaining coral reefs.
SHEDDING NEW LIGHT ON THE REEF UNDERWATER FLUORESCENCE Fascinating facts on underwater fluorescence with regard marine beneath the waters.
SNORKELLERS’ GUIDE TO REEF FISHES
LOBSTERS, WILL THEY BE HERE 60 FOREVER?
86
OF MALDIVIAN CORAL 64 ASSESSMENT REEFS IN 2009 AFTER SEVERAL NATURAL DISASTERS
EXCAVATORS - SECRET ARM OF THE 92 MALDIVES
A brief account on managing lobster catch and its do’s and don’ts.
Dr. Norman Quinn examines a commonly accepted group of biological indicators of coral reef health from lagoons and shallow reefs.
IT’S RAINING PLASTIC BAGS
70 A coral reef & waste awareness
workshop conducted with Nature Club school kids of Thaajuddeen School.
BLUE, BLUER THAN BLUE
74 Hues of blues found within the
Maldivian landscapes and what it means to each individual.
DO WE DO NOW? 80 WHAT Local artist Abcy talks about how his singing career began and evolved to talk about the environment.
Part I of common reef fishes dwelling on the Maldivian reefs, focusing on their typical characteristics and life habits.
Giant machines transforming the local landscape that has become a new necessity in development.
96
THE DANCING SHORELINE
An amazing phenomenon explains why and how the shape of an island changes seasonally.
SMALL ISLANDS 102VERY Little spots of paradise that make up the Maldives, admired by local and foreigners alike.
ScubaDiving
THE TWO WORLDS OF FELIVARU 108KANDU
Escale Maldives explores one of the most famous wrecks in the Maldives, a marvel beneath the sea.
Designed reefs created by Water Solutions are sustainable, because we use environmentally friendly technology and methods which do not damage the existing corals of an island’s reef. To find more information about artificial reefs, contact us.
water-solutions.biz
in this issue 132
128 116 MALDIVES BOAT DIVING TIPS 116ESCALE What you should know when you dive
136
DISTRIBUTION
from boats in the Maldives.
HIDDEN CORAL REEFS - THE GARDENS 122BENEATH THE WATER
Reefs that are hidden beneath the blue water can provide unbelievable diving experience.
ANATOMY OF AN UNDERWATER PHOTO SHOOT 128Two divers give an account of close en-
TravelDiary 132 A FEW HOURS TO KILL IN ADDU
Narration of a brief stop in Addu Atoll, by a first time visitor.
SEA PLANES, VANS AND DINGHIES 136 A DAY TRIP TO EXPLORE LAAMU ATOLL
A day trip to Laamu Atoll becomes an adventure with the modes of transportation.
Agenda UPDATES
140 Development news from around the
Maldives. Stay informed about newly developed hotels in the Maldives and resorts openings.
REVIEWS 146Reviews of Books, Maps and DVD’s on Maldives.
8
DISCOVERMALDIVES | 2011 ISSUE
ON THE COVER
Snorkelling in South Male’ Atoll. Photo : Muha / muhaphotos.com
ON ASSIGNMENT
counters during an underwater photographic mission.
Atoll Images photo crew on assignment in Gaafu Dhaalu atoll.
Singapore Un’noun 181 Orchard Central #02-26/27 Orchard Central, Singapore Sea & Sea Underwater Camera Equipment 1 Coleman Street #02-13 The Adelphi Singapore Sun Media 20 Kramat Lane #01-02 United House Singapore 228773 China 16E NO.1 Heng Fu Building, NO.288 Heng Fu Road, Yue Xiu district, Guangzhou, China If you would like to distribute DISCOVER MALDIVES, Please contact info@escalemaldives.com
Most people think that Maldives is all about expensive holiday resorts.
Pariticipants of Miss France 2011 arrival to Maldives.
Silver Award winning photo from Mohamed Misbah Jamyl (15yrs) from National Center for Child’s Culture Awards, Egypt.
There are some people who come to the Maldives and never check where this small island nation actually lies on the world map. Then there are others, who search through all available literature about Maldives and come well-informed, just to be surprised that things can be completely different than they have expected. And after all, there are those repeat guests who know how things are in the Maldives, who have explored a bit of local life and of course, a lot of underwater life beneath the skyblue seas. No matter to which group YOU, dear reader, belong to, the second edition of “Discover Maldives” will undoubtedly let you discover more – more of the life over water and more of the underwater treasures of this island nation. Since the last issue of the magazine, the Maldives have received great attention from the rest of the world by drafting plans of the small country becoming carbon-neutral. It all began in late 2009, when the world’s first cabinet meeting was held under water, by President Mohamed Nasheed and his ministers, followed by the climate change talks in Copenhagen (COP15), where he was often praised as the “Global President” for urging industrial nations to cut down their carbon emissions to 350 ppm. Therefore, even if you belong to the group of people who have never paid much attention to the Maldives, this magazine will convince you that the Maldives have more to offer than being just a high-end tourist destination for honeymooners. Discover Maldives ensures its presence at important events that make the Maldives today, such as the Miss France 2011, in November 2010. In fact, the Maldives tell a story of a 2500-years-old history of permanent settlement on coral islands which have evolved for the last 4500 – 5000 years. This magazine gives you an insight into a broad range of environmental and cultural information, the latter now also being presented in the recently refurbished and re-opened National Museum in Male’. Happy reading!
n a y i v a Z u Meem
DISCOVER MALDIVES Registered at Maldives Issue 2, 2011 Published by: Atoll Images Ma.Shah, Dhidhi goalhi, Male, Maldives T +960 334 1643 F +960 333 1643 Web: www.atoll-images.com Email:info@atoll-images.com EDITORIAL Editor: Mohamed Zahir | editor@escalemaldives.com Editorial Consultant: Hassan Shah Travel Consultant: Andhu | info@escalemaldives.com PRODUCTION & ADVERTISING Production: Ahmed Fazeel | Fazeel@water-solutions.biz Marketing: Zeeniya | marketing@water-solutions.biz Design and Layout : Abbu | abbu@water-solutionz.biz Accounts : Aravind | aravind@water-solutions.biz
MAPS AND CHARTS by WATER SOLUTIONS Farhath Jameel | farey@water-solutions.biz Hamdhulla Shakeeb | hamdhulla@water-solutions.biz Mohamed Riyaz | riya@water-solutions.biz Abdulla Jameel | ablo@water-solutions.biz LOGISTICS & DIVE OPERATIONS Hussain Mohamed | hussain@water-solutions.biz
DISCOVER MALDIVES is the annual magazine of Escale Maldives, your travel partner in Maldives. Visit www.escalemaldives.com to book your next holiday in Maldives DISCOVER MALDIVES is published by Atoll Images, www.atoll-images.com. Atoll Images is a full subsidiary of Water Solutions Pvt.Ltd and was created with the objective of informing, educating and creating awareness through visual media. Atoll Images publishes, books, magazines, maps and other visual media on various subjects. All letters to the editor should be sent to editor@escalemaldives.coom
All contents of the article is the sole responsibility of the author. The author bears responsibility for the contents of the article.
i
ADVERTISING RATES To advertise on the magazine, please contact info@escalemaldives.com CONTRIBUTIONS Please send in your comments, contributions and letters to the editor to: editor@escalemaldives.com * MTPB logo used with thier permission.
SEND IN YOUR PHOTOS! Send in you photographs taken with DISCOVER MALDIVES. The best photo selected will be published in the next issue and the winner will receive a DISCOVER MALDIVES T-Shirt.
www.escalemaldives.com Terms & Conditions for Escale Maldives Adventure Diving Challenge. (See page 135): Free holiday begins from Male’ only and are non transferable and there is no cash alternative. Escale Maldives reserves the right to substitute the price for one of greater or equal value. Return transfer provided from Male’ only. Accomodation and all meals included, extras not included. Employess, relatives and agents of Escale Maldives, Water Solutions and Island Projects are ineligible to enter. Competition open for locals and foriegners starting from 1st January 2011. Once found, winner must bring the board to Escale Maldives office in Male’. Package subject to availability of rooms in the resort. Winner must travel within 3 months of winning. Escale Maldives cannot be held responsible for any injury caused during the search diving. Remember to get proper diving certification from an approved institution before undertaking any scuba diving and always follow safe diving protocols and never dive alone. The board will be located within a radius of 5-10 metres from the GPS coordinates. Winner must notify to info@escalemaldives.com.
contributors Ahmed Jameel (AJ) is an Environmental Engineer and has many years of experience in environmental management and particularly in GIS and disaster risk. AJ has authored many papers for international conferences and seminars. AJ’s involvement with various government and private sector projects have established very good links with the island community and the private sector. His personal interests include snorkelling, travelling, photography, geography and writing.
Ahmed Abdul Majeed (Ahmed)
Ahmed is a travel enthusiast and his passion for visiting new places has infused some articles with the local flavour. With a background in tourism studies and teaching French as a foreing language, he is currently working with the Escale Team and has been contributing to develop the Discover Maldives magazine in all its stages. Recently he started diving and is currently enjoying his new found hobby.
Amooo is an Environmental consultant and a keen photographer. Has good knowledge of the Maldives, especially the outer islands. Personal interests include snorkelling, diving, particularly exploring new dive sites, travelling, photography, watching movies, geography, writing, and spending time with family.
Mohamed Riyaz is a surveyor and an award winning photographer presently working for Water Solutions. He has undertaken more than 50 hydrographic and topographic surveys and enjoys photography and traveling. He has captured images from all corners of Maldives.
Ulrike Kloiber, MSc
Mohamed Mazin is a surveyor who worked in Water Solutions until August 2010. He has undertaken more than 50 hydrographic and topographic surveys and enjoys photography and travelling. He is also a keen photographer collecting images from all corners of Maldives.
Hilath Rasheed is a self-employed freelance journalist, writer and public relations manager. He is an editor of the Eydhafushi Times.
Hussain Rifaa is a divemaster and the SCUBA diving consultant for Escale Maldives. He has over 8 years of diving experience and logged more than two thousand dives. He works six months a year on liveaboards and the rest based in Male’. He is very familiar with South Male’ and Ari atoll dive sites. His knowledge and experience is continuously used by Escale Maldives for their activities, including organizing diving tours and exploration dives.
Verena Wiesbauer Ali, MSc. is a marine biologist specialized in a combination of tourism & marine biology, as well as coral propagation such as setting up coral nurseries and artificial reefs. Presently she is working for Water Solutions and leading the marine biology research. She has co-authored the book “Dangerous Marine Animals”, published in 2009 by Atoll Images.
is a marine biologist and has been working in Huvafen Fushi, Maldives, from 2007 - 2010.
Special Thanks to;
Hassan Shah
Ibu (Surfer), Azzu (Colour Profile), Coco Palm Resorts Kate Wilson, Hussain Mufeed -Herathere Resort Murray (Equator Village), Bakuru-Kaimoo Hotels & resorts Abdul Rasheed Ali (Abcy), Dara Ahmed Rasheed Sendi, Muha, Dhon Didi (laatuge) Andulla Ali - Regional Manager Water Solutions Huvadhoo Branch, Chris - Meradhoo, Iyaz - Hoadehdhoo Counsellor, Havaru Speed Boat, Aima, Konotta Resort, Thinadhoo Faana Koshi, Kaadehdhoo Airport Staff, Zahir - Gdh. Thinadhoo Counsellor Aminath Jameel - North Province Office, Upper South Province Office, Constance Moofushi Resort, EON Resorts, Ahmed Fayaz
has a background in environmental sciences and has undertaken several environmental projects for both government and the private sector. He is a keen SCUBA diver.
Dr. Reinhard Kikinger, PhD Thorif Waheed Dr. Norman Quinn, PhD is a Marine Ecologist from the USA and worked at the Marine Research Centre, Maldives from 2008-2009. He is currently back in his home country, the US Virgin Islands.
is an adventure SCUBA diver. He continues his exploration with Escale Maldives SCUBA diving team and continuously is on the look for new and exciting dive sites.
is a senior biologist at the Kuramathi Bio Station (www.kuramathi.com) and co-author of the book “Dangerous Marine Animals”. In Europe he lectures at universities in Austria about coral reefs and about tourism management. He also is head of the “Seawatching Excursions” in the Mediterranean Sea.
Want to contribute? Would you like to be part of us or do you have a passion to write or have photos that are worthy of publishing? We are looking for photographers and writers to contribute to our magazine. Escale Maldives is very keen to develop the Maldivian youth and if you think you have the motivation and interest to try something new, then write to us. Travellers who have a story to tell may also write to us. Please send all your queries to the editor at editor@escalemaldives.com.
Maafannu
Total Male Female
Total Male Female
Machchangoalhi
H
Raaveriyaa
Viligili Ferry Terminal
H
Raambaa
Cemetry 4
Fulooniya Ma gu
Muranga Magu
Ali Rasgefaanu Ziyaarai
Lemon Grass
Irama Magu
M A J E E D H E E
A m e e n e e
South West Harbour
Buruzu Magu
P
ATM
Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital
ATM
395
Royal Inn
n Higu eree
e
Hav
Sri Lankan Foods
West Park
Villingilli View Inn
29,964 14,833 15,131
19,580 9544 10,036
19,414 9578 9836
Bod
agu
nu M
ufaa
utha kur
ni Hingun
Kanba Aisa Ra
Total Male Female
gu
Izzudheen Ma
Higun Handhuvaree
Galolhu
faan
Stadium
M a g u
ivey
Mu
M A G U H H Abalone Tourist Inn
ATM
Farivaa Stay
H ATM
agu
P
Iskandharu Magu
u
g Ma
Buruzu Magu
Cemetry 3
Transit Inn
Juway’s
H Café
Garbage Dumping Area
Cemetry 5
ATM
Synthiana
ATM
Ahmadhee Bazaar Area
Fish Market
Seagull Café Salsa Café
Olive Garden
Theemuge
Symphony
Local Market
M A J E E D H E E
e
he
ed
re Fa
Salsa Royal
uM
aar
diy
Fan
agu oM
gu
u Ma
Nalahiya Hotel
kuru
tha Bodu
Hilaalee Magu
23,597 11,648 11,949
u
Total Male Female
Ma a
O en
u dM rch i di M ag
ru K Koa
u
anu Magu
Henveiru
ag
ag vey
oM
Maafaiythakurufa
GU
Maldives Ports Authority Area
Higun
ATM
M A G U
gu
ATM
gu
ed Ma
President’s Office Amee r Ahm
Jetty 5
P
Sinamale’ Flats
gu
Lonuziyaarai Ma
Bodurasgefaanu Magu
National Art Gallery
Sea Wall
A m e e n e e M a g u
H
Host Inn
H Central Hotel
H Champa Moon
Athama Palace
H
Light house Café
ATM
H
Cemetery 2
Children’s Park
igas
Magu
Magu
ATM H Hotel / Guest house Bank of Maldives Mosque Bank of Maldives ATM Places of interest P Police Station Banks Cinema Public Toilet Excercise area Restaurant Ferry Terminal Swimming Area Filling Station Traffic Light
LEGEND
400 Meters
Artificial Beach
Lonuziyaaraikolhu Surf Break
Tandoor
Dinemore
Map courtesy of amooo.com
ATM
ATM
P
City Palace
H
Dine N Dine
M A G Hotel U
Henveiru Grounds
agu
Male’ Inn H
u
Mag
Roa sha nee M
Viole t
Dharubaaruge / Convention Center urufaanu Boduthak
STELCO Powerhouse
H
Kinb
Sea House Hulhumale’ Ferry
H Terminal Alimas Carnival
N
Maagiri Area Lodge Ground Six H H Farivaa Inn KAM Hotel H Mookai Hotel Dolphin Café Candies H
Trends H Nasandhura Palace Hotel
Airpo Jetty 1 rt Ferry 0
M A J E E D H E E
ATM
ADK Hospital
H
Skai Lodge
ATM
Fisherman’s Park
0
MAP OF MALE’, 2008
Raiy vila aM agu Cemetry 1
Hut
Galanga
Fasfinn Lodge City Hideaway
H
National Stadium
Dhonveli Inn
Buruneege Residence Wood Apple
H
Parliament House
Hukuru Miskiiy Republic Monument Medhuziya National Royal Garden araiy Magu Museum Muleeaage Medhuziyaarai
Sultan Park Lily Magu
UN Building
Falhumathee Ma
Jumhooree Maidhan
BandeyrigeMaldives National Defence Islamic Center Force (MNDF) Minaret
P
Official Jetty 2 Jetty
Jetty 1
u
103,693 51,992 51,701
nu Magu
Rehendhi Hig un
CHA
gu isy
EE
Jetty 3
Da
Ma
A
MA Rah
Jetty 4 Magu likilege faanu
a Mag uheen Husn Koimalaa Higun
Total Male Female
un
NDH AN
S Shooupvenir s S Shooupvenir s debai M agu
Jetty 6 Kashimaa Higun
Population Census 2006 (March)
un
POPULATION
Dhonadharaadha Hig
S O S U N
Jetty 9
Janavaree Magu
Jetty 7 Irudheymaa Hig
Jetty 8
M A G U
Moonima Higun
Magu Nikagas Amina Rani
aanu Magu
Boduthakurufaa
Janavaree Higun
La
Raiyvilla Higun
gu
Ma
gu
aru
Bodufungandu Ma
of ino
Boduthakuruf
BasicMaldives
Haa Alifu Atoll (Ha) ihwfWm
Haa Dhaalu Atoll (Hdh) *
* *
Shaviyani Atoll (Sh)
*
*
DID YOU KNOW?
* *
Maldives has two Monsoons. The South-west monsoon extends from May to October and brings more rain accompanied by wind. The North-east monsoon extends from November to April and is drier and brings less wind.
* * * *
*
*
Noonu Atoll (N)
* *
*
*
*
*
* * *
Raa Atoll (R)
* * *
*
* * * * *
* *
*
* *
*
* *
Lhaviyani Atoll (LH)
uDnwk ISufcnunehcnwa
*
*
*
Baa Atoll (B)
*
*
*
we are HERE!
*
*
Kaafu Atoll (K) - North
* *
*
*
*
**
Alif Alif Atoll (AA)
*
**
*
*
*
**
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* *
Kaafu Atoll (K) - South
* ilwgWv Vaagali(P)
* *
**
*
*
*
*
Alif Dhaalu Atoll (Adh)
* * * * *
*
* * *
*
*
* *
*
*
Land Area
* *
* *
* * * * *
*
*
* *
1,190 islands with a land area of 115 square miles (298 sq. km)
Vaavu Atoll (V)
* *
*
1
Faafu Atoll (F)
Languages
irigidOb
Thingiri irigcnit
Language
Dhivehi is the national language. The script is called “Thaana”. English is widely spoken in the government offices, business sectors and is the medium of instruction in schools.
Meemu Atoll (M) Faandhoo
*
Dhaalu Atoll (Dh)
Maduvelage
*
*
*
* *
*
*
* * *
BASIC ATOLL GEOGRAPHY
Koattay EIDHIGALHI KILHI
* *
*
*
*
*
**
* * *
*
* * *
*
*
*
*
*
*
* *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* * * *
*
*
*
*
*
* *
*
*
*
*
*
* *
*
*
*
*
*
* *
*
*
* *
* *
Thaa Atoll (Th)
*
* * * * *
A
*
Laamu Atoll (L)
Reef
Island
TemperatureTemperature
Average temperature of 28 ˚C. Temperature varies between 31 ˚C during day time to 23˚C during nightime.
HITHADHOO
Gaafu Alif Atoll (GA)
Electricity
220 - 240 volts
Udwrem
Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll (GDh)
*
*
* *
Political Status Political Status
*
* *
Rujjehera
* * *
* *
*
Independent Republic
Gaukedi
Gnaviyani Atoll (Gn)
Administrative Divisions 20 atolls
Hankede
Literacy Rate
Hankedehajaru
Maradhoo
Seenu Atoll (S)
Time ZoneMaldives Standard Time 98.2percent (Age group 10+5 Hrs GMT
45 years.
CurrencyCurrency
Immediate Neighbours
Maradhoo-Feydhoo Boduhajera
Maldivian Rufiyaa (1 US$ = Rf 12.85)
India and Sri Lanka
Working hoursWorking 0
National Flower
Pink Rose(Rosa Polyantha)
Religion
100% Islam
Major Industries
Tourism, fish canning, manufacture of garments, boat building, and handicrafts.
14
DISCOVERMALDIVES | 2011 ISSUE
Kafathalhaaheraa Savaaheli Dhigihera
2
Banks : 9 a.m. - 1.30 p.m. (Sun to Thu), Government Offices : 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. (Sun to Thu), Fri and Sat holidays. Private Offices: Open between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. and close between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. with a lunch break in between.
Feydhoo Equator Village
DID YOU KNOW?
4 Km
Gan International Airport
Maldives has 5 airports. Two International and 3 domestic. In addition, Maldives also has the largest seaplane operation in the world. There are two sea plane operators carrying thousands of passengers to the atolls. Male’ International Airport. Photo : Digital Globe
www.escalemaldives.com 15
photosfrom Maldives T h aa A to ll
M ar ad h o o
D h a m b id
ll , A d d u A to
hoo, La amu Ato ll
Gaaf aru, Nort h Male ’ Atol l
G aa f ar u ,
ll K aa f u A to
S h av iy
ya n i A to ll
Male’, Kaafu Atoll
U th ee m u , K aa s d h id h
H aa A li f
A to ll
A to ll o o , K aa f u H it h ad h o o
ll , A d d u A to
f u A to ll M al e’ , K aa
G aa f ar u ,
ll K aa f u A to
photosfrom Maldives
Gaafaru, Kaafu Atoll
l ef , Ha a Al if At ol Al idh oo Ho us e re
F ey d h o o ,
ll A d d u A to
f u A to ll M al e’ , K aa
u A to ll G an , L aa m
u A to ll M al e, K aa f
D h id h o o ,
to ll H aa A li f A
COCO PALM DHUNI KOLHU – BENEATH A MILLION STARS
Text: Ahmed
“Welcome to Coco Palm, Maldives Island in the sun To enjoy your holidays, friends, this island will be fun Round and round the Coco Palm, Trees swaying in the breeze Waving like the hands it saying, Come to the golden beach...” As you step down from the boat, a music band greets you with this song.
Photo: Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu
window. We were taking off and below me I could only see the blue transforming into a huge backdrop spotted with oddly shaped rings of what we call islands and reefs. Thirty minutes elapsed from my time when the captain announced the descent. After the gentle landing on the water, the seaplane ride ended by the mid-water wooden raft. I stepped outside to be first greeted by blue-azure waves dancing around us. A host stood by to receive us and in no time we were onboard the transfer dhoni on our way to the first point of arrival at the jetty. Few handshakes with the Manager and his entourage, followed by a song “Welcome to Coco Palm” – played by a group of musicians. Instinctively I removed my shoes and sank my feet into the sand. One week ahead of me to bury myself in all the sand around me, I thought. Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu came into life promising a sustainable balance between the environment and local culture, reflecting the same in all its products and services. Luxury is defined here through nature and space. I let myself be enticed into the charm of the lush vegetation which transforms the island hotel into a green sanctuary. Walking along the winding paths, local flora and neatly maintained paths pave way for privacy. Curious to discover the island,
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DISCOVERMALDIVES | 2011 ISSUE
Photo: Atoll Images
Ah, the sunny side of life”, I sighed while boarding the seaplane. A few minutes of security briefing and the engines of the twin otter roared to life one after the other. The sound was not pleasant, but then all of it was forgotten while looking out the
I strolled along by myself and saw bungalows tucked away in the greenery which is the best you could bargain for. Live your holiday and get unnoticed for as long as you wish to stay within the beach proximity of your villa, not quite like the fabled Robinson Crusoe experience, but something similar with modern amenities. Accommodation ranges from beach villas, deluxe villas to lagoon villas, all stylishly furnished, bringing out the rustic chic feeling. Obviously I wanted to have the best and lucky for me, my accommodation was a water villa. But, whichever category you choose, the beach is just a step and a hop away. These 14 lagoon villas stunningly perched over the turquoise lagoon, represent the pinnate lobes of a leaf all beautifully covered with thatched roofs and nothing short of five star luxuries. Well designed interiors with wooden floors combine to give comfort and peace. Large doors lead the room onto the sun deck, the ocean as your backdrop. Many times I soaked myself in the deck pool watching the horizon, this is luxury I told myself. The sunset lagoon villas are larger in space and come with private butler service. The best part of living in water villas is that it represents a lifestyle itself. A cocoon for a hideaway, all completed with in-room dining
I am no fan of extreme sports but once in water, the thrill of sails pushed by wind power somehow created an adrenalin rush, boosting my energy for a whole afternoon.
service and the sea around you. I could easily spend my whole holiday in utmost solitude in the company of nature and comfort around me. With a bureau and Wi-Fi internet connection, the villas are also well equipped for those wishing to catch up with their business overseas. What about everyone’s dream on an exclusively private rendezvous on a beautiful deserted island? On request, the hotel organises a magical experience in the most private settings on the nearby island Embudhoo: accommodation in a Maldivian style hut, a chef to prepare your meals and soft sandy virgin beaches to watch the sun go down. I had an occasion to hop on the boat transporting food and guests to this island. Truly magical it was, I almost wanted to hide and never come back! Spend unforgettable moments with your loved one at a dinner exclusively prepared for you. Wake up the next morning to the birds singing as the sun’s first rays light up the horizon. It’s all about exclusive privacy and an occasion to celebrate your honeymoon or renewal of wedding vows.
Photo: Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu
Did I fail to mention that the island is not all about lazing in the sun? Should life seem to be pacing a bit, indulging in more is no sin. The dive school and water sports centre offer plenty of activities to spice up your holiday. DIVE
Photo: Atoll Images
OCEAN offers a range of diving courses and dive trips around the atoll. Blessed with dive sites for a range of diving experiences, there is something for everyone. With the dive courses, beginners will find themselves accustomed to the underwater world in less time than initially imagined and professionals have plenty of options to dive around. Hanifaru bay, declared a marine protected area in 2009, is within the same atoll and is well known as a feeding aggregation site for Manta rays and Whale sharks. A team of multilingual staff is around for helping where language becomes problem. I was ready for adventure on the third day. Not too much I thought but suddenly I got caught in a wave of fun filled aquatic activities. I am no fan of extreme sports but once in water, the thrill of sails pushed by wind power somehow created an adrenalin rush boosting my energy for a whole afternoon. Plenty of other options for recreation are available too. For the physically conscious guest, the Water Sports Centre offers a range of activities like windsurfing and catamaran sailing. A fully equipped gymnasium is available for guest use, not for me though! Other activities include beach soccer, tennis, badminton, board games and yoga. It might seem trendy and even necessary to
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indulge in a spa treatment while you are in a Maldivian resort. The rustic brown paper of the spa menu catches my attention every time I keep my watch on the room table. I finally gave into it and decided that the next day is my spa day. After a face to face discussion and reservation I returned for my treatment after 4 hours. Situated within ambient greenery composed to create a hidden space, the Coco Spa comes with the promise of rejuvenation. As I entered, an East Asian face, my stereotype of a spa manager, accompanied me up to a quaint room. The spa menu offers a mix of Indonesian, Indian, Thai and Maldivian fusion treatments. I didn’t realise how much muscle relaxing I required until expert hands smoothly applied pressure on my body. I lost myself in the aroma of oils and the calmness within the room. Coco Spa itself is a sanctuary hidden within the island, a place to meditate and be pampered. An occasional guest might not have the urge to take up a spa treatment, but this is highly recommended. Relax in the outdoor Jacuzzi, soak in oils, scrub your skin, release your tensions and inhale healing aromas for a complete metamorphosis. A little bit heavy on the wallet, one might worry, but trust me, it’s really worth it.
island is hidden within the vegetation. Often, I made it a habit to spend my lazy afternoons sipping drinks and doing nothing, just like many others who opted the same. It’s also the time I bump into similar people like me and exchanged on our travel tales. During the evenings after dinner, it’s a place to let time pass by in a convivial atmosphere with soft music in the background. Finally, what’s formidable on this paradise are the special experiences organized by Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu, with a sunset cruise, a lobster dinner under stars or a BBQ on a deserted island, where your private chef chooses the finest wines and champagnes for you. Such exquisite services are not to be missed in Coco Palm, giving YOU the chance to experience moments of your lifetime and tales to recount forever... uniquely Coco!
As a food lover, I had anticipated my ultimate wish - an enticing culinary experience - since the day I stepped onto the island, having gone through many brochures and other information on the island. These delightful moments often add the best experience to a perfect holiday. Meal times at the ‘Cowrie’ restaurant display a symphony of colours and an explosion of flavours. I knew for sure that the food would match the coco style and was curious to find out from day one. My palette yearned to discover the flavours of this orchestra of food. The architecturally detailed roof is impressive; wooden beams form a decorative pattern radiating upwards, emphasising the spacious sorroundings. On my first dinner, unfortunately alone, I decided to dress well and fortunately the majority of the guests appeared the same. I just had to be part of the crowd; honeymooners, elderly couples, families. The dining experience takes on another level as master chefs skilfully exhibit show cooking at the live counter. I approached a bit closer to read the menus displayed and got into a decision making dilemma. A choice of “mix and eat” and authentic flavours are presented here. Don’t worry about the right mix, I told myself as several menus are thematically presented on the counter. The chef was rather assuring as I read the menu and opted for a Mongolian dish for the first time in my life and I simply had to wait and watch. A bizarre explosion of flame came out of the wok; this has to be his magic I thought. My dish was ready in no time and tasted just as wonderful. Do not hesitate to ask for the wine list to complement your food, although on this particular occasion I opted for Cocopalm bottled water. Friendly waiters will be around you all the time to help you with your requirements.
All photos by Atoll Images
The ‘Conch Bar’ at the southern end of the
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Photo: Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu
All photos by Atoll Images
utheemu Text: Ahmed | Photos: Amooo
Utheemu in Haa Alifu Atoll may seem like just another small island in the Maldivian archipelago. Quaint and simple, time stands still here to recount many tales.
Photo:
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he island is blessed with white sandy beaches and a beautiful lagoon, which makes this one of the most beautiful inhabited islands in Haa Alifu atoll. From the instance you step foot on the island, you will feel the natural beauty and the calmness of the island environment, which is an experience that Globe
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Domestic airport
Map : www.water-solutions.biz
Places of Interest in Utheemu * Ganduvaru
* The Sea trumpet tree. Weaving was an established industry in the Maldives during ancient times. This tree is believed to have grown from a thick branch that Muhammed Thakurufaanu planted in the ground, to fix his weaving loom. This tree can be dated to Muhammed thakurufaanu’s youth, approximately the early 1540’s * The mosque * The beach side
is increasingly difficult to achieve in other inhabited islands. Unfortunately Utheemu has received little benefit from the country’s fast development and as a result, the island has retained most of its natural features. A beautiful lagoon without a harbour and several acres of undeveloped land. Regardless of the slow development of the island, it is an important stopover destination for most tourists and locals visiting the region. What
makes this island, banal in character and of importance to every Maldivian is that this is the birth place of the most famous hero the Maldives has ever known. Sultan Mohamed Thakurufaanu or Dhon Bandaarain as he is commonly known, lived in Utheemu “Gaduvaru”, Palace, a well preserved historic monument today. Mohamed Thakurufaanu’s bravery defeated the 15 years
of treacherous Portuguese rule during the 16th Century. Named as the dark period in the Maldivian history, the Portuguese ruled with tyranny and no mercy. Their reign brewed terror all over the country and imposed the conversion of faith. However, Mohamed Thakurufaanu along with his brothers vowed to free the country from the Portuguese and led a guerrilla style attack, leading to victory.
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Bound by history and echoes of the past, Utheemu is a name that recalls the events that occurred during the Portuguese rule and in the life of Mohamed Thakurufaanu. The palace is the surviving monument attributed to this time in history which has now been preserved to tell the tales. For the people of Utheemu, the palace is their pride. The maintenance and the upkeep of the courtyard and its premises are assured by a dedicated group from the island itself. As one islander proudly comments, “there is no better place in any other island than Utheemu Gaduvaru.” Palace visits are organised by the Bodu Thakurufaanu memorial centre and visitors are required to purchase tickets for the tour. Life comes back as the narrations take you from one area to the other. Its soul lingers and speaks without words, recollecting the life of the family who lived there 500 years ago and reminiscing the splendour of the pre-Portuguese occupation. Mohamed Thakurufaanu and his family lived in “Bodu Gekolhu”, their residence. Although it is not known when it was built, studies suggest that its style differs slightly from other houses of that time. Local materials were used for construction, which includes wood, woven mats and coconut thatch. It is interesting to see how the base is laid for the wooden frame of the house. Mats woven from screw pine leaves form the inside walls and the outer layer of the walls are made of coconut thatch. Roofing sheets now replace the initial thatched roof of the building. Curiously, this building had holes to look outside which now we call the pinhole camera! Another important structure in the palace compound is Mariyaadu Gekolhu. Residence of the elder sister of Mohamed Thakurufaanu, this placed is believed to have been built later. Few changes have been brought over time, such as the replacement of the timber and thatched roof with roofing sheets and floor previously levelled with only coarse sand is now paved and sand filled again. People speak of a rather peculiar feature of the door on the western side of this building. Stuck for ages, it is believed that this was the last door the family closed as they fled the island in haste. Ruins attributed to the residential area of Mohamed Thakurufaanu’s grand-father indicate the location where it was originally built with timber. Similarly, a sign indicates where the palace kitchen once stood. The well by its side was used as a source of drinking water by the inhabitants until recently. Guests and other dignitaries were accommodated at a separate building. The “Ashige”
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which is still utilised on rare occasions to mark the death of Mohamed Thakurufaanu, has been reconstructed on the original spot. Multi-purpose in nature, this place was also used for meetings, festivities and other gatherings involving the family. Parts of the interior are used as storage space. A myth involving the “Leggi Valhukolhu” (a water well that washed ashore) suggest that on his way from the South, the sea became so rough that Mohamed Thakurufaanu threw this well overboard, which he was intending to bring to his island. Mysteriously it was found later on the beach of Utheemu. The particularity of this well is that it’s made of three parts at the bottom. The well is placed next to the Ashige by the brother of Mohamed Thakurufaanu. A ring of soft sandy beach and local foliage constitutes the natural landscape of Utheemu of which one fourth is occupied by the natives. Friendly locals and the typical island characteristics combine here giving a local touch. The island displays authentic Maldivian architecture, basic in style and scattered
1. Children taking advantage of this huge tree to cool off on a hot day. 2. The island does not have a jetty or a harbour, which makes it very challenging to get on and off the island. 3. Locals relax under a thatch roofed community rest house besides the beach. Such scenes are very common in rural Maldives. 4. The famous Utheemu Ganduvaru and the controversial pinhole (inset). 5. Schemetics of Pinhole Camera. 6. The freshwater well in Kandhuvalhu mosque. 7. A Women using the beach to wash their cooking pots in the company of a group of crows. 8. Coconut toddy is extracted widely in Utheemu and a number of coconut trees have been lined with wooden steps to get on the tree top.
around. The “Haruge” blends well into the island landscape. This structure made from wood and coconut leaves is used to either build local boats or do their periodic maintenance. Another common structure is “holhuashi” inside of which is laid with wooden planks or logs for seating or lying down. The modern version of course comes with a television. It’s a place for discussions or for just passing the time. Standing near the Southern Shores of the island is the Kandhuvalhu Mosque. It is said that the three brothers did a special prayer in this mosque before beginning their mission against the Portuguese. Of particular interest to the mosque is the traditional style architectural details. Although the original mosque is enveloped by an outside wall, the old parts remain preserved and restored inside. The compound of the mosques has several gravestones, indicating that the compound was used as a burial ground, a typical trend in the old days, but hardly practised today.
A myth involving the “Leggi Valhukolhu� (a water well that washed ashore) suggest that on his way from the South, the sea became so rough that Mohamed Thakurufaanu threw this well overboard, which he was intending to bring to his island. Mysteriously it was found later on the beach of Utheemu. 4 8
PINHOLE CAMERA The concept of pinhole camera has been somewhat present in Utheemu ganduvaru. Anyone would be surprised today to see that such a phenomenon existed in those times. The image outside is projected on the mosquito net on the four poster-bed of Thakurufaanu through a small hole in the wooden wall. Could this be on purpose or is it just a chance happening?
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A declining activity, the toddy tapping, is still practiced here. The sap extracted from the flower of the coconut palm gives a sweet drink, of unique taste. The liquid is also cooked to reduce into a thick sugar often used by locals during meals. To add to the charm of Utheemu are its neatly laid down roads dating back a long time ago. One
might wonder that its modern day municipal planning! The credit goes to the responsible population of the island in managing the day to day activities like cleaning the roads and waste management. Utheemu depicts the traditional Maldivian Island. Locals depend heavily on fishing activities and typical island life can be seen as fishermen return from the sea. All this makes the island a must see not
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just to witness an era in history, but also to see and feel all that attribute to the uniqueness of this island. As night falls, the island plunges into calmness as if meditation has begun. But then, this is the rhythm of life on Utheemu, a typical island with a special character and all this contributes to the glory and myths embodied within its name today.
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The great North Male’ atoll surf trail:
Tidbits from a SurfJournal Text: Hillath
Surfing Male’s VARUNULAA RAALHU GA’NDU at Lonuziyaaraiy Kolhu is like getting training from the real expert before wading out into the wild, unknown world out there.
Photo: Dara Ahmed
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1. A surfer riding a tube at Sultans, a right hander. 2. Surfer’s paddling out at Varunulaa Raalhu gan’du in Male’. 3. The Famout “Varunulaa Raalhu gan’du” surf break seen from above. Between April - November, as locals flock to this surf break.
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Photo: Muha
our very first surf trip out of Male’ feels like your first Open Water dive trip, afraid of the unknown after those weeks of PADI training in a safe area like the swimming track. So it was with a pumping heart that I first made my trip on a weekend to JAILBREAKS, surf break of Himmafushi Island in North Male’ atoll. To my total surprise, surfing Jailbreaks was eyeopening. It was “long” - that’s what I thought at first: You swim up to the line-up, and then, hey, when you catch the wave, it’s like one long barrel from the south point of the island to its northern point. The result? A hell of a stoke! But also very tiring. If one of those dreaded currents come in, it will test your endurance as you slowly struggle to get to the line-up again. The reward, however, is that it’s one hell of
a long tough ride that a true surfer can never resist, and during most of the ‘peak season’ you are always rewarded with towering giants, tough faces, and awesome barrels. But be wary of the current. It can tire you out. Like how it happened on my first day. I got cramps, because I forgot to swallow sea water which is a popular local trick to avoid cramps.
the tube is so tall, curved and precarious. Yet, it is one of the smoothest rides – if you are hard on your board. And a most ethereal feeling engulfs you immediately after take-off; you are literally drop into the very heart of the tube! Then you hang on for dear life but with ease as the face is so smooth, although it is very powerful. If you panic, you will be sent crashing into the dangerously shallow reef of this small island.
Moving up north from Male’, the nearest surf break TOMBSTONES is at the Sheraton Full Moon Resort (Furanafushi island), one of my favorite waves. It’s a very long right-hander and the face is so smooth that we have a private joke: “Just now saw you having a coffee in the ‘tube’”. This is a popular Long Board surf break for the beginner surfer.
Next to Kan’duoiygiri are the JAILBREAKS and a little further north, the famed LOHIS of Lohifushi Island Resort. I would like to surf this world-famous Lefts, where the famed O’Neill Deep Blue Open was held for the past several years.
A little further up north is Kan’duoiygiri island. This break is what I term ‘dangerous’. Even the name sends shivers down my spine. The face of
And just a “swim away” from Jailbreaks is Than’burudhoo island, home of HONKIES (excellent world-class left-hander) and the SULTANS (excellent world-class right-hander).
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I would like to surf CHICKENS (earning their name from a former poultry farm on the island) at Villin’gili mathidhahuraa or ‘Kuda Villingili’.
Photo: Rick Werneck
These waves are towering, strong and have a risqué face. I’ve seen men, women and children waiting in the line-up, too afraid to challenge this “Monster of Nature” surrender back to their waiting boat.
Thulusdhoo, I saw Chickens from a distance and in my mind sprang up images of nothing but the infamous JAWS of the Hawaiian islands. Soon, Kuda Villingili will be developed into a surf resort.
But if Male’ was where I first rode in a barrel, then it was Honkies where I was first able to make a 360 degree turn or ‘spin’. My learning of the ‘reverse spin’ has to be credited to Jailbreaks because though the face is also somewhat risky (as if always about to push you through the air on your bodyboard), I have to say that it’s easier for me than on the Left in Male’s ever popular ‘Second Reef ’ of Raalhugandu.
Thulusdhoo is a story in itself. I call it ‘My Own Private Surfing Paradise’ because of the sense of isolation of COLAS or COKES, named so because of the Coca Cola factory on the enterprising island, now also home to permanent settlers from some tsunami-struck islands.
I would like to surf CHICKENS (earning their name from a former poultry farm on the island) at Villin’gili mathidhahuraa or ‘Kuda Villingili’. When the island was under the Maldives Police, locals and tourists were able to surf its Lefts, one of the most beautiful waves I have ever seen in Maldives, but which I had so far had not had the luck to ride. During my trip to the neighbouring island
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It was only at Thulusdhoo that I really felt the spirituality of belonging to the real ‘beach bum’ community. I doubt this exhilarating feel of brotherhood could be experienced in a resort environment; the experience of actually having ‘surfed the Maldives’ comes only when you mingle with the locals and surf with them. As ‘only a surfer knows the feeling’ and ‘surfing as a lifestyle’ itself is all the universal language needed among the surfing community. Indeed, a few foreign surfers we know come every year to Thulusdhoo and stay at local homes, making friends and family, while also surfing Colas. I bonded with three Brazilian surfers that day
and it felt like we had known each other all our lives. Thulusdhoo is a large island with a beautiful palm-fringed beach facing the surf break (‘ruggandu’ in the local language). Here you can camp out under the coconut trees, catch fish from the house reef just a few feet away, have a barbecue under the stars, strum away on a guitar to the rhythm of the waves and the soothing hum of the natives who are now your ‘Brothers-in-Surf ’. But more exciting is hanging out at the Thulusdhoo irumathee huraagan’du, which is a coral islet you can cross over to in chest-deep water. This ‘satellite island’ is right on the doorsteps of the waves where you can camp out in absolute silence away from the mainland. Male’ used to have a long surf break like its sister islands but at a time when the Maldives government had no proper access to modern environmental assessment and monitoring mechanisms, the ‘Artificial Beach’ was built by reclaiming the larger part of the Varunulaa Raalhu gan’du, the popular name for the
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Furanafushi (Sheraton Maldives Full Moon resort & Spa)
Surf Breaks Varunulaa Raalhugandu Fullmoon outside Kanduoiygiri Jails Honkeys Sultans Pasta Point Colas Chickens Map : www.water-solutions.biz
5 6 4. Chickens is a world famous left hander on the eastern side of Villin’gilimathidhahuraa or commonly known among surfers as Kuda Villingili. 5. Locations of Surf Breaks in North Male’ Atoll. 6. Aerial Photo of Thanburudhu Island (right), Home to Sultans and Honkeys. 7. A Surfer rides the famous Jailbreaks while many others wait for thier turn.
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Photo: Digital Globe
www.escalemaldives.com Photo: 37 Muha
8 Photo: Mike
surf break of Male’. Some local architects are currently of the opinion that dredging the Artificial Beach area back to its normal ‘sea level’ and letting the Varunulaa Raalhugandu resume its normal course (right from the south point of Male’ to its original end line in the northeast point of Male’, where the Alimas Carnival is now located), would make Male’ the next ‘surfing capital’ of the world. That’s why we take pride in the Varunulaa Raalhu gan’du. It is like a mother: caressing if you are alert, but chiding if you become lax. This daily onslaught of opposite actions on us may be what makes surfers of Male’ feel more ‘special’ than the rest but in my opinion it may be that we have not yet reached out properly to our rural brothers and sisters. Hence, the Maldives Surfing Association (MSA) under a new executive board has embarked on networking surfers (local and foreign) across the Maldives archipelago. The 2010 surf season opening event at Raalhu gan’du, the Assidha Challenge, named after the onset of the Southwest Monsoon season which ushers in the swells (where Maldives’ first Surf Brand, ‘RONDU’ was also officially launched), many surfers from other islands, such as Thulusdhoo, made quite a splash on the Male’ scene. Just to break a textbook rule, as we surfers are normally used to doing, I’m now going to share our local ‘Secret Spots’ of the Male’ area surfing community. May I warn that they are very rare and irregular! You have to be directly in touch with the locals in order to predict when these surf breaks will appear, if they appear at all. One such very very rare surf break is RATS, named because of the monstrous rodents infesting the tetrapods of the seawall. The ‘Overdozed Bugrat’ is a common graffiti seen around the ‘Great Wall’ of Male’ that protects the island from climatic disturbance. Just for two weeks in February, these awesome Lefts appear. We go mostly in groups, after work or study, when other groups also join. We hitch a ride (in the oldfashioned manner because
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9 Photo: Rick Werneck
8. Group of locals taking a break in Thanburudhu, home to Honkeys and Sultans. 9. The famous right hander at Cola’s in Thulusdhoo. 10. Group of tourists watching a surfer riding the Honkeys. 11. The right hander Sultans at Thanburudhu Island. Seen in the background is Chaayaa Island Dhonveli. 12. Colas at Thulusdhoo.
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Photos 10 & 11: Mike
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12 Photo: Rick Werneck
all Maldivians, even strangers, are friendly and always ready to lend a hand) on the many ‘bokkuras’ (tiny local boats) from the Male’ harbour and sometimes take the camera to video and photograph: Rats is that beautiful. When you ride the barrel, the ethereal light green colour of the wave’s face makes it a most exquisite site. I have to say that the barrel is one hell of a ride and that if you are not alert to your full, one slip of attention and you could even end up dead. In fact, I did slip and like another local surfer, I was lucky to survive with just scratches on my back. But since human nature is always curious and obsessed with risk and the unknown, we always make sure we come back every year. This might be a sort of Valentine time for us in February after all, where our bonds grow stronger as we challenge this dangerous and very rare enemy - if a surfer can ever call his wave anything other than his ‘best friend’! Just 10 minutes by ferry (a traditional-type but now mechanized ‘dhoni’) ride away is Villingili. The surf break here is now even unpredictable to the local surfers since a harbour was constructed on the eastern side of Male’s ‘satellite island’ resulting in the end of sea sports there like jet-skiing, water-skiing, kite-surfing, boardsurfing, wind-surfing and body boarding. However, what is truly surprising is that local surfers claim to have noticed that the wave has become very rare now - though we used to have it in good shape during the peak season. Indeed,
two years ago I surfed a dangerous ‘Secret Spot’ hidden away conveniently by the bushes behind the Dhiraagu premises - a surf break almost as precarious and beautiful as Rats. Right next to it is a sister surf break, longer and smoother, ending almost near the ferry terminal on beautiful days. But beware: a rock shallows up right at take-off ! As long as you are alert, you can line and avoid it. But if you are not paying attention, you might end up getting smashed against it! This is definitely not a safe place for the faint-hearted amongst us. Last year, some of my surfer friends went there but the waves built up only for a few days. I am waiting to see how Rats and Villingili point will develop due to climate change and other imbalances in the environment. Even the mega-island Hulhumale, entirely manmade to relieve the demographic pressure on Male’, has got a surf break. It’s a long Right but it is what I will call a smooth and long ‘juvenile’ wave, good for people to have fun rides on Long Boards with their children. But beware, during low tide the sea level could get so low that if you bodyboard, you might get your knuckles scrapped. Many are surprised when I mention Hulhumale’ as a surfing point but I actually bodyboarded there once. I guess the swell appears very rarely and it was just my lucky day. However, if the swells fail to come, like a good Rastafarian and Pastafarian you can enjoy luxuriously lazing on the long stretch of white
unspoilt sandy beach or strolling leisurely along the expanse of the island. The patches of green that gives the newly emerging Hulhumale a Savannah-like feeling and the isolated groups of tall trees together with the remaining sand mounds can give a camper the feel of having camped in the Iranian countryside. Whatever the state of affairs, Male’ is still my overall favorite, there’s no waiting and tiring. It’s like you know Male’ is damaged goods but still you get a kick out of it because deep down you feel a surge of adrenaline every time you even see it, a ‘connection’ based on an irrepressible sentiment and bond, for having a history you both shared together. You revel in that new enlightened knowledge that the goods got damaged while growing together with you, but like a faithful partner, the wave is still waiting out there… permanently… always for you. Where else do the arms of paradise hasten to welcome and embrace you in its sheer lustful hedonism – and so frankly and spontaneously, too?
ESCALE MALDIVES Organises Surfing trips to North Male’ Atoll and outer atolls. Our North Male’ Atoll surfing trips are designed to benefit Surfers so that you can take the advantage of the hustle and bustle of Male’ while going out daily to these surf breaks. www.escalemaldives.com
www.escalemaldives.com 39
Welcome to Maldives, the last paradise, a travel guide documentary video film on Maldives by image village studio is to make your Maldives vacation an experience of sun, sand and sea. This film includes information on how to get to the Maldives, Maldives history, Male’, the capital city, diving, surfing, beaches, cruising, etc.. This film also serves as a souvenir from Maldives for your loved ones and for yourself to keep a lasting memory of your stay in ............ The Last Paradise....! The Maldives A film by Tombe
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aptain Morseby and his mysterious iron bar in Thinadhoo Text: Ahmed | Photos: Amooo
ome to the seat of the newly demarcated Upper South Province, (commonly known as Gaaf Dhaal Atoll), the island of Thinadhoo may seem like a typical Maldivian island. With a population of around 4,500 inhabitants, the island is the centre of commerce and administration of the Province. A well established Fisheries sector, access to modern facilities such as electricity and communication in addition to a vibrant exchange of commercial activities with other islands of the atoll, makes Thinadhoo the hub within its region. The day-to-day living of its people may seem banal, rather simple, more appropriately put, but what’s more fascinating is the contrast between their modern lifestyles and the island landscape.
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Thinadhoo is located on the south eastern rim of Huvadhoo Atoll (often called ‘Suvadiva’), one of the largest atolls in the world. For administrative purposes, Huvadhoo Atoll is divided in to two atolls, ‘Gaaf Dhaal’ or ’South Huvadhoo atoll’ and ‘Gaaf Alif ’ or ’North Huvadhoo atoll’. A one-hour journey by local flight to the nearby airport island of Kaadedhoo, followed by a short 10 minutes speedboat ride and you are there! As your flight descends, a captivating view of emerald, blue and turquoise colours brushed across the water surface emerges around you and before long, the plane lands on a small airstrip surrounded by thick vegetation. Welcome to Gaaf Dhaal, the Atoll of immense natural beauty and a rich history.
1. Backyard of the house where the iron bar is fixed. It is now well protected by a low boundary wall. 2. Close-up of the iron bar.
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The boat ride to Thinadhoo is refreshingly admirable and soon you disembark on Thinadhoo jetty, your final destination. But mystery lurks at a specific location in this island, unbeknownst to the average inhabitant. The “laatu dhagandu”, a thick iron bar hammered deep into the ground, has become part of the island’s history about which only few speak of. According to the islanders, the purpose of this is not too clear and curiously many tales emerged from it. Although the original spot was slightly hidden at the foot of a wall aligning a main road, today it remains protected in the backyard of a house where its inhabitants live an average life, certainly oblivious to what this may represent in reality. Their guess, a hidden treasure beneath several feet, perhaps may become true one day!
structed by the owner of the house, Mohamed Nizar. The ground is left with coarse sand. Dhondheedhi, the lady of the house greeted us. Speaking to her I realized that for her this metal bar meant nothing more than an object to be preserved for some reason. I probed her for a while and then, to my surprise, she came out with fascinating accounts of mysterious happenings right in her backyard. She bore witness to haunted sounds and signs of living beings during late night. These included conversations and daily household activities such as sweeping or scraping coconut. The occurrences apparently became regular that the people of the house refrained from coming out in the backyard late in the evening. One such account describes an
One common belief prevailing by word of mouth is that this iron bar marks a geographical point on the map. The closest reference to it relates to Captain Robert Morseby (17941854), a British Naval officer who was involved in drawing the first charts of Maldives. The people of the island recall of a certain “Lord Morseby” and over time, the word “lord” transformed into local dialect “laatu”, giving name to the iron bar “laatu dhagandu” (“Lord’s bar”). It is believed that this became one of the points of reference when calculating the “mid-point of the world” as recounted by some, which actually refers to the zero degree channel. The equator passes through Maldives at 17 miles south of Fiyoree island, located on the southern rim of the Atoll.
apparition; a lady in white who passed through the backyard while someone was sleeping outside the main house (which is a common habit in the islands). She said, “a lady in white appeared, spoke no words, swept pass me and disappeared into the air.” These accounts were narrated not with fear but rather attaching a certain respect and value to it. Dhondheedhi thinks there may be hidden treasures lying several feet below, but the periodical failures in unveiling what is behind it de-motivated them from digging further.
During our recent visit to Thinadhoo, we paid a visit to the house where the protected site is located. Our local guide Abdulla directed us to this “historical object” hidden in the backyard. It is isolated within a small brick wall con-
The pace of life in the island is so well established that the family living in this house did not want to move elsewhere when the state offered them another place in exchange for preserving this “monument.” The people of
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the house had more to explain. According to Dhondheedhi’s knowledge, a white man came to the island a long time ago and hammered the bar into the ground and why he came, she could not explain. Curiosity never ceased in pursuit of finding the truth. A group of people from the island began digging sand around the bar with the hope of finding out more. After digging for about 17 feet, the depth touched the water below the ground. The surrounding area gradually began flooding, the operation discontinued and to date, no further inquiries are known to have been made. Far from the usual connotations of white sandy beaches and blue seas, it’s the character of the individual islands, its people and geographical landscapes this part of Maldives represents that makes it worth a visit. Thinadhoo may well be described as a semi-urban island but it’s also typically Maldivian, offering the visitor plenty of space and time to relax. Few more suggestions include snorkeling and visits to nearby “Robinson Crusoe” islands. Evenings are calm and cool around the harbor and of course with small tea shops scattered around, there is plenty to choose from. Although small supermarkets have begun springing in the commercial area, you can opt for the local market, hidden inside the island. Friendly locals smile and greet as you enter. This is the place to see many local foods including special sweets. Of course, coconuts are found in plenty just at the entrance and if you want to taste toddy (palm wine), make sure an order is placed beforehand. Travelling to Thinadhoo is easy by air. There are no regular ferries from Male’. However, local boats operate on a pre-determined schedule which depends on the number of passengers, commercial activities and of course the weather. The timings and the duration of the journey will have to be obtained from the boat itself.
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3. A modern Mosque in Thinadhoo constructed in the newly reclaimed area. 4.Back from a fishing trip, a group of fisherman cleaning the fish at the harbour. 5. An elderly man returning from the mosque. 6. Location of the Lord Morseby’s Iron Bar. It is a short walk from the harbour. 7. A local posing for a photograph on a street corner. 8. One of the cargo ships that run between Male’ and the island. These were used to transport people and goods but they are mostly used for cargo only. 9. An old kitchen chimney through a hole in a wall.
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Captain Captain Morseby’s Morseby’s mysterious mysterious ironiron bar bar
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Mangroves, an overlooked habitat
Text: Riyaz | Photos: Atoll Images
It may sound obvious but it is worth mentioning that most of the native plants in the Maldives are salt tolerant as the islands are surrounded by the sea. One such plant which is found in abundance in certain areas is the Mangrove.
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hese salt tolerant plants normally grow in tropical and subtropical tidelands and are able to survive saltwater inundation because of the specialized rooting structure, specialized reproduction system and the ability to exclude or excrete salt. Mangroves grow exclusively in these tidal areas in large stands or groves, and the ecological community as a whole is known as a ‘Mangrove forest’. The greatest biodiversity of mangroves occurs in South East Asia in Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea. Documented information available on mangroves in the Maldives is limited. With very small land area and no major fresh water to support such ecosystems, the mangroves of the Maldives are not well developed. Mangroves are generally regarded as being more abundant and diverse in the southern atolls. However larger mangrove habitats are also found in Shaviyani and Haa Dhaalu Atolls. Mangroves in the Maldives are normally found in depressions of islets locally known as kulhi, but some species grow along the lagoons. A detailed exploration of the kulhis can reveal amazing information. They protect coastlines
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from erosion by stabilizing shorelines with their specialized rooting system and reduce the impacts of cyclonic storms, hurricanes and tsunamis. They also enhance fishery productivity of the adjacent coastal waters by acting as a nursery ground for commercially important fish, prawns and crabs and provide food for a multitude of marine species such as snappers, jacks, oysters and shrimps. Many animals find shelter either in the roots or in the branches of these mangroves. Birds, such as the Maldivian
Little Heron, can be found in mangrove habitats. The mudflats offer a rich feeding ground for at least 11 species of birds, especially migratory birds, providing worms and shellfish for the many species that live or feed there before continuing on their journey.
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Mangrove crabs (kakuni) in these swamps are abundant but they are not harvested for food consumption. Crabs have proved to be very important animals for the Mangroves (keystone species). Some crabs are leaf eaters, while others eat algae or organic matter in the soil. Crabs scoop up chunks of sediment into their mouth and sift through the contents. After anything edible is eaten, be it algae, or other decaying organic matter, the remaining sediment is replaced in the form of a little ball. One of the most conspicuous species is the Fiddler Crab which has an enlarged orange claw. Scientists have found that when crabs are removed, the mud is not as aerated and this affects the health of the mangroves. Mangroves are important environmentally and economically. Most Maldivians use these mangroves for various purposes. Some of these mangroves are used as a source of food such as Ran’doo, Kan’doo, Boda vaki and Bodu kan’doo. Kulhavah is also edible and has a peculiar taste. It is eaten raw or pressed to drink as a juice. In some countries it is used to make vinegar. Karamana yields high-quality tannin which fetches a good price in the international market. This tannin is widely used in batik to give a warm yellowish
Worldwide, there are a total number of 69 Mangrove species in 27 genera, belonging to 20 families which are considered as true mangrove species. However, in Maldives, a total number of thirteen true mangrove species are found. These 13 species are scientifically, locally and commonly known as1:
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Scientific Name
Maldivian Name English Name
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Rhizophora mucronata
Ran’doo
Red mangrove
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Ceriops tagal
Karamana
Yellow mangrove
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Lumnitzera racemosa
Burevi
Black Mangrove
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Rhizophora apiculata
Thakafathi
Tall-stilted mangrove
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Avicennia marina
Baru
Grey Mangrove
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Bruguiera cylindrica Kandoo
Small-leafed orange Mangrove
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Bruguiera gymnorrhiza
Bodavaki
Large-leafed Orange Mangrove
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Excoecaria agallocha
Thela
Milky Mangrove, Blind-your eye Mangrove
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Heritiera littoralis
Kaharuvah
Looking glass Mangrove
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Sonneratia caseolaris
Kulhavah
Mangrove apple
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Xylocarpus moluccensis
Marugas
Puzzlenut tree/Canonball tree
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Acrostichum aureum
Maakeha
Mangrove Fern
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Derris heterophylla -
Mangrove
Vine/Climber
diameters are used for rafters on wooden roof houses where else the larger wood is used in boat building.
1,3. Mangrove swamps are rich ecosystems where a vareity of animals species are found but often ignored by people. 2. Mangrove swamp in Baarah, Haa Alif Atoll. Despite their ecological importance they are viewed as mosquito breeding grounds and a nuisance to the community, while no effort is given to manage them. 4. Mangrove marsh in Gaafu Dhaal Kaadehdhoo. 5. Map illustrating the geographical extend of Manrgroves throughout the Maldives.
brown colour to cloths. The wood from this tree creates excellent charcoal. Kaharuvah is another important tree found in the mangroves. Its heartwood is brown, red-brown or dark-red brown in colour, coarse textured, fine grained, hard and strong and polished well but is nondurable. Therefore it is considered as a utility timber which is used for boat building, flooring, furniture, interior finishing and decorative veneers. In contrast, Burevi’s main trunk provides a hard and durable timber. Locally this is used for house constructions and sticks of smaller
Kuredhi is one of the most favoured timbers in the Maldives. Its heartwood is very hard, heavy, strong, durable and resistant to wood-boring molluscs and termites. This wood is therefore used for boat building, particularly for internal beams and pegs to hold together planks. It is also used for carved objects such as tool handles, chess coins, toys and other handicrafts. Thakafathi tree wood is an excellent source of firewood. Maru gas is also considered as an important timber tree in the mangrove forest. Its heartwood is brown and red in colour with streaks. The wood is strong, hard and durable. The wood is a good cedarlike timber. In Maldives, it is used for boat building, house construction and furniture making. Thela tree is used in traditional medicine to treat chronic ulcerous diseases such as leprosy. Mangroves were the main source of protein used during the bodu thadhu (the great famine during World War II), when food imports from war-effected export countries were restricted and locals had to depend on whatever source of food they could get from their islands. An ecosystem under siege Unfortunately, some mangrove areas across the Maldives archipelago have been destroyed by reclamation for housing, tourism, agriculture and commercial purposes. Sadly, mangrove swamps are still used for disposal of garbage, of both organic and inorganic origin and many
people consider the mangroves to be dirty, useless and mosquito ridden places, without understanding that the destruction of these areas endangers our way of life. Major threats to mangroves in the Maldives are: * Poor land management – when land is cleared for construction or agricultural purposes the soil is easily washed away during heavy rains. If this soil and sediment reaches the mangrove forest it can cover the roots and kill the trees, which in turn will affect the animals that live in the water. * Cutting the mangrove forest – large areas of mangroves are being cleared and filled. These reclaimed areas alter or stop the amount of fresh water entering the mangroves. Mangroves need a mixture of fresh and sea water to grow, any changes in this mixture will affect the growth and health of the trees. * Water pollution and rubbish – oil from boats and spills create a thin film that sticks to the mangrove roots. Household waste like plastic bags and containers cover the mangrove areas endangering the wildlife that lives there. In some areas, sewage is disposed in to mangrove swamps, which results in algal growth that can kill other marine life. * Dredging in marine areas leads to increased sedimentation in mangrove communities. Unfortunately, not many people in Maldives understands the importance of these mangrove ecosystems to our fragile environment. Hence, few proper regulatory measures have been taken by the government to conserve these vital ecosystems. In Maldives, only two main mangrove
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9 sites are declared protected by the government: Eedhigali kilhi in Hithadhoo (Addu Atoll), declared protected in 5th June 2004 and the site in Huraa (Kaafu Atoll) on 14th June 2006. Kulhis played an important role in taming the furious waves of the Indian Ocean tsunami which hit Maldives and several other countries on 26th December 2004. Islands with mangrove ecosystems suffered less compared to those without them. The energy of the waves was absorbed by the layers of the mangroves through their roots and the crab holes around these mangroves saving many lives and minimising destruction of properties. Ken’dhikulhudhoo (Noonu Atoll) and Funadhoo (Shaviyani Atoll) in the North Maldives suffered less from the tsunami, thanks to the existence of mangroves. However, Maafaru island (Noonu Atoll) sharing the same physical characteristic as those of Ken’dhikulhudhoo island except for the presence of a kulhi, was badly hit. Similarly, in Filladhoo island (Haa Alif Atoll), mangroves played the second line of defense against the deadly waves. Locals in both Funadhoo and Ken’dhikulhudhoo call their islands “safe islands”. Undoubtedly, the mangrove ecosystem renders invaluable services to both our environment and economy. Therefore I would like to stress that it is still not too late for the young generation of Maldives to take initiatives to minimize human impact
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on this important coastal ecosystem. One of the greatest challenges in caring for the mangroves is to balance the needs of people who make use of them or live nearby, and the future of the mangroves as a habitat for plants and animals. Mangroves are famous for their roots Some mangrove species live in mud and water permanently, so they have developed special roots that absorb water from the surroundings and exclude most of the salt (from the salt water). The extensive root system also reduces erosion by holding the soil together so it does not wash away. The roots anchor the plant, absorb minerals and exchange gases (oxygen and carbon dioxide).
Some trees have prop roots and they can take in air through holes in their bark (called lenticels), whilst other mangroves have snorkel or peg type root-like structures (called pneumatophores) which stick up out of the soil like straws for breathing. Other trees have knee roots (see figure) that look like a bent knee, whilst others have buttress roots (big roots that come out from the base of the trunk). As erosion has become a major problem to our island environment, it is time to put extra efforts to protect the mangrove forests before they completely disappear. For those travelling to a Maldivian island, a visit to these amazing mangrove ecosystems is highly recommended.
6 . Aerial view of Eedhigali Kilhi, a large protected area in Hithadhoo Island, Addu Atoll is home to many species of Mangroves. 7. Mangrove swamp in Hoadehdhoo in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll. 8. During the dry season many mangrove swamps dry out completely exposing the nutrient rich bottom, like this one in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll. 9. Mangrove seedlings.
References:
-www.bluepeacemaldives.org -www.wikipedia.org -Live& Learn Environmental education (2008) -Mangroves Guide, UNICEF -Lovelock C. (1993) Field Guide to the Mangroves of Queensland. Australian Institute of Marine Science
Rhizophora mangroves have ‘prop roots’. These roots can sprout from very high in the tree. The older the tree the higher the roots are located. Ceriops mangroves have ‘knee roots’. These roots grow in and out of the soil.
Does the Environment Need Management?
Tourism & coral reefs - an ambivalent relationship Text: Reinhard Kikinger, PhD | Photos: Reinhard Kikinger, PhD, Atoll Images
hile reefs are good for tourism, tourism is not necessarily good for reefs. Coral are one of the most complex ecosystems on planet Earth and they have the highest biodiversity of all marine habitats. This makes them attractive for snorkelers and divers, who want to enjoy those fantastic underwater world. That was how tourism began in the Maldives some 30 years ago: simple facilities on a few hotel islands with healthy, luxuriant coral reefs. In the meantime the number of hotel islands increased enormously. Together with them the number of guests, boats, air taxis, and infrastructure is increasing. An impressive leisure industry developed in the Maldives within a short time. Beside diving and snorkelling, rapid diversification offers additional water sports, freshwater pools, Spas, gourmet restaurants, tennis courts and much more. The standards of the hotel resorts are continuously rising and all the numerous departments are managed by professionals. Such rapid changes are not only happening above the water, the coral reefs below are changing too. Who is responsible for its management? Most of the island based activities affect the reefs in a direct or indirect way, because reefs are delicate ecosystems. The reefs of the Maldives developed over thousands of years in the unspoiled waters of the Indian Ocean. Now they are confronted with a new situation, which includes the problems of sewage outlets, trash dumping, underwater activities, overfishing and climate change. To minimize negative effects on the underwater world, a holistic approach is necessary. Resort managers, tour operators, and guests can contribute in the protection of the reefs. The following list gives a short overview about anthropogenic stresses for coral reefs around resort islands. Information about sources, effects, biological background, and recommendations could help to develop and to implement sustainable management strategies.
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Eutrophication
Sedimentation
Eutrophication Definition: Increase of nutrients, especially of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). Main sources: Sewage outlets, laundry outlet, island runoff. Effects: Healthy reefs can be damaged or even killed. The reef can develop in a different (“wrong�) direction, becoming dominated by algae. Biological background: Coral reefs are specialized to nutrient poor conditions. Too many nutrients promote fast growing algae, which overgrow the corals. This is disastrous for the corals. Furthermore, sewage outlets increase the density of bacteria in the seawater. The number of bacteria-feeding organisms, for example sponges, can increase. Where sponges cover large areas, re-colonization with corals is difficult or impossible. In addition, some sponges are bio-erosive. If erosion is dominating over reef-building processes, the reef will decline and in consequence, the protective function for the island will decline as well. Recommendations: Optimal sewage treatment. Use biodegradable, Nitrogen(N) and Phosphorous (P) poor washing liquids or powders. Reduce the amount of washing liquids and powders to the necessary minimum. Be careful with land-fertilizers, which can be washed into the sea during heavy rainfalls.
Sedimentation Definition: Sinking of suspended particles on to the reef. Main sources: Dredging, stirring up sediments by waves, boat propellers, sand pumping, fin
strokes of divers and snorkelers. Island runoff after rainfalls. Sewage outlets. Effects: Sediments on top of the corals damage or kill the corals. Sediment-rich water is turbid and therefore reduces light essential for coral growth. Biological background: At high sedimentation rates, corals need much energy for constantly cleaning their surface from sediments. They do this by mucus production and cilia movement, both highly energy consuming activities. If the sediment load is too big, corals will die. In addition, suspended sediment reduces water transparency. That means, less light is available for the photosynthesis of symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae), which live in the tissue of the coral polyps. The result is less production of calcium carbonate and decreasing rates of reef growth. Recommendations: Reduce sediment producing processes to a minimum: sand pumping, high rotation of boat propellers in shallow water, near shore building activities, provide information to boat crews, divers and snorkelers.
Oil Pollution Definition: self explaining. Main sources: Boat engines, fuel transport and storage, island runoff, Spa outlets, sun oils, cooking oils. Effects: Damage or death of reef organisms including corals. Biological background: Corals and other marine life feed additionally on dissolved organic material (DOM) directly from the
Sedimentation due to dredging
Reef damage by garbage
Anchor damage
Coral bleaching
surrounding seawater. Under natural conditions these are amino acids and sugars. High amounts of dissolved material from fuels, oils, sun lotions, shampoos etc. are poisonous for the reef community. In addition, oil films which are swept onto sandy beaches kill the interstitial micro fauna living there. The consequence is a breakdown of the important filter function of the beaches.
material. Sorting and environmentally responsible treatment and/or deposition of rubbish. Careful sorting of kitchen remains and regular control of the dustbin contents. Dustbins, which are emptied into the sea, should have different colour, for example green, indicating bio-degradable contents.
Recommendations: Maintenance of boat engines. Provide information and training to boat crews and to the power house staff. Collection, treatment and/or recycling of old oils. Careful use of bio-degradable Spa products. Guest information about responsible use of sun lotion.
Definition: Night fishing for tourists.
Garbage Definition: Artificial solid objects drifting on the sea surface, lying on the sea floor or swept onto the beach. Main sources: Poorly sorted dustbins, which are emptied into the sea by hotel operators and safari boats. Effects: Aesthetic problem due to pollution of the sea and the beaches. Dangerous for marine life. Biological background: Sea turtles feed on drifting objects like jellyfish and mega plankton. Some drifting garbage is also ingested by them. Stomach analyses of dead sea turtles has yielded large amounts of plastic bags, cigarette ends, lighters, and other trash. Recommendations: Reduction of packing
Destructive Fishing Methods Effects: Anchored night fishing boats break the corals. Fishing lines of inexperienced tourists get entangled in the corals and damage them. Wrong fish species and juvenile fish are caught by this unselective, unprofessional and destructive way of fishing. Biological background: Night fishing is no problem as long as local people do it or tourists are strictly supervised by locals. However, it is a big problem when thousands of tourists also practice. The reef becomes damaged and the fish population will likely decrease on night fishing spots. Even from the economic point of view, night fishing is ignorant. Since the 1998-coral bleaching, the fish fauna has been the main underwater attraction in the Maldives. To reduce this treasure and to damage the slowly regenerating reefs is in contradiction to all sustainable marketing. Recommendations: Offer sustainable alternatives, for example a “Sunset Cruise”. The guests watch a spectacular sunset on board a silently drifting dhoni and are offered a glass of sparkling wine. After this contemplative entertainment they return to the jetty and have not done any damage to the reef. Big game fishing: support “tag and release” for rare pelagic fish
such as marlins and sailfish.
Snorkelling & Diving Definition: Self explaining. Main sources: Snorkelers, who stand or walk on the reef. Divers with poor buoyancy control. Boat anchors. Collecting of shells and corals. Effects: Walking and standing on the reef is a large threat for reefs around hotel islands. Divers with poor buoyancy damage corals. They also increase the sedimentation by stirring up sand with their fins. Boat anchors dropped into the reef destroy corals. Big and attractive gastropods (snails) are rare in the meantime, which indicates that their shells are collected or that they are harvested for sale. Biological background: Coral reefs are living structures. Standing and walking on them damages them within minutes, which take years to recover. The reefs shelter the islands from erosion by waves, but only healthy reefs can do that. Reef walking destroys the near surface reef. SCUBA diving concentrates at the most attractive reef areas, which have been less damaged by the coral bleaching in 1998. These areas are important coral reproduction centres now. From here the recolonization of damaged reefs can occur. Therefore damages have to be avoided especially at these hot spots. Recommendations: Optimal information for all snorkelers and divers about the delicate coral reef. Construction, marking, and maintenance of channels, where snorkelers can cross the reef. Destructive activities such as reef walking should be banned consequently. Offer information about the negative aspects of the
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curio trade: where shells, corals, and other marine life are collected and killed. Buying shells and corals results in decreasing attractiveness and diversity of the underwater world. The above points are examples for environmentally responsible resort management on coral islands. If environmental aspects are not taken in to account, the well known process of recreational succession will start: pristine coral reefs are discovered by a pioneer group and a small and simple tourism infrastructure will develop. Over the years the number and size of the facilities will grow, as well as the number of visitors. The gradual increase of comfort and luxury is frequently accompanied by a gradual decrease of environmental quality. Therefore the initial group, which was mainly looking for luxuriant coral reefs, is replaced by an increasing number of visitors with other preferences. In the meantime others discover new unspoiled destinations and the chain of recreational succession starts again. On a planet with limited size, such consumption of ecosystems is limited as well. The long term goal has to be environmentally friendly tourism, which can help to protect its beautiful destinations instead of threatening them. In the Maldives the coral reefs are the key factor for tourism and for fisheries. Beside their economic value, the reefs are of outstanding importance for the physical survival of this oceanic nation. These jewels in the Indian Ocean were produced by reef building organisms, mainly by hard corals (Scleractinia). Only when they continue to do their work, the Maldives can hope to survive as the splendid islands which they are today. Let’s help to keep the reefs alive!
Leaking sewage outlet
Snorkeller damage
Island Surveying, EIA’s, Lagoon Surveying, Beach Management, Artifical Coral Reefs & Environmenal Advice
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Maldives - the beauty of underwater
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A film by Tombe
Soneva Nature Trip - Through the years
The purpose of each field trip is to provide the opportunity for middle school children to learn about the environment of Maldives. This trip has become the most influential environmental awareness – raising event in the Maldives. Soneva Fushi in collaboration with Ecocare started the Soneva Nature Trip in 2000. The event has been an annual event that runs for a week in the school mid term break. The Trip is a week full of educational hands on and fun experience to the students. The purpose of each field trip is to provide the opportunity to middle school children to learn about the environment of Maldives. This trip has become the most influential environmental awareness – raising event in the Maldives. The activities of the trip includes excursion to different islands in Baa Atoll, around 100 students, mainly from the over crowded capital Malé, go snorkeling, bird watching and tree – climbing, identify native plants, conduct waste audits in local villages and learn more about the impacts of climate change and other local and global environmental challenges. These activities are giving the young people, the decision makers of tomorrow, the opportunity to experience and appreciate their own environment, to learn about the threats it faces and to identify ways of how it can be protected. At the end of the trip, each student that participates, writes up a report on their experience of the trip. Hundreds of children who have participated in the trip have expressed that their week long stay had given them the opportunity
to appreciate the beautiful environment of Maldives and make them aware of the environmental problems which exists in their small communities. The impact that Soneva Nature Trip has had on the young people of Maldives had been acknowledged by the Government, when the Soneva Nature Trip was awarded the President of Maldives Green leaf Award in 2003. Similarly, the Government of Maldives awarded the President of Maldives Green Leaf Award to Eva and Sonu Shivasani in 2008. The Soneva Nature Trip has also received the recognition of international community when PATA awarded the Gold Award: Environmental Education Programme to the Soneva Nature Trip in 2007. “When I knew I was selected to go on the nature trip, I wasn’t satisfied and I was really annoyed as I didn’t want to go. I thought it would be boring and I wasn’t happy about spending the whole week away from my family. But as school captain of Kalaafaanu School, I didn’t
reject the offer, so I went. All of a sudden, all I thought before going to the trip was wrong. Not having my family near me for a week didn’t matter. All that mattered was the unforgettable memories I had in Baa Atoll and the experience I achieved throughout the week. I climbed the largest tree in Maldives and I was really glad that I, myself got to feel how it was like to be in a mangrove for the first time in my entire life. Other than that, I realized how the citizen in different islands of Baa Atoll lived. Also from the presentations given by the management of ECOCARE, I knew how bad the sharks and turtles would feel, as they are becoming extinct. I am really proud of myself because I had taken part in this trip. I not only learnt about nature and what I can do to protect it, I made so many new friends, who are willing to protect the environment with me. I would request ECOCARE and the Soneva Fushi management to let us, children, have more opportunities like this to learn about Nature. All you teachers are great! Keep up the good work.” - Saina, Soneva Nature Trip 2010 participants from Kalaafaanu School.
Sonu & Eva brought the concept of Robinson Crusoe style tourism to the Maldives when they developed Sonevafushi at Kunfunadhoo in Baa Atoll. The tourism product that has developed at Sonevafushi has now expanded into a world renowned luxury brand of “Six Senses”. Sonu & Eva are committed to run the Soneva Nature Trip at Baa Atoll with Eco Care Maldives to facilitate the development of a new generation of environment conscious Maldivians who would help to protect and preserve the real beauty of the Maldives.
ECOCARE has successfully completed 11 nature tips so far and it is certain that every participant who took part in those programs came out to become ECOCARE’s ambassadors for environment protection, this indeed is the true achievement of the NGO. Hundreds of students, future leaders had taken part in the Nature trip and they surely have the ECOCARE spirit in them to protect and sustain the environment in Maldives. Two thumbs up for the efforts done by ECOCARE !! I wish all the best !! Keep the good work up !! Maeed M. Zahir; Ecocare Maldives member Mohamed Zahir (Meemu Zaviyani) is the founder of the Eco Care Maldives and the father of the modern environmentalist movement in the Maldives. Meemu Zaviyani is a biodiversity conservationist and an environmental journalist. Meemu Zaviyani has undertaken many environmental campaigns to create awareness to the locals on critical environmental issues such as Save the Sharks, protection of the Turtles, beach erosion due to climate change and the protection of endangered biodiversity. Meemu Zaviyani has received the prestigious Global 500 award of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in recognition of his work in creating awareness to the locals through the print media.
If any person or party wishes to join the team as a member or give assistance financially or otherwise please contact; Mr. Moosa Manik General Secretary Ecocare Maldives, Ma.Kinaaraa House, Iskandaru Magu Malé. Republic of Maldives. Phone: (960) 7771504, (960) 9991504 Email: contact@ecocare.mv
LOBSTERS, WILL THEY BE HERE FOREVER? } { The crucial role of resorts in the Maldives to reinforce the poorly practiced law can prevent local lobster stocks from depletion. Text: Ulrike Kloiber, MSc
Size does matter hat comes to your mind first when you think of ‘seafood’ and ‘expensive’ in the same sentence? Lobsters (also known as crayfish) will probably be it. Spiny rock lobsters are well known throughout most tropical seas where they form the basis of major fisheries. In the Maldives’ local market, you can find at least five species of the genus Panulirus. Locally known as ihi, these uniquely colored lobsters are hand-collected at night whilst free-diving with lights along reef slopes within lagoons.
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Rock lobsters were brought under Maldivian management measures in 1993 in order to prevent overfishing. The law states a ban on exploiting berried (egg carrying) female lobsters, as well as those less than 25cm in total length and even quotes them as marine protected species amongst marine turtles and dolphins. The set size limits are essential so that rock lobsters have a chance to breed before being caught. Female lobsters can bear hundreds of thousands of eggs (each egg is only about 1 mm wide) which are immediately attached to fine hairs (setae) under the tail after mating (photo 4).
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2 fortunately, the results were not encouraging, as small and weak individuals were often attacked by predatory fish and showed low survival. Lessons learned A far better long-term approach suggested itself: ‘reinforcement of the existing regulations’ by a self-imposed purchasing policy on local rock lobsters. Huvafen Fushi makes strict controls to a landed lobster catch in terms of size and gender and rejects the entire supply if it is not meeting the legal requirements.
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These requirements are communicated to local lobster suppliers in advance and the retreat actively seeks dialogues with them to achieve a better understanding of sustainable fishing through educational material. In return, money incentives are offered for a ‘legal catch’ to create a win-win situation on both sides. It is a promising practice. However, there is still a long way to go and more resorts have to address this issue before fishermen will adhere to national regulations and resort requirements. In the end the consumer is creating the demand. Consumer power What do we know about the seafood we eat? As consumers we have the power to demand knowledge. Knowledge about where the seafood comes from, how it was caught and if the stock is endangered. If a better understanding about our resources becomes public, consumers will be more conscious about their food, and no matter if you are a local fisherman, a visiting tourist, a tourist resort or a politician – we all have a collective responsibility towards our ocean resources. Narrowing it down to rock lobsters means we maintain a healthy stock for our next generation and… next year’s dinner table!
1 - Initiative by Huvafen Fushi to take back undersized caught lobsters to their house reef. 2 - Lobsters that are saved are often weak and can hardly move. 3 - Piny rock lobster in its natural habitat. 4 - Berried female lobster with eggs. Photo credits:1, 2 & 4 by Ulrike Kloiber 3 by Amooo
The female carries the eggs for up to six months before they hatch. Making a Difference However, lobster catches have appeared to be leveling off in recent years, fetching high prices on the market. Local fishermen earn up to US$25 per lobster (three times more than in 1995), reflecting the growing demand for fresh lobster especially from resorts. Fortunately, these resorts are also in a unique position to drive education, research and understanding of their surrounding coral reefs and the marine life that depends on them. Huvafen Fushi through
management company Per AQUUM Retreats, Resorts and Residences is only one example of a Maldivian retreat that illustrates how to work towards sustainable environmental practices. Marine Team in Action In 2008, several surveys carried out by Huvafen Fushi’s Resident Marine Team revealed an alarming high percentage of berried female rock lobsters and undersized animals within the live catch that was offered for sale by local fishermen. In a first, cost intensive initiative these animals were released to the surrounding reef in order to protect the valuable lobster stock. Un-
did you know? Lobsters can live a long time. It takes an American lobster 6-7 years to get to an edible size, but that is just the beginning. Lobsters are long-living animals, and are thought to be capable of living over 100 years. Do Lobsters feel pain when you cook them? The Lobster Institute has received many inquiries about whether boiling lobsters is humane. Being concerned about this important question, researchers conducted experiments and studied the lobster’s nervous system. The nervous system of a lobster is very simple – not unlike that of an insect. Neither insects nor lobsters have brains. For an organism to perceive pain it must have a more complex nervous system. Neurophysiologists tell us that lobsters, like insects, do not process pain.
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Assessment of Maldivian Coral Reefs in 2009 after several Natural Disasters Text: Norman J. Quinn, Ph.D.
In this article I examine a commonly accepted group of biological indicators of coral reef health from lagoons and shallow Maldivian reefs. Field work was undertaken by the Marine Research Centre (MRC) from Haa Dhaal Atoll in the north of Maldives to Addu atoll south of the equator. from February – October 2009.
learly the health of coral reefs, which are the physical basis for the Maldives, are of national strategic concern. President Nasheed called the plight of the Maldives to the world in his September 2009 address to the United Nations. He stated that failure to come to a meaningful agreement in the International Convention on Global Climate Change would be suicidal for the Maldives. The historically low population densities in the Maldives resulted in a large area of coral reefs where influences of humans were low. For many centuries Maldivians preferred to eat pelagic
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fish instead of reef fish, so fishing impacts on reef fish populations were slight. Mining of the reef for rocks and sand for building materials depleted many lagoons and farus (ring-shaped reefs inside an atoll) of corals and reduced fish biomass. However, human impacts on reefs are increasing. Nutrients from the capital cityisland Male’, effects of snorkelling and diving combined with shark fishing, aquarium fishing, sea cucumber collection and harbour construction have been changing the reefs dramatically. Although the Maldive islands are completely founded on the remains of living coral reefs,
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1. South Male’ atoll, outer reef, 15 m, August 2009. Future surveys need to include coral communities on the outer reef slope of the atolls. Lateral visibility estimated at over 35 m. 2. Erosion in Addu Atoll. Erosion is one of the biggest challenges in Maldives. Every year, hundreds of islands have to face this dilemma which costs millions in damages. 3. Erosion of the islands can no longer be viewed on its own and has to be holistically approcahed. It threatens the limited and often very important coastal vegetation, like in this newly built luxury resort. Faced with lack of knowledge on combating erosion, authorities take desperate measures hoping to bring an end, but with little results. Photo credits: 1 by Norman Quinn 2 & 3 by Amooo
it has only been towards the end of the 20th century that systematic quantitative surveys of reefs, from the northern to the southernmost Atolls, were conducted by the government of the Maldives through the Marine Research Center (MRC) of the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture. One can imagine that the expanse of reefs in the Maldives is enormous compared to the little human and logistical resources available for monitoring them. Initially, surveys were limited to individual Atolls, e.g. the notable descriptive work was mainly done around the British Air base at Addu Atoll. On the “Xaifa” expedition in
19571,2 at Faadhippolhu (Lhaviyani), Rasdhoo (northern Ari), Ari and Addu Atolls, coral scientist Georg Scheer conducted some of the earliest detailed “coral sociology” studies, using plant sociology techniques of line intercept and quadrat methods. Scheer reported coral cover ranged from 50 – 80% from his observations from Addu, Ari and Faadhippolhu Atolls. Along with the descriptive work of the “Xarifa” expedition, there were anecdotal reports of luxuriant, diverse reefs from divers dating back to the 1950s. The health and beauty of Maldivian reefs was further confirmed during the establishment of the multimillion dollar tourist industry when scores of dive schools were included in resort developments to cater to the diver seeking to “dive in one of the last paradises on earth.” Pichon and Benzoni (2007)3 reported that there were 248 coral species from 57 genera, although they stated that the taxonomic status of some of the earlier described species were doubtful. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Categories and Criteria4: 1% -10% of the total
species in the Maldives are “Critically Endangered” and “Endangered” species, 10% - 20% are “Critically Endangered”, “Endangered” and “Vulnerable” and 40% - 50% are “Threatened” or “Near threatened”. The threats are from both global climate change and local anthropogenic impacts. Initial Reef Check Surveys and the 1998 Bleaching Event Although there were previous surveys that the MRC participated in, quantitative surveys of the coral reef community organized by the MRC began in 1997 using the Reef Check5 coral reef monitoring protocol. These surveys yield a scientifically based estimate of several parameters commonly used to assess coral reef community health and resilience. The unprecedented coral bleaching in 1997 1998 around the world including the Maldives resulted in extensive mortality to reef building (or: scleractinian) corals. During this event, the living coral animals expelled their commensal living plant, called zooxanthellae, exposing the
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unpigmented coral tissue and underlying skeleton. This is severe, since Zooxanthellae provide up to 90% of a coral’s energy requirements with their photosynthetic action. Prior to 1998, an isolated bleaching event in the three central atolls in the Maldives was reported. While the 1998 bleaching may not have been the first, it was the most intense and sustained in recent history in the Indian Ocean. The NCRMS (National Coastal Research and Monitoring Strategy) surveys clearly detail the death of live coral in Anbaraa reef (Vaavu Atoll), Thuvaru reef (Meemu Atoll) and the high mortality of corals in Maduvvari reef (Meemu Atoll). Prior to the bleaching event, the reefs were considered luxurious at Anbaraa (patch reef ) and Maduvvari reef, with about 50 - 70% coral cover. Thuvaru reef was a moderately developed reef with less than 30% coral cover prior to bleaching. Fast growing branching corals suffered greater mortality than slow-growing massive corals. Virtually all of the colonies of Acropora spp. (commonly called “staghorns”) in the study sites had died. Similarly, the fast growing Pocilloporids were highly susceptible to bleaching. In contrast, Agariciids and Poritids were more resilient, although they too experienced a decrease in cover. Other scientists found the percentage of living coral cover on several shallow reef flats declined markedly immediately after the bleaching event. Coral cover was reduced from around 22.5 – 70% pre-bleaching to 0 – 10% post-bleaching. The reef flat at Vabbinfaru (North Male’ Atoll) exhibited very high mortality. The luxurious reef at this site gradually became nothing but rubble and sand, which in return increased beach erosion on the island. The resort tried to mitigate the erosion by pumping sand from the reef flat, further destabilizing natural efforts for re-colonization with coral larvae. For centuries coral reefs have adapted to changes in sea levels associated with climate change. Dr. Paul Kench (2005)7 has demonstrated this by drilling through several reefs in South Maalhosmadulu (Baa) Atoll. Healthy
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coral reefs produced sufficient skeletal material to allow reef islands to accommodate rising sea levels on the order that is projected for the next century. The question today is: Are the reefs sufficiently healthy to continue to keep up with sea level rise and maintain the islands? Or are global and local stresses to the reefs so intense as to diminish the growth and reproduction of the corals, resulting in submergence of all or some of the islands of the Maldives?
Tsunami Devastation Coral reefs are critical to the Maldives as they maintain the integrity of atoll islands by providing erosion barriers and are sources of sand and rock. They are also a major attraction for the tourist industry. In December 2004, another natural disaster impacted Maldivian coral reefs. Originating in an earthquake off the east coast of Indonesia, a tsunami struck the Maldives on 26th December 2004. In February 2005, a joint Maldivian and Australian research team surveyed 124 reefs sites in seven Atolls, covering about 170 km of reef margin looking for tsunami damage. They observed localized damage to reefs near inhabited islands from debris (from buildings and other island infrastructure) and sand that had smashed and smothered corals when it had been swept into the ocean. Some of the damage was extensive enough to alter the reef framework. They concluded that there was minor direct damage to coral reefs by the tsunami, but only observed live coral cover in the range of about 4 – 12%. Although the reefs were not particularly luxuriant, they were recovering from the 1998 bleaching. The researchers considered that the 1998 coral bleaching event caused more overall damage to the reef community than the tsunami. They found that the tsunami did not cause significant damage to Maldivian coral reefs, but it was likely that the tsunami slowed recovery from earlier damage caused by bleaching. The damage from the tsunami was far less than the mortality resulting from the 1998 bleaching
event, the on-going human damage to the reefs caused by coral rock and sand collection from reef flats, and the dredge-and-fill operations associated with coastal development. The tsunami did focus attention on the need for better management of direct human pressures and inappropriate coastal development. Researchers note that their assessment of the condition of the reefs was hampered by the lack of comparable prior quantitative surveys that covered the length and width of the country at several depths8.
Erosion After the 1998 bleaching event, it was postulated that waves and bioerosion would operate synergistically to dismantle the reef framework and erode the islands. Boring and grazing organisms like sponges and molluscs might remove calcium carbonate faster than primary frame builders could accrete it and waves would break apart the weakened live rock. As well, it was thought that a tsunami would further wash away the islands. It was hypothesized that the structural integrity of the reef would be determined by the extent and rate of these biogenic and physical processes. Should these processes exceed the very limited accretion rates of the post bleaching reefs, the reefs’ framework could begin to disintegrate, further exposing the islands to the forces of oceanic swells as recorded in the Seychelles. Contrary to popular perceptions of the fragility and vulnerability of Atoll islands, Kench et al. (2006) 9 showed that the uninhabited islands of the Maldives were robust landforms that experienced relatively minor physical impacts from the Sumatran tsunami. Morphological and sedimentary evidence suggests that although tsunamis do generate both erosional and depositional signatures, they do not promote gross instability of islands. Tsunamis are unlikely to be important mechanisms of atoll island destruction if the sand reservoir is conserved during the tsunami. Where the beach sand reservoir was depleted and total beach
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Photo credits: 4,5,7 by Norman Quinn 6 by Atoll Images
volume reduced, it is uncertain if the sediment production from the reef will compensate for this reduction. Without healthy coral reefs, the replenishment of the biogenetic sand necessary for the natural maintenance of these dynamic islands would not be available. While that finding is reassuring for the long term survival for the Maldives, many resorts were constructed with the intent to provide sea side villas. Due to lack of understanding of the dynamics of sand islands and their sand budget, particularly under stressed reef conditions, many resorts are now under threat from severe erosion. In an experiment in 2001 - 2002, Hussain Zahir, PhD, investigated bioerosion on coral blocks at two sites in North Male’ atoll (Zahir 2002)10. He found that there was a significant difference between the sites in the intensity of bioerosion at shallow and deeper depths. However, it was unresolved whether bioerosion would damage a reef ’s structural integrity before it recovered. The answer to that question had to wait several more years when the reefs were resurveyed.
Natural Resilience - Recruitment In spite of the calamities that had happened to Maldivian reefs, results from recruitment experiments were encouraging (Clark 2000)11. Recruitment of juvenile corals to artificial structures 10 months after the bleaching event showed that 67% of visible (≥0.5 cm diameter) recruits were Acroporids and Pocilloporids and 33% were from massive families compared to 94% and 6%, respectively, in 1990–1994. Although the recruitment rate had declined, the potential for restoration through natural recruitment looked promising. Similar post-bleaching dominance of recruitment by branching corals was also seen on nearby natural reefs (78% Acroporids and Pocilloporids; 22% massive corals). In spite of the mortality associated with the bleaching,
4 - Marine Research Center staff members M. Shafiya and H. Hamid observing a school of Oriental Sweetlips (Plectorhinchus vittatus) on a training dive at 15 m along Vadoo Canyons, South Male’ Atoll, January 2009. 5- A sea cucumber (Holothuria atra) lies among the rubble of the devastated reef flat (2 m) at Vabbinfaru reef, September 2009 6- During high tide and strong winds, the waves hit this resort island causing severe erosion. Baa Atoll, October 2008. 7- Diver recording substrate cover on a transect line at Vilingili reef, Addu Atoll, May 2009. 8 - Percent live coral cover reported by surveys undertaken in January – February 2005, a couple months after the December 2004, tsunami. 9 - Comparison of live coral cover data at three sites in 1997 and 1998 (before and immediately after the bleaching event in April – May 1998) (NCMRS 150m point intercept transect, after Zahir 2002)6. 10 - Map of Maldives with coloured areas showing areas with NCRMS sites sampled in 2009.
Norman J.Quinn is grateful to the Council for International Education for the J.W. Fulbright fellowship during the period of the study and for the hospitality and fellowship offered by Dr. M. Shiham Adam and his team at the Marine Research Centre, Ministry of Fisheries Agriculture and Marine Resources. The contribution of many other scientists whose work has been used in this article is gratefully acknowledged.
sufficient numbers of coral colonies survived to produce “viable supplies” of planulae to recolonize the reefs. Later, from the perspective of seven years after the bleaching, it appeared that the patterns and rates of coral recovery were not recruitment limited. Not everyone thought the reefs would recover. From their keyhole perspective at Komandoo house reef (Lhaviyani Atoll), Austrian scientists lead by Dr. Schuhmacher saw the slow and scattered formation of new reef structure, being outweighed by the collapse of dead protruding colonies of tabulate Acropora spp. Six years after the bleaching, the formerly three-dimensional structure of the reef flat and upper reef slope was a levelled field of rubble, only partly consolidated by encrusting corals. From their perspective they saw cascading deterioration of the status of the reef for the future. Similarly, at Vabbinfaru (North Male’ Atoll), the once luxuriant reef flat had been reduced to rubble which has still not recovered. The recovery of most of the reefs surveyed by the MRC during the past decade is remarkable and suggests the question of where the new recruits were coming from. Hussain Zahir from the MRC has observed that recruitment was not a limiting factor for reef recovery. In spite of the recurrent threats to Maldivian reefs, there is hope.
References: 1 Scheer G (1958) Mit der Xarifa bei den Malediven. Jenaer Rundschau 3:156–158 2 Hass H (1965) Expedition into the unknown: a report on the expedition of the research ship Xarifa to the Maldives and Nicobar islands. Hutchison and Co, London 3 Pichon M, Benzoni F (2007) Taxonomic re-appraisal of zooxanthellate Scleractinian Corals in the Maldive Archipelago. Zootaxa 1441: 21-33 4 http://www.iucnredlist.org/static/categories_criteria 5 www.reefcheck.org 6 Zahir H (2006) Patterns of coral community recovery in the Maldives following mass bleaching in 1998. MPhil thesis, Newcastle University, pp. 118 7 Kench PS, McLeanRF, Nichol SL (2005) New model of reefisland evolution: Maldives, Indian Ocean. Geology 33: 145-148 8 AUSaid Annual report 2005-2006. http://www.ausaid.gov.au/ anrep/rep06/pdf/anrep05_06.pdf 9 Kench PS, McLean RF, Brander RW, Nichol SL, Smithers SG, Ford MR, Parnell KE, Aslam M (2006) Geological effects of tsunami on mid-ocean atoll islands: The Maldives before and after the Sumatran tsunami. Geology 34: 177-180. 10 Zahir H (2002) Assessing bioerosion and its effect on reef structure following a bleaching event in the Maldives. in: Coral Reef Degradation in the Indian Ocean, Lindén, O., Souter, D., Wilhelmsson, D. and Obura, D. (eds.), Stockholm: Cordio, 2002. pp. 135–138. 11 Clark S (2000) Impacts of Bleaching on Coral Communities on artificial reef structures in Maldives. Coral reef degradation in the Indian Ocean: Status reports and project presentations 2000.
To assess the health of your coral reefs and to restore damaged reefs. www.water-solutions.biz
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“It’s raining plastic bags” Text & Photos: Verena Wiesbauer-Ali
Background
In February 2010, students of “Thaajuddeen Nature Care” club were the first to participate in a workshop themed “Schools Go Green – To Keep Our Oceans Blue”, organized by Water Solutions, a local environmental consultancy firm. The four-week workshop aimed at creating awareness about the key environmental topics garbage and coral reefs amongst the youngest of the Maldivian society.
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Garbage and littering in the Maldives has undergone a dramatic change during the last thirty to forty years. Before the development of the tourism industry and the advent of modern social amenities, waste was almost entirely of biodegradable nature. Baby cotton nappies were being washed and re-used and baskets were fabricated from natural resources in order to last long. None of the many sea turtles of the early days would have mistaken a floating coconut shell for its food. Since then, it seems that plastic, which was invented in order to
2 carded household items, even a toilet seat. The entrance to the dump site is blocked by piles of garbage and overgrown bushes. On tourist resorts, guests usually would not be able to witness the amount of garbage that is being swept onto the beaches from surrounding islands, because resort staff will make sure that litter is being utterly removed before their guests even leave their bungalow in the morning. It is compulsory for tourist resorts to dispose their waste at Thilafushi, but many resorts reduce transport costs and boats don’t take the full ride to Thilafushi - instead dump their garbage into the sea. Floating dustbins are not an uncommon sight on a ride from one island to the other.
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According to the State of the Environment Report 2004, solid and hazardous waste management has recently emerged as one of the greatest environmental challenges in the Maldives. The worsening waste management situation is attributed, but not necessarily limited to, the rapid growth in population which is unevenly distributed within the inhabited islands, changing consumption patterns, limited land area and the wide distribution of the islands within the maritime area of 859,000 km2 of the Maldives. The worsening situation may cause irreversible damage to the environment through pollution and even now, is a serious threat to public health throughout the Maldives. This growing problem may ultimately threaten the economic development which is intrinsically linked to the tourist and fishing industries and the overall sustainable development of the country. One Grade five student brought the worsening situation to the point with her drawing “It’s raining plastic bags”.
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1. School children of the Nature Club discover garbage during their waste survey. 2. Drawing by a Grade 6 student during the workshop. 3. Beach pollution in Hulhumale’, a reclaimed lagoon intended to serve as an effective solution to the growing problem of congestion within the capital region of the Maldives. 4. Nature Club Students on their field survey in Villingili.
last for centuries, is used to produce items that are consumed within a few minutes. Organic waste is burnt instead of being composted and plastic is stock-piled at the countries’ largest lagoon dump station, Thilafushi. To date, there are no recycling facilities for paper or plastic available and sewage treatment, except for a few resorts, is still an alien business in the Maldives. Solely metal waste such as aluminium is being exported to India. Baby nappies, believed to decompose within not less than 450 years, are conveniently left on the beach after a picnic. To find one of the few public garbage bins in
Male’ or any other inhabited islands has become a challenge - instead, people have adopted the habit to litter on the street, into the vegetation and on the beaches. Not only a problem in Male’ Even the ecosystem in Fuvahmulah, one of the most beautiful and fertile islands in the south of Maldives, is now in danger of being destroyed by waste. Inhabitants reported that even the roads to the central dump station are now lined with garbage: cans, plastic bottles, paper waste, dis-
During the workshop, the ambitious Nature Care students not only learned about garbage, coral reefs and the devastating effects of waste on the environment, but also had to find out how many plastic bags are being used in their families. With an average of 4.7 plastic bags per family per day, the students decided to change this situation and created their own re-usable cotton bags. Seventy five percent of them reported that plastic bags were given away far too often unnecessarily and for small items like an eraser, a lighter or a small water bottle, that could be easily carried by hand or in a pocket. The environment friendly cotton bags were taken for shopping, consequently reducing the use of plastic bags to an average of 1.5 per family/day. However, while some shopkeepers welcomed customers taking along their own shopping bag by giving a discount on their purchase, others mocked parents and students by questioning whether it would actually make sense to “try to save the environment”. During a field survey on Villingili, one of the inhabited islands close to Male’, the students concluded that people litter all kinds of waste, from small to large, from organic to toxic, ir-
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responsibly along the street. Along three 400mtracks, they spotted only four dustbins, of which one was situated right at the ferry terminal, and two were set up by a private person to be used by the public.
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Where do the plastic bags come from? Plastic bags in the Maldives are being imported, but high government import taxes, intended to reduce their use, have prompted some businesses in the country to manufacture their own plastic bags. While a 200 % import duty is levied on plastic bags, the import duty for raw materials is only 25%. The manager of a popular bakery in Male’ told a local newspaper that the store had a machine able to produce 45,000 to 50,000 plastic bags every day. He added that since the bags were produced for their own use, they have not sought permission from the environment ministry to do so. The raw materials are mainly imported from Dubai and Saudi Arabia. Two companies are currently producing plastic bags in the country. However, such production methods without a prior approval pose serious health risks – an employee working in an office behind the bakery reported that he and his colleagues were unable to work whenever the machine was being operated, due to the toxic fumes that are generated. The Environment Ministry is now expected to make an end to such environmental hazards produced in the country and confirmed that they would work on a complete ban on the import and production of plastic bags in the country (as per May 2010). So who is to blame that the country is suffocating under a layer of garbage? We could now start blaming the government for not supplying its citizens with garbage bins, giving the excuse that it is “because Male’s roads are too narrow and fish has been dumped into public bins”. We could convict the government for not having taken the responsibility of creating awareness about this national disaster, for not having imposed fines on littering yet, like it is being practiced in Singapore. We could squint at Bangladesh, which has banned plastic bags completely since 2002 after they have found plastic bags to be the main culprit during the 1989 and 1998 floods by choking the drainage system. Aren’t we a bit jealous to hear that a tax on plastic shopping bags in Ireland has not only cut their use by more than 90%, but has also raised millions of Euros in government revenue spent on environmental projects? On the other hand, we could also blame ourselves for leaving our country to rot. We could admit that it is us who rely on a few municipality workers to clean our juice cans, Supari packets (packed scented areca nuts for chewing) and cigarette butts off the public places. We cannot deny being responsible for contributing to the death of 100,000 marine mammals and sea birds every year when we leave our garbage
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5. Nature Club Students on their field survey in Villingili. 6. A bicycle dumped on the beach.
Solid waste is not the only environmental hazard in the Maldives. Untreated sewerage and contaminants are infiltrating the water and reefs around Male’ on a daily basis, leading to throat infections and gastro-enteritis. Especially people using the swimming track or artificial beach area are under high risk of infection by contaminated sea water. Another major concern is that these contaminants could reach the people by accumulation through the food chain, when infected fish, that have been feeding off one of the five sewerage outfalls around Male’, are being eaten. Likewise, toxic cleaning agents are entering the wood web in the Maldives. Resort guests, like Andreas M. who stayed on a popular tourist island, are concerned about hazardous detergents entering the sea during the cleaning of stairs that enable guests to safely enter the water from their bungalows. “For our bungalow only, the room boy used about 1.5 litres of highly toxic aquamarine pollutant to clean just four stairs”, Andreas noted. “Just imagine how much of this hazard enters the sea after cleaning the whole of 73 bungalows! I’ve been coming to this resort for many years and observed a decrease in fish life – now I know the reason why.”
behind on beaches and in the vegetation of our fragile islands.
The change will come when we all learn to be considerate, when we start thinking it is our problem and raise our voices when we see something happening. Maldivians need to change their attitude and make it their business to ask someone gently not to throw litter if they catch someone in the act. Abdul Hameed Ali, the Director general
of Male’ Municipality, says regulations need to be created to tackle the problem of littering. “We can’t enforce anything without that now,” he says, adding that posters are put up without permission, including ones for government functions. “Just a fine for littering will not do. A six-day jail sentence will inconvenience everyone and make people take this seriously.” The Nature Club students, their parents and teachers, have pulled up their socks and have decided to take responsibility of their actions, even though their efforts may represent only a tiny drop in the ocean.
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BLUE, BLUER THAN BLUE The shades of blues from the air can only be compared with a picture perfect post card. Doesn’t an average person think about why at all the sky or the sea is blue? Banal as it may seem, blues of all shades can only be explained in terms of science. Ironically this reminds me of an experience I had in school, when the teacher asked, “Why is the sky blue,” and everyone plunged into a blank silence!
Text: Aj | Photos: Atoll Images
www.escalemaldives.com 75
hat does the colour blue mean to you? Sadness as in feeling blue, happiness as in days with clearer, blue skies or just a colour? Well, in the Maldives blue means different things for different people. For the sailor the shades of blue in the sea represent a safe path to travel, deep sea, shallow lagoon. For the snorkeler it represents how deep the lagoon is and the boundary for his skills. For the regular Maldivian it means inviting waters of the sea ready to be dived into. The Maldives encompasses of one thousand one hundred islands shaped by the coral atolls that project from the sea. These islands are fringed with white sandy beaches and surrounded by the warm blue equatorial waters. In the Maldives, the colour blue takes on hues of definitions. My work involves frequent travel to these islands and these trips often include taking a sea plane across the Atolls. Despite the number of trips I make, my fascination for the view of the islands, the reefs and different shades of blue from the air, never ceased as if like witnessing something wonderful for the first time. Many countries are known for their unique colour. For instance, Australia is connotated with reddish brown colour for the brown soil found in central regions of the continent. People relate green colour to New Zealand, for the lush green vallies where premium brands of dairy products are produced. Orange is the colour of the Dutch which dates back to Willem van Oranje (William of Orange). Orange symbolizes pride in the country and being Dutch. But Maldives is synonymous with the colour blue since you would not fail to notice the blue and shades of blue water around the islands as soon as you arrive. Reading through the diaries of many travellers who visited Maldives, it is interesting to note that most of them are fascinated with the blue colour of our seas and amazing blue tones of the lagoons which surrounds the shallow reefs and the lush green islands. Some of the words that were used to describe our waters include: turquoise lagoons, azure sea, blue-green waters, navy blue deep lagoon and the ocean blue. All these expressions in an attempt to portray the shades of blues in the Maldives. For centuries, our captains have used these shades of blues, as a tool, to navigate through the shallow and dangerous channels between the islands. This is of course, before the invention of the navigation charts or more recently, the GPS. Even today, many sailors, prefer to sail their dhonies, through atolls during the day to avoid running onto reefs, as the maps used in the GPS have not marked all the shallow reefs, rocks and island accurately. From the history, it is known our great warriors, mastered the skill to navigate through our waters when they were young. In the sixteenth century, the great legend Mohamed Thakurufaanu was able to navigate between Mathi Komandhu and Dashu Komandu while he was chased by Portuguese who were colonising the Maldives. Though it was seen as a miracle, the present day maps and
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When you are in Maldives, the colour blue takes on hues of definitions. charts shows that a navigable channel that can be identified by the shades of blue exits between these islands. As a seafarer, Mohamed Thakurufaanu would have used this route before or decided to pass through the channel by analysing the colour of water. An average Maldivian would be able to tell the depth of a lagoon around an island. How does he do it? The shades of blue are due to the different depths of water. By analysing the colour of water, he could tell the depth of water. Knowing the depth of water is important, if you are not a strong swimmer. It is advisable to start your swimming experience in shallow waters. The average person might now ask why is the sky or the sea is blue? Or what is the definition of the colour “blue”? Banal as it may seem, blues of all shades can only be explained in terms of science. For a scientist, blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. The modern English word blue comes from the Middle English, bleu or blwe, which came from an Old French word bleu of Germanic
origin (Frankish or possibly Old High German blao, “shining”). Blue replaced Old English blaw. For an artist, blue colour can represent happiness and optimism as days with clearer, blue skies tend to be considered times where these emotions are more easily expressed. From the perspective of psychology, the analysis given would be as such. When people are asked their favourite colour, a clear majority will say blue. Much of the world is blue (skies, seas). Seeing the colour blue actually causes the body to produce chemicals that are calming. Many bedrooms are blue because it’s a calm and a restful colour. Over the ages, blue has become associated with steadfastness, dependability, wisdom and loyalty. People tend to be more productive in a blue room because they are calm and focused on the task at hand. Blue will be defined differently by a designer, he would tell you that on the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal mixture of red and green light. However, an English Teacher would refer to “blue” as any colour ranging from navy blue to cyan and may often use to represent the human emotion of sadness, e.g. “He was feeling blue”. So if you were to define and illustrate the blueness around you in the Maldives how would you do it? Looks like there is no one definition but rather an infinite list that you perceive as your preferred description of blue isn’t it? To help you answer the above question, you could use a colour card developed by the surveying department at Water Solutions for reference to the depths of lagoon. This card has been developed by using satellite photos of the lagoon and then undertaking surveying to link the colour to the depths. Satellite photos have made possible to get the different colours of the lagoon. The depths of the lagoon was measured using sonar technology by the hydrographic surveying equipments of the Water Solutions Surveying depa. For reference, I have included a colour chart, which you could use to plan your next snorkelling experience around the island by helping to judge the depths of water around the island.
What the colour Blue means to others: Fo r
a n Et y m o l o g i s t
n e f ro m a m a c h c i , b l e u o r b l w e, w h . s f r o m t h e Mi d d l e E n g l i s h e m o l i sh b l a w c g n e E d l O d e c a T he mode r n English word blu pl e r u le B . ”) g n hini e r man blao, “s (Franki sh or p ossibly O ld High G
O ld Fre nch wor
d ble u of Ge r manic or ig i
t ha
n
p-
n s t ese r ti s a n rep r a s d a y d a n
a i sm t en rc For e coloud optim e skies where ly es a si an b lu Blu ti m r e e er, e ss p in c l e a r i d ere d re m o h a s w i t e c o n ti o n s b o t o e em s . th e r e s s e d p ex
For a scientist
For an English Teacher
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm.
The English language commonly uses “blue” to refer to any colour from navy blue to cyan. In the English language, blue often represents the human emotion of sadness, e.g. “He was feeling blue”.
For a designer On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal mixture of red and green light.
Colour Depths
Below 1m
Note: Currents may be strong at any of these depths.
Snorkelling Guide
Too Shallow to snorkel
Between 1.0 to1.5m
Ideal to snorkel for beginners
1.5 -2.0m
Safe to snorkel for basic beginners
2.0 -5m
Safe to snorkel for intermediate beginners
5-10m
Safe to snorkel for experienced snorkelers
10-25m
Recommended to snorkel only for confident snorkelers
Above 25m
Recommended to snorkel only for confident snorkelers
What is your definition of the colour “blue”? www.escalemaldives.com 77
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What do we do now ?
ear readers, My name is Abcy, and I am a Maldivian singer and songwriter, well-known to locals as “Lavakiyaa Abcy” and my band ‘Out of Doors’. I would like to share one of my songs with you, but before that, let me explain briefly to you how I started singing songs about the environment. Due to the geography of my country, I, just like any other Maldivian, have been living close to the sea for all my life. Moreover, my job requires travelling to tourist resorts by sea, where most of my band’s shows are performed, almost on a daily basis. From the very first day of settlement, locals have experienced minor changes in sea level rise and fall as part of the natural cycle. Heavy flooding events like the one in 1987 which hit Male’ were soon forgotten after the creation of an expensive artificial breakwater. Nobody, not even people like myself, whose life is based largely on travelling by sea both in sunny and stormy weather, could have ever imagined that nature would strike our island nation again. On the 26th of December 2004, my band colleagues and I were sitting together with the resort
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manager at the breakfast table in Coco Palm Bodu Hithi, when the resort’s windsurf instructor came rushing into the restaurant screaming, “The seawater level is rising!” Instantly, we ran to the beach and saw a Catamaran crossing the island’s jetty, which people usually use to safely access the island. Having never experienced anything like this before, we tried to contact Male’ with our mobile phones, but we just couldn’t get through. We observed how the water was then being pulled back, even below the springtide minimum, just like as if a fisherman hauls his fishing net inboard. The water was now about 15 feet deeper than we had seen it before, and left nothing behind except for a few tidal pools. Fish that were trapped in these pools were struggling to escape back into the open ocean, but especially the larger ones were unable to. We jumped down the jetty and rushed to relocate fish from small pools to bigger pools so that they could safely return to the open ocean when the seawater level returned to normal. Only a few days later, when news and magazines were reporting about the “Indian Ocean Tsunami”, we actually realized what has happened on that day. For me, it was clear that from this
experience onwards, I wanted to sing songs about the environment. I started recording a song written by “Professor” Abdulla Sodig (Soadhube; I am calling him “Professor” out of respect for his continuous effort to promote the Dhivehi language). The music video of “Rajjeh ge Aadheys”, as it was called, was broadcasted on TV on the Independence Day 26th July 2007.” In December 2007, the Maldivian Ministry of Environment invited Abcy to the UN Climate Change conference in Bali, Indonesia. During a party organized by a Japanese NGO, he sang “Happy Birthday Kyoto” on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Kyoto protocol, to remind the world to further reduce CO2 emissions. In addition to that, he presented an emotional environmental song – free voice and without music – to the world’s leaders, demonstrating how low-lying nations like the Maldives are suffering. 1000 single CDs of this song were distributed after the climate talks. Written together with his niece-in-law Sinanath Hashim, Abcy expressed his experiences and emotions that he had collected for the last forty years in “What do we do now”:
What do we
do now ?
The sun has se t, the day is do ne I trudge hom e to rest my we ar y bones Feet heavy in a jungle of th orns My forty year old eyes Hold dying bl ades Memories of better days In the land of our forefather s Once lush flo ra flourished here Palms front sw ayed in the air By the gentle breeze So keen to pl ease Surrounded by a living re ef Pearl-white pr ecious sandy beaches This calm pe aceful atmos phere The children ran among th e woods Laughter and hope they di d share Into the glor ious blue sea Where they swam endles sly Down to the fields Where they harvest yield s To bring hom e to the ones you care Are we the on es who care ? Hold my hand out in my pr ayer To look for a better way, to see a brighter We open our day hearts And we do ou r part Don’t let us be the ones to pa y But the harsh waves thunde red right acro Destroyed ou ss r fragile shell Water’s rare, trees don’t gr ow Plastic float on the sea The shoreline is not the sam e The salt’s crep t in and spoi lt it all Our people fo rced to live fo r higher grou nd I turned on th e radio and ev er yd About meltin ay I hear g glaciers and low-lying Nat Environmen ions tal pollution Who’s lookin g for a solutio n? Climate chan ge a threat to mankind Man and his technology Dominates th e news around us
“I met with music legend Abcy, for the first time, at the Climate Change COP 13 meeting which was held at Bali in December 2007. Back then I was working at the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Water and was attending the meeting with the Maldivian Delegation for the Climate Change Negotiation. The Climate Change Meeting at Bali was an important meeting where thousands of delegates participated from over 200 countries and I guess it was one of the most successful climate change meetings ever held. The main achievement of the meeting was the ‘Bali Road Map’ which made the way to COP 15 meeting that was held in Copenhagen in December 2009.”
No one’s stopp ing the greenh ouse gas emiss Making the bl ion anket thicker day by day Aren’t anyone bothers abou t th e deforestatio Earth’s getting n warmer from cruel concen The Earth’s dy tration ing, the clock ’s ticking But are the in dustries awar e? Are we the on es who care ? Hold my hand out in my pr ayer To look for a better way, to see a brighter We open our day hearts And we do ou r part Don’t let us be the ones to pa y Once the wo rld describe th ese islands My Nation, m y land as garla nd in the sea How then m y heart swell ed with prid To belong to e it, to be raise d in it To behold its beauty For this is th e home all we have known The things we knew as alway s true As days rolle d by, I stood alone Tears seeping down my ch eeks As I think of tomorrow’s pl ight My children, my world We’re surely doomed, face d with perils We can neve r fight Are we the on es who care ? Hold my hand out in my pr ayer To look for a better way, to see a brighter We open our day hearts And we do ou r part Don’t let us be the ones to pa y What do we do now ? Don’t let us be the ones to su ffer What do we do now ? Don’t let us be the one to di e What do we do now ? Don’t let us be the ones to pa y it all!
“The Ministry of Environment, Energy and Water invited Abcy to the Bali climate change meeting to facilitate him to launch his song, What do we do now, on an international platform. This was the beginning of an environmental awareness campaign where arts and performance was integrated as a core element of an awareness campaign. It was a great moment that Abcy was able to release his song particularly in the presence of Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary General of the United Nations.” Amjad Abdulla, Ministry of Housing and Environment
AJ, Water Solutions
www.escalemaldives.com 81
Shedding new light on the reef Underwater Fluorescence Text: Verena Wiesbauer Ali Photos: Charles Mazel
Coral is often overlooked by the human eye as banal, an ugly duckling in a vibrant lake of swans.
owever, until recently we have been oblivious to the true identity of coral, its talents hidden during the day under shafts of bright sunlight. It’s only at night when coral reveals itself to be an alchemist and transforms the shadowy reefscape into an underwater carnival of hues of fluorescent red, gold, blue and green. Night diving or snorkelling itself sounds a little scary for those who have never tried it. The thought of swimming in dark waters with only the beam of a flashlight for light keeps you
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imagining what creatures lie outside your light beam. Night diving is a completely different experience than diving during the day. A whole new cast of characters comes alive after the sun goes down and night dives allow you to look at things in a whole new light. Now let’s shed another light on your night dive and go one step further: Strap the yellow “Filter Visor” on your mask, turn off your diving light and switch on the high intensity blue light. With this equipment you are ready to experience fluorescence underwater.
1. Tentacles of an anemone under fluorescent light. 2. Coral under fluorescent light conditions. 3. Coral under normal light conditions. 4. Fluorescent sea anemone. 5. Fluorescent nudibranch.
2
3
Fluorescence is the name for the absorption of light at one wavelength and its re-emission at another wavelength. ‘Absorption’ means that a unit of light (photon) interacts with the molecule to cause an electron to move from a lower to a higher energy level. This is called the excited state and it is unstable. There are several ways that the electron can get back down to the ground state and one of those is fluorescence, in which the electron ‘jumps’ back down to the ground state and a new photon is emitted. The emitted photon always has less energy than the absorbed photon which is where the colour change comes from. We are mostly used to seeing fluorescence produced by ultraviolet light, but the blue has proved to be better at making most things underwater fluoresce. To see fluorescence underwater, you point one light at a target and a totally different colour comes out. One of the characteristics of fluorescence is the intense, highly saturated colours. We are used to seeing things illuminated by white light, which contains all the colours of the spectrum. When something fluoresces, it usually emits only a narrow range of colours, making it appear like a pure colour. When Freddie Mercury sang “one golden glance of what should be, it’s a kind of magic, one shaft of light that shows the way…” in “It’s a kind of Magic”, did he know how close he was to underwater fluorescence?
Animals fluoresce 4
1
What is fluorescence? While coral fluorescence can be explained in terms of physics and biology, the most common description of this phenomenon is – pure magic. Since neon colours are not normally seen in nature, the striking contrast against the dark blackness of night is definitely intense and otherworldly. Fluorescence is everywhere, in our blood and urine, lurking in our gin and tonics, on the stamps we lick and even emanating from the
5 centre of our popcorn. However, ask most people what it is and they will probably describe a row of sterile, bright lights lining their office corridors. The reason so few people know of this phenomenon is because, in general, we don’t see it. By day the weak glow of fluorescence is easily overwhelmed by the ambient light and by night special torches that shine ultraviolet, green or blue light are required to trigger this light show. Add to these physical limitations words such as physics and electrons and fluorescence becomes even more of a mystery:
Corals, anemones, shrimps and nudibranchs, tunicates and bristleworms, even some fish - all fluoresce. Sometimes all of an organism fluoresces with one colour; sometimes there are mixed colours and intensities. Sometimes only a small part of a creature fluoresces and you have to turn on your white light to find out what you are looking at. Some organisms will fluoresce brightly and you will be able to spot them from a distance. Others will not fluoresce as strongly and you will need to get up close to them. In any way, it will be a magical experience which you will never want to miss. Bioluminiscence is not fluorescence Just about everyone who has dived or snorkelled at night would have seen little flashing lights in the water. Usually this comes from single-celled organisms, called dinoflagellates, but there are a number of marine critters that can make their own glow. They produce light by a chemical reaction called bioluminescence, the same way that fireflies light up. Most emit light when physically disturbed, and the motion of your body through the water can set them off. Bioluminescence and fluorescence are both forms of luminescence. A big difference between them is that for fluorescence you have
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6
7
to stimulate the glow by shining a light on the subject, while for bioluminescence everything needed to glow is already contained in the organism. Corals, for example, are not bioluminescent, but with the right light you can make them fluoresce.
Sun-screen for corals? Fluorescence in science Since the first printed record of an observation of fluorescence in marine organisms in 1927, the technology is now widely used by various marine research facilities around the globe to study coral recruitment and survivorship. At the Key Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis at the University of Sydney, Anya Salih investigates the possibility that fluorescence provides a photobiological system for regulating the light environment of coral and its symbiotic zooxanthellae (e.g. Salih et al 20001). Corals use up to 98 percent of the energy produced through photosynthesis by their symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae). To protect the algae from extensive light, especially high levels of UV-rays, corals have a suit of so-called “photoprotective” mechanisms. When a coral becomes overwhelmed by stress, salinity, eutrophication, increased light or temperatures, it loses its algae and their brown pigment, becoming glossy white (“coral bleaching”). Initially studying coral bleaching, Anya and her colleagues found that some corals would bleach and some would not, even ones growing next to each other, the same species under exactly the same conditions. They observed that following most bleaching episodes, fluorescent corals have smaller lesions and are more bleach resistant compared to non-fluorescent corals. When non-fluorescent corals shut down their photosynthesis, their fluorescent counterparts continued. Through the lenses of different microscopes, Anya looked deeper into how coral fluorescence was helping the algae in times of stress. From these findings it would appear
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8 9
6. Fluorescent brain coral. 7. Fireworm under fluorescent light conditions. 8. Fluorescent Lizardfish. 9. Fireworm under normal light conditions. Salih A, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Cox G (1998) Photoprotection of Symbiotic Dinoflagellates by Fluorescent Pigments in Reef Corals. In: Greenwood JG & Hall NJ., eds (1998) Proceedings of the Australian Coral Reef Society 75th Anniversary Conference, Heron Island October 1997. School of Marine Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane. pp.217-230 1
that coral fluorescence is distributed in such a way as to indeed form a sun-screen over the coral tissue and, in doing so, filter the amount of damaging UV light reaching the algae. The more fluorescent a coral is, whether it is green, red or yellow, the more photoprotection it offers. While such sophisticated methods of photoprotection in corals may look like a reason to stop worrying about our ailing reefs, it doesn’t mean that it will save our reefs. As temperatures get higher and bleaching is exacerbated by light, there will come a time when fluorescent mortalities, which already occur, will become more abundant.
How can I see animals fluoresce? Charles Mazel, an MIT graduate who runs one of the most informative sites on coral fluorescence, (www.nightsea.com), has developed special ‘nightsea’ equipment for viewing coral fluorescence underwater. Any diver can use ‘nightsea’ equipment to experience fluores-
cence. Photographer Michael Aw describes how to capture these glowing artworks, “To see or photograph fluorescence, you first need a light source to excite the fluorescence. When you shine the excitation light on the subject, two kinds of light will be coming back towards your eye – the fluorescence you want to image and the excitation light that has been reflected from the subject. So you need a second filter called the barrier filter – it blocks the excitation light and transmits only the longer wavelengths of the fluorescence. For the diver, the barrier filter is worn outside the mask in front of the eyes, for photographers the filter fits over the camera lens.” In the Maldives, only a few resorts have got the specialized flashlight and filter visors for rent. NightSea (MA, USA) ships flash lights, filter glasses and photo accessory worldwide (www.nightsea.com). At Water Solutions office at Dhidhi Goalhi, Ma. Shah, Male’, you can get a buddy package for rent. For further information contact info@water-solutions.biz.
FOOD BANK Dhidhi Goalhi, Male' Tel : 3307770 Fax : 3313008 info@foodbankmaldives.com www.foodbankmaldives.com
Photo: Muha
Snorkellers’ guide to reef fishes PART I Text : Verena Wiesbauer-Ali
ish are the coral reef ’s most conspicuous inhabitants. More species are found on tropical reefs than any other aquatic environment. Of an estimated 12,000 marine fishes, perhaps as many as 7,000 dwell on coral reefs or nearby inshore habitats. Some 1200 species have been recorded in the Maldives so far. Many more undoubtedly await discovery. At first glance, the abundance of fishes on a coral reef seems staggering. Indeed, in certain areas one may find as many as 300 different types inhabiting a small area of the reef. For a beginner, confusion is almost inevitable. To compound the dif-
ficulties, many fish species have different colours in their juvenile and adult forms; in many cases, adult males and females have different colours; and on top of that many individuals change their colours in just a matter of seconds to match their mood or their environment. Moreover, the colour changes rapidly with depth as water absorbs light at the red end of the spectrum. So, for example, fish that appear purple on the surface (or in underwater photos illuminated by flash) may appear blue at depth. But don’t despair - it is well within everyone’s capability to become familiar with the majority of the reef ’s fishes, at least at the family level.
Surprisingly, the bulk of fishes on a typical coral reef belong to relatively few families. Collectively, the ten most abundant families constitute as much as 60-70 percent of all fishes at a particular locality. Few diving or snorkelling sessions suffice to clearly identify them, principally on the basis of shape, general colour pattern themes and behaviour. Here is a capsule summary of the dominant families:
10
THE TOP
Imperial Angelfish (Pomacanthus imperator). Photo: Verena Wiesbauer-Ali
Angelfishes (Pomacanthidae)
Butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae)
Close relatives of the butterflyfishes and equally beautiful, with the exception of a stout cheek spine that is lacking in butterflyfishes. The larger species are prime targets for fish-watchers and photographers. The large Pomacanthus angelfishes are territorial and use their gaudy colours to proclaim their presence to others of the same species, if necessary fighting to defend their patch of reef. Perhaps for this reason, the young are very different in colour from the adults, a strategy that presumably allows the juveniles to feed in peace.
Renowned for their exquisite colour patterns and graceful appearance, butterflyfishes are symbolic of the coral reef, easily recognized due to their standard livery of yellow, black and white. Many of the species feed partly or exclusively on live corals. Black pyramid butterflyfish and schooling bannerfish are plankton eaters and form great schools up and above the reef. Many species are often seen in pairs, which scientific studies have revealed are permanent lifetime bonds.
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Triggerfishes (Balistidae) Triggerfishes are named for a special mechanism in their dorsal fins. The stout first spine can be locked in an upright position, allowing the fish to jam itself in a reef crevice, for example to sleep at night. The second, smaller spine acts as a trigger, unlocking the first spine if pushed down. Triggerfish lay their eggs in a shallow depression on the bottom and guard them until they hatch. Titan triggerfish are notoriously aggressive when defending their nests that they are often considered being the most dangerous fish in the Maldives. They are certainly capable of inflicting a very nasty bite.
(For more information on dangerous marine animals, check-out our booklist in the Agenda section of this magazine.)
Damselfishes (Pomacentridae) Perhaps the most noticeable inhabitants of the reef. They form large plankton-feeding schools above the reef. Other bottom-dwelling species occupy territories that blanket the reef ’s surface. Two species, the blue-green Chromis and the Fuslier damselfish occur in such abundance that they are sometimes caught in bulk and used as live bait in the tuna fishery. Two of the most easily identified species belong to the anemonefishes, found in close association with giant sea anemones. Giant Triggerfish (Balistoides viridescens). Photo: Verena Wiesbauer-Ali
Wrasses (Labridae) These colourful fishes inhabit all reef environments. They feed on mainly small invertebrates, either on the bottom or in mid-water. They usually spawn at dusk either in pairs or in groups that are dominated by one or more gaudily coloured males. Wrasses change sex as they grow, the largest individuals being males. Colour pattern often changes with sex and juveniles sometimes have distinct colouration too. So there is plenty of room for confusion when trying to identify wrasses.
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Surgeonfishes (Acanthuridae) Surgeonfishes are often seen in schools, sometimes containing several species. They graze on the filamentous algal mat that covers the reef. Surgeonfish have sharp scalpel-like spines on their tail stocks, and it is these that give them their name. Most Maldivian species have one pair, but the unicornfishes have two. These spines are important in defence but they are also used in fights within species.
Groupers, Cods and Basslets (Serranidae)
Parrotfishes (Scaridae) Close relatives of the wrasses and one of the dominant algal-feeding families. Juveniles and females (“initial phase”) are generally drab in comparison to the gaudily coloured “terminal phase” males. Individuals are capable of femaleto-male sex change. With their powerful fused teeth, parrotfish feed by scraping algae from the reef. They take in quantities of the underlying limestone rock at the same time. Not only does this keep the growth of algae in check, but it also contributes enormously to the production of sand, the essential ingredient in the formation of Maldivian islands. Twenty-three species of parrotfish have been recorded in the Maldives.
Blennies (Blenniidae) Most Blenny species are bottom-dwelling grazers. Blennies can be easily mistaken for gobies. However, blennies have one long dorsal fin (two in gobies) and often show sensory tufts near their eyes (absent in gobies). The Sabretooth blennies have one pair of enormous fangs, which in their case grows out of the lower jaw. Several species of sabretooth blenny feed by ripping scales and chunks of fin from larger fish. Some species have potent venom associated with their fangs, so predators avoid them.
Only in Maldives
The groupers and their relatives all belong to one of the largest and most diverse fish families dwelling on Maldivian reefs. The groupers themselves are voracious predators of small fishes. They are also the targets of a fishery that supplies the Chinese markets of East Asia. As a result, large groupers are now much less common on Maldivian reefs than they used to be. The family also includes the dainty and brightly coloured fairy basslets or Anthias, which are particularly common on outer reefs and dropoffs. The basslets, of which are there two species in the Maldives, normally hide in the back of caves and overhangs on the reef slope.
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a). Photo: Verena Wiesbauer-Ali
Gobies (Gobiidae) Last but not least, these fish living at the bottom are actually the most abundant of all reef fishes in terms of number of species. There are more species of goby in the Maldives than that of any other fish family. Over 100 species have been recorded so far and many more are likely to occur here. But they are easily overlooked due to their diminutive size (many under 4-5cm) and cryptic habits. Look closely at the surface of rocks, sponges and corals and you will begin to appreciate the diversity of this interesting group. Some of the most beautiful members of the family share their sandy burrows with shrimps.
ost reef fish species found in the Maldives have very wide distributions. Many species range from the shores of East Africa to the far reaches of the tropical Pacific, a distance of many thousands of miles. But it is quite common for reef fishes to live their entire adult lives on just one reef, in many cases on just one small patch of reef. So how do such stay-at-homes come to have such enormous ranges? The answer is that nearly all reef fishes release their eggs into the open water. Larvae hatch from the eggs and are carried far and wide by the powerful ocean currents that sweep across the Maldives. As a result, only a handful of fishes are unique to the Maldives and its imme-
Photos: Atoll Images
Bluestreak sleeper goby (Valencienna strigat
y (Escemi Lined blenn
us Lineatus
). Photo: Ve
rena Wiesba
uer-Ali
diate surroundings. These include the Maldives anemonefish, Maldives sandperch, Maldives triplefin and Maldives Blenny. All are commonly found here and are well worth looking for.
EXCAVATORS secret arm of the Maldives Text & Photos: Island Projects
The development that we see in Maldives is attributed to many things: good leadership, educated human resources, skilled workforce, healthy public policies, respect for human rights, good governance and technology. These are some of the basic pre-requisites for developing any country and have helped to bring Maldives to its present status. Forty years ago adequate human resources were very limited and had this not changed, the country’s development status would not be at its present level. Similarly, technology, high tech equipment and machinery use were not as common thirty or forty years ago. The construction industry is one area which has made a big impact on the country’s development. Most notably, the development of the construction industry has revolutionized the tourism sector bringing more diverse products and designs that were not considered possible many years ago. This lead to the development of more tourist resorts offering complex and diverse services and products. As tourism spread across to the outer atolls, so did development. Male’ was transformed from a quiet island to a
concrete jungle. Harbours were developed on remote islands, airports were built connecting the tiny island nation to the world, and not to mention many other projects elsewhere in the country which enabled it to climb on its developmental ladder. . Technology has played a vital role in bringing the construction industry of Maldives to its present state. Back in 1960, when the country’s first airport was opened in Hulhulé island, there was hardly any technology used due to the lack of high tech equipment back then. Over the years, as technology evolved, it became increasingly popular in Maldives. The computer revolution, mechanization of fishing boats and the ever increasing use of heavy industrial machinery are just a few examples. Today, almost all large civil projects utilize computer technology, skilled labour and heavy machinery to execute tasks. Gone are the days when humans were used to load and unload heavy materials. Now it is commonplace to manage more complex projects with the help of computer technology. Even simple tasks like digging a hole in the ground is hardly done by
hand. Whether it is thrusting a pole into a lagoon, or unloading cargo from a ship, heavy machinery use is indispensable in today’s construction industry. Cranes, lorries, excavators, barges, loaders, trucks are just basics for any construction project today. Of all these, the mighty excavator is one piece of machinery that deserves a lot of credit. Excavators have become the most versatile and utilized piece of machinery in all civil construction projects. Excavators nowadays perform all sorts of heavy work - be it the development of an airport, demolition of a building, construction of a harbour, reclamation of land or simply digging a hole. Since its introduction into heavy projects, excavators have played a vital role in the construction industry and in the development of Maldives. There is no construction project that will not utilize an excavator today.
How did this metal beast become the best friend of Maldives? If you examine the versatility of an excavator, it is beyond doubt that this piece of machinery is designed to perform very complex and heavy work. It functions on both land and sea. It can lift heavy loads, it can dig fast, demolish buildings and transport goods. Throughout the Maldives, excavators work around the clock to meet project schedules. There is no turning back when they start working. Weather is not a hindrance to its work as long as someone operates it. This is the operator, its best friend. Most excavator operators are proud of their machine and some even have a personal connection with
it. They perform tasks and reduce the cost of hiring other machinery which is not only expensive, but are sometimes not available in the Maldives and practically impossible to mobilize to some work sites. Therefore, it is no wonder why excavators are so popular in Maldives and every construction project in the country today will have a fair share of them. Needless to say, this piece of machinery will always be required with the increasing number of developmental project around the country until one day technology introduces yet another viable alternative.
Excavators and dredging
Dredging is the process of removing sand from the seabed and has become an important development activity in the Maldives. Every year, several thousand cubic meters of sand must be dredged from the seabed to create harbours or improve and maintain the navigational system in islands. Dredging requires expensive dredgers, but for most projects, excavators come to the rescue. Cutter dredgers are not only expensive, but they are bulky, huge and difficult to manoeuvre in shallow waters. The 460 excavator is ideal for dredging projects such as the creation of harbours. Seen here (top photo) is a 460 excavator engaged in a dredging operation. The large bucket of this beast combined with enormous strength provides perfect combination of power, agility and speed that helps to complete projects on time. Even the toughest seabed cannot resist this mighty beast’s enormous power.
A quick run through various development projects in the Maldives will provide insight into the everyday life of this metal beast and its use.
Excavators in the Water
The most common over-water buildings in Maldives can be found in the resorts. Construction of over water structures requires working in harsh environments and balancing work with tidal changes. What could be better than a high neck excavator for this job? Armed with its long extended body, strong bucket and rails, it can reach anywhere in the sea. In shallow waters, high neck excavators can make their way up to the reef edge or close to deep water. When the water level is too high, they can be operated from a barge. A high neck excavator at work in the open sea (bottom photo). This is not a problem for this machine as it can make its way to the reef edge in low to medium tide. Seen here is a high neck excavator engaged in a mission to develop water villas. Such scenes are common in resorts under construction. The job requires versatile machines that can adapt to harsh environments. An excavator engaged in constructing a breakwater (above photo) with rock boulders. Each of these boulders weights more than a ton, impossible to hand carry. Placed on a barge, the excavator works round the clock. For excavators, this is just another simple task.
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Loading and unloading heavy material Construction sites require materials, and most of them are heavy and come in plenty. Sometimes, getting them on to our islands is not a simple task, especially if there are no access jetties. In these instances, excavators come to the rescue. When cargo vessel is too huge to get close to any island, the excavators will do the job. They can work on the sea without any problem. Seen here are two excavators working round the clock to unload rock boulders from a huge cargo barge. The barge is too huge to get close to the shore.
Reclamation In reclamation projects, they perform more than 50% of the job. Besides the dredger, it is the most important machine on the construction site. Sometimes, depending on the scale of the project, excavators perform the role of a dredger. They can both dig and spread sand to areas requiring filling or they can work in partnership with other machinery. An excavator spreading sand in a reclamation project. It is assisted by a loader (bottom right).
Simple tasks are not always simple Sometimes depending on where you are and what you do, even simple tasks can become very tough. The excavator may help you save time when simple tasks become too difficult for human labour. Sticking a pole into the sea bed might sound like a simple task, but in reality it is not, especially when the sea bed is solid rock. For an excavator, it is a simple task, even though this is not what it was designed for. A small excavator making its way in shallow water to reach a barge loaded with construction material. Unloading such cargo is almost impossible and time consuming if done by hand. Excavators can lift several tons on a single lift, while being in the water. The financial loss would be immense if unloading gets delayed or cannot be done at all.
Multi-tasking The versatility of the excavator is unmatchable. It can perform many different tasks in a short period of time. Unlike other machines, where work is specific, there is no particular job description for the excavator. Seen here is a multi-tasking excavator, dredging sand and moving rock boulders at the same time.
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“Excavators make life easier in developing a five star resort from unloading cargo to placing concrete columns in the lagoon”. “Rayman Mathew Norton” - Project Manager, Evason laamu. Ray was also a consultant to Jumeirah and has more than 14 years of project management experience in the Maldives, most of them in resort development projects.
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The Dancing Shoreline
Text : Mazin | Photos : Amooo
he Maldivian archipelago consists of 1,192 low lying islands just a few meters above the sea level. As a result, a lot of fluctuations occur at the shoreline. Geological composition of rock and soil determines the type of shore and they are easily influenced by changes in the surrounding environment as well as by changes in tides. The latter is affected by wind direction, amongst few other natural phenomena.
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Maldives experiences two seasons: the wet and dry season. Movements along the shoreline occur due to varying winds as seasons change. During this process, wind directions cause islands to erode on the windward side, simultaneously imposing a mechanism of gathering sand on the opposite side. The delicate shoreline then suffers under natural factors such as changes in tides and is easily noticeable throughout the day. During high tides, for instance, beaches generally appear to be smaller.
The three pictures on the right show changes in the shoreline of an island during the Northeast monsoon. The first picture, in December 2009, shows the beach line of the island during the early days of the monsoon and the last one shows the shoreline of the same island just before the end of season. During the Northeast monsoon beaches are at their best state on the south ad western sides as sand is gathered on these sides.
On the other hand, strong winds during the south-west monsoon cause more erosion from mostly the west side as waves break on the beach at high speeds, compounded by heavy showers and a rise in sea level. Stronger currents make the beaches look smaller and in some places almost nonexistent. As the season draws close to an end, the beaches will appear wider and bigger. The resulting phenomenon is best visualized by a white ring of varying widths undulating around the island under nature’s forces. Remarkable as it is, the changes that occur in the shoreline are so drastic that people find it hard to believe that the place where they had their moonlight dinner in one month has disappeared in another month.
December
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January
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Observe how the tip of the island is changing within a period of six months
A certain amount of beach erosion is natural, in fact it is even healthy for ecosystems. An excessive amount of erosion, however, is damaging and an outright loss of sand may cause structural damage. The cause of this is movement of sand beneath buildings during the monsoon and due to tidal changes. Though change in shoreline is a vital and natural occurrence, human activities have brought drastic changes to shorelines. In severe cases of erosion, the bed rock, the base of an island could be seen. One of the most serious issues we are facing today all over the world is global warming and Maldives is one of the few unfortunate countries that would be severely affected.
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The rise of sea level also means increased erosion which we are witnessing today. Shorelines will change naturally, but human activities further exacerbates this. For example, cutting down trees does not only have an effect on global warming; it also has a major effect on the shoreline and how it alters. Trees do not only provide food and shade for us, but they minimize erosion. The national tree of Maldives, the coconut palm is known to be the best to mitigate erosion. The roots hold the sand together, reducing erosion. Cutting of trees to fulfill human needs, such as for construction purposes may be essential, but should be done carefully. Building of jetties and villas over water are other activities that worsen erosion. Although they are done for economic gais, the results are much more damaging than the benefits. Shorelines of resort islands are heavily influenced during construction stage. Even though the shoreline is monitored before the construction, the human interference changes the natural flow of the waves and currents. Building of water villas and jetties causes adverse erosion on the down-drift
3 Facing page: The beach of Constance Halaveli Resort in north Ari atoll. Although beautiful, the beach is influenced by the monsoons. 1. Illustration showing how the shoreline changes during different times of the year in Olhahali Island in North Male’ Atoll. The southern sandspit in this island moves like a tail through out the year. 2. The dynamic shoreline of Constance Moofushi Resort. 3. Dancing shoreline is not always good news. Erosion is a common environmental issue to the islands threatening man made structures and the natural environment, like this coconut tree in the islan of Mudhdhoo in Baa atoll. Although this is a postcard view, this is something that everyone wants to avoid.
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Corals used to be mined in Maldives to build houses until recently, when the inhabitants were unaware of its detrimental effects on the environment. As new developments and revised methods of construction are introduced, it is now forbidden to extract corals from anywhere in the Maldives.
4 side and beach buildup on the up-drift side. Columns of jetties repel the waves, disturbing the natural current regime and the movement of the shoreline. Added to the loss of sand from erosion is the loss of sand from the beaches where sediment is extracted for construction purposes. Although rarely practiced in recent times, “sand mining” is still practiced and must be stopped completely if shorelines are to undergo the natural “maintenance” process. For this fragile area to be able to adapt to the harmful effects of global warming, nature must be left to take its own course. Corals used to be mined in Maldives to build
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houses until recently. Long time ago, the inhabitants of islands were unaware of its detrimental effects to the environment. As new developments and improved methods of construction were introduced and the rising of the environmental movement, it was prohibited by law to extract corals from anywhere in the Maldives. Evidence of the effects may have not been visible then, but it is evident. A healthy balance between development and conserving our environment is required if we want our shorelines to continue to ‘oscillate’ in a healthy manner, for our future generations. In desperation to control the oscillation
of the shoreline, man made structures such as breakwaters, groynes, sheet piles are built around islands to control the excessive erosion. Groynes are concrete structures extending from the shore into the sea. Protection of the shore with a single groyne is inefficient, so numerousgroynes are required. They may not be attractive but are imperative to save one of the most beautiful features of Maldives. The problem is that they are constructed withut properly understanding the shoreline and how it will react to them. This has become one of the biggest challenges in Maldives. The main function of these groynes is to
5 4. This small island has a relatively large beach compared to the island size. The size and shape of of the beach is in a continous motion throug out the year as can be seen from the shallow areas of the lagoon close to the beach. 5. Breakwaters like these help control erosion by reducing the effect of waves on the shoreline.
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The island of Bodumohoraa in Vaavu Atoll. These photos were taken in May (left) and August (right). The shoreline or the beach is never the same. This means that the beach keeps changing seasonally. This is the reason why very large beaches in some islands dissapear when the season changes. Travellers who visit the same resort islands year after year, especially during different months of the year will notice this phenomena. It is a fascinating change, but also has its drawbacks.
control the movement of sand and to maintain a stable beach. However, they have to be placed in the right way in order to fuction the way they are intended to. On the other hand, the breakwater stops the strong waves from breaking on the beaches at a high speed, minimizing erosion. Sheet piling is another process employed to minimize erosion and it is often undertaken on the existing beach shoreline for the development of harbours. The waves break on to the pile of sheets hammered into the ground at a very high speed. This unsightly structure will remain as the permanent shoreline, bringing a stop to the sediment movement. Although these are some of the hard engineering methods
to control erosion, the most common form of shoreline protection is beach nourishment, considered as a soft engineering solution. Sand on an eroding beach can be manually replenished with sand pumps until the beach undergoes erosion once again, allowing the beach to look natural rather than keeping it in place with artificial structures like groynes or seawalls. However, this has an impact on the beach ecosystem. When beaches are nourished steeper than their original profile, they limit the use by various marine life.
the sun on your face as the waves tease your toes while you lay on the beach, but only if there is one to relax. Shoreline is a dynamic place and they dance to the rythm of nature. The shoreline will continue its slow oscillation for thousands of years if not for man’s action. Maldives is blessed with white sandy beaches on their shorelines, so why not let the oscillation continue as it always has, forever more.
The shoreline is a unique and an integral part of the island geography. It is wonderful to feel
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A popular picnic island in Vaavu Atoll.
verysmall islands Text & Photos : Amooo
he very thought of a tropical island excites everyone, especially if one has never been to one. They are the favourite holiday destinations for millions of people and every year these paradise seekers flock to different parts of the world where islands are the key attractions. The islands of Maldives are among these and are known for their white beaches, crystal clear lagoons, beautiful coral reefs and the isolation from the rest of the world. These islands form and erode and continuously change shape in a battle against nature. While some islands grow in size, others shrink as a result of erosion. Islands of different sizes and shapes have been formed since formation around 3000 years ago. Locally attributed measurements are unique to Maldives; for example even a 14 hectare island is considered “large” and if it is more than this, it is considered a “very large” island. Fourteen is just an example, not that it is the number that dif-
ferentiates between small and big islands! Very large islands are not common and they are found mostly in the southern Atolls, even though some appear in the northern Atolls as well. Analysing the patterns of human settlement would reveal a surprise, in that people do not necessarily choose larger islands, but smaller ones. Evidence is still visible today, although there are few exceptions. There could be logical reasons to believe that when people first settled in the islands, they would have chosen to stay in a close community where everything is easily accessible. There could be other reasons too; compared to large islands, the number of small islands is much higher and they are scattered all over the atolls. Among these are a specific group of islands that are even more unique with distinct characteristics. Minimal in character with less or no vegetation, these islands are not habitable, yet people from all walks of life long to be there or dream about visiting these “Very Small Islands”.
1 When we talk about small islands, perceptions of the word may leave one in doubt as to their actual size. Almost all the islands of Maldives are “small”. The word ‘island’ itself can be misleading and often it’s hard to spontaneously imagine its size. Sri Lanka is an island, Fiji is an island nation, but these islands are like continents in comparison to the islands of Maldives. Therefore, in Maldives, very small islands can be considered as those with all the characteristics of an island, with the exception that they are very very small indeed, even under Maldivian standards. In fact too small that most people would find it hard to call it an island. To illustrate the notion of “very small islands” let’s assume that these islands are less than half a hectare or even smaller and plenty of them are scattered all over the Maldivian archipelago. Some of these islands are a few meters in length and some will have only bushy vegetation or a single palm tree. Most of these islands are mature sand banks and hence they are very young as an island. Nevertheless, some of these islands are also mature and quite old. They even have very old trees and have been there for many years.
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1. A very small and young island in Raa Atoll. 2. Very small islands like this one in Vaavu Atoll are popular picnic destinations for locals and for foreigners.
Minimal in character with less or no vegetation, these islands are not habitable, yet people from all walks of life long to be there or dream about visiting these “Very Small Islands”. Vaadhoo Island Resort in South Male’ Atoll is one of the smallest resort islands in the Maldives. Despite it’s recent re-development, the size of the island has remained the same. Kodahutta, is a uniquely shaped small island in Gaafu Alifu Atoll.
Among these very old small islands, vegetation has been known to have been there for more than a hundred years. Flying over the Atolls, it would be impossible to miss these islands as they are found on almost every route from one Atoll to another. Their numbers vary from Atoll to Atoll, sometimes a few to hundreds, but they are all unique and visually stunning. If you ever get there, you will be surprised to know the amount of activities one can do there. Most of these very small islands are formed either on their own coral reefs or as small islets together with other islands on the same coral reef. Some of the large reefs in Maldives have quite a handful of them, like one of the coral reefs in south Huvadhoo Atoll or Gaafu Dhaalu (G.Dh.) Atoll. The reef that stretches from Madaveli island (G.Dh.) to Fiyoree island (G.Dh.) is 35km long and has more than 80 islands; among them only five islands are inhabited. The rest are uninhabited and most of them are quite small. Some very small islands are even formed on very small reefs, barely emerging above the sea, yet they manage to survive as an island. Despite their size, these islands are unique and play an important role in the lives of the Maldivian
people. Not only are they important to our livelihoods, but also for tourists and travellers. For example, very small islands near resorts are used by guests on a daily basis for relaxing, barbeques and snorkelling, thereby bringing income to the government and the resort. Some of these islands are leased by the government to nearby tourist resorts while others are leased for locals. Small islands near resorts allow them to diversify their service to include a hint of luxury and a unique experience that other resorts lack. Very small islands near inhabited islands are often used by locals mostly for picnics as they provide an occasional getaway from the routines. The majority of their users come from cruise ships which is now a major segment of the tourism industry in Maldives. People on cruise ships and liveaboards target small islands simply to get away from the monotonous environment of a boat and to get maximum enjoyment from their holiday. Liveaboards docking near these islands with groups of tourists are a common sight. They are almost always used to host barbeques for guests among other things to add that extra flavour of uniqueness to their liveaboard experience.
industry especially will no doubt argue their value. Many conflicts and lawsuits over some of these islands have proved their importance and value as these symbols of the local geography play a vital role in the Maldivian economy. They are a big part of the Maldives brand. Moreover, it’s where evolution and survival of islands could be studied by scientists and researchers and coastline changes could be monitored over time. Clearly this has remained less of an area that has appealed to the majority of those seeking exotic spots.
Most inhabited islands are either overcrowded or do not have enough empty space. The natural beauty of these small islands is unmatchable - there is no place in Maldives that could be more beautiful than some of these islands. Despite their size, locals would take every opportunity to organise a visit, and tourists get away to these islands for more privacy. It’s the very small size that lures people to these spots. Whoever says ‘size matters’ is wrong when it comes to these tiny islands. It is the small size that attracts so much attention.
As economic activities spread across the country, a number of uninhabited islands are being utilised for industrial purposes and the use of these islands are causing considerable changes to the island biodiversity. Fortunately those that are untouched, the ‘very small islands’, have been spared because they are simply too small for any economic activity. There are a multitude of activities one can do on one of these islands. Take your family there and spend the entire day in the comfort and privacy only for you in the pristine environment, or have a barbeque under the open sky surrounded by virgin natural beauty and spending a romantic day out with your loved one to name a few. For many, it’s a wild dream come true, so getting there is more important than comparing its cost. It is definitely on top of my ‘things-to-do’ list.
Regardless of how they are used, very small islands are a part of our unique geography with unique characteristics. For this reason, some of them have become symbols and playgrounds for the rich and the famous bringing millions of dollars to the local economy. Hence it’s no more a mystery why they have become so valuable. The tourism
Very small islands are the ultimate destination for the tropical dream chaser. They provide all the luxury of pure nature and the best of Maldives. The isolation gives a thrill of enjoying solitude but also to possess something precious that we humans so often crave: a jewel in the sea and complete privacy, a rare moment indeed. Contrary to the common notion, these islands, unlike their larger counterparts, provide much more to the holidaymaker. Just because an island is small doesn’t mean it has nothing to offer. In fact, it is that “nothing much” that makes them unique and costly to get there.
Exploring these small islands will never be tough due to their very small size.
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Unlike some of the islands in the Pacific and Caribbean, the islands of Maldives are all flat, just around 1 meter above the sea level and therefore pose no significant challenges. Some of the densely vegetated islands can be quite interesting for exploration as you will understand how islands are formed. Trees and other types of vegetation will almost always be very young, native and in different stages of maturity, the shoreline will be free from human influence and for those who are fortunate, native sea birds and turtle nests can be seen. Most of these very small islands are uninhabited and are not leased to anyone and hence can be visited. Some of these islands close to resorts are however leased and remain as hotel property.
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Some resorts have also been developed on very small islands, as small as less than two hectares. For example, Vaadhoo island in South Male’ Atoll is just over 1 hectare and Bolifushi island used to be just 1.5 hectares until its expansion began in 2009. Regardless of their size, they were among the top islands in the tourism industry. Even today, Vaadhoo is a well known resort and the size of the island has remained the same despite its recent upgrade. I have been fortunate to travel frequently across Maldives and during my trips I have had many opportunities to visit many of these very small islands. I have seen that no two islands are the same and no matter how many times I go there, I look forward to the next opportunity to visit there. Whether resorts use them as private islands or locals from nearby inhabited islands may use them for picnics, very small islands are places for both Maldivians and visitors. There will always be something for everyone on these tiny patches of islands to explore.
7 3. Two children enjoying the beach in a very small picnic island. Such small islands are very popular destinations for day picnics 4. Hardly without any trees, vegetation has just started to grow in this young island in north Alif Atoll 5. Vaagali in South Male’ Atoll. 6. Island of Olhahali in North Male’ Atoll, a very small and a popular picnic island. 7. A local poses for a photo in this very small island in Vaavu Atoll on a sunny day while many locals are seeing enjoying the beach in the background.
5 Amazing Very Small Islands recommended by Escale Maldives 1- Vabboahuraa island in North Kaafu Atoll, which is on the same lagoon as Chaayaa island Dhonveli resort 2- Vaadhoo island resort in North Kaafu Atoll is one of the smallest resort island in the Maldives. 3- East of Hakuraahuraa are three very small beautiful islands used as picnic islands by guests from the nearby resorts. 4- Vaagaili in South Male’ atoll is a very small picnic island 5- Aidhoo island in Baa Atoll formed on the eastern atoll rim. 6- Hanifarurah in Baa Atoll which is formed on Hanifaru reef, a protected area. 7- Kaashidhoo island in Baa Atoll. 8- Alikoirah in North Alif Atoll is a popular hot spot among safari vessels and also nearby resorts use this island for day picnics. 9- On the western rim of Laamu Atoll are numerous small islands. 10-On the western rim of Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll are also numerous very small islands.
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The Two Worlds of Felivaru Kandu Text & Photos : Amooo
The wreck of Skipjack II with its classic bow emerging out of the water. Below the water is a completely different world.
n a world dominated by beauty and glamour, there is a place in Maldives that is quite the opposite and everything except beauty is what attracts attention to this place. Unfortunately, not many people are normally attracted to ugly things, but suffice to say, there are those who do have a fascination for them. Forget beautiful
women, expensive cars or luxury yachts because even people who have all these luxuries will forget them for a moment to come and see this place for once. I was lucky to be among those people. Before I came here for the first time, the anticipation was killing me as this has been one place that I longed to visit since childhood.
1 At last in 2008, I made my first dive here and it was as exciting as I had anticipated. The minute I started my descent, I resented for not being here all these years. After all I have been living in Maldives all my life. Not even half way through my dive, I was thinking and planning my next dive here. Anybody travelling to south or north of Maldives by sea through Lhaviyani Atoll will come across one of the most fascinating dive destinations in the Maldives. The initial glimpse may seem unsightly, unless of course you know about it. Part above the water and part beneath the water, it’s a place where beauty and ugly collide. Lying south west of Hinnavaru island and north east of Felivaru island is Felivaru Kandu, a famous diving channel. Lying at the bottom are remains of two wrecks that will take your breath away. Skipjack II can be seen from a distance and the other wreck rests 30 meters below. But it is the Skipjack II that attracts most attention. The wreck lies on the western reef of Gaavelifaru, a reef between the island of Felivaru and Hinnavaru. As you approach the wreck, the only thing that is visible is the bow of the ship emerging 5 meters above water level and slightly leaning on the reef.
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The rest is submerged. To a non-diver, it’s an eyesore that ruins the beautiful scenery with the reef and the small uninhabited island on Gaavelifaru. All of what is left on this shipwreck is rust and if you get an opportunity to get close enough, which is very easy, you will see the fire holes and the amount of destruction that caused this ship to sink. Some highly salt tolerant trees have somehow managed to grow on the bow and sea birds often make this a transit point on their routine hunting journeys. But for divers, it’s a different story. As you dive here, the sheer beauty of this wreck will captivate you. It’s like a person in disguise and it is wreck diving at its best. Lying in a channel, the strong current flow ensures that adequate nutrients are supplied throughout day and night, resulting in abundance of fish and healthy coral growth. It’s a place where schools of jackfish, glass fish, beautiful soft corals, hard corals and several other types of fish have made their home. A place also visited by hundreds of divers from all over the world. Pelagics like sharks, barracudas and eagle rays are often seen here. This is a place where two worlds collide but they have managed to remain in harmony.
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(Kuredhdhoo Island Resort)
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As you dive here, the sheer beauty of this wreck will captivate you. It’s like a person in disguise and it is wreck diving at its best. Lying in a channel, the strong current flow ensures that adequate nutrients are supplied throughout day and night, resulting in an abundance of fish and healthy coral growth. Welcome to the Shipyard, as this dive site is popularly known among divers. Every dive book and guide book on Maldives will have this wreck featured and if it did not, then the author must have missed an important point. Wreck diving is a fun activity because ships on the seafloor provide a unique diving experience. Divers have always been fascinated by wreck exploration, irrespective of their size or history as experience is different. Among the wrecks in Maldives, Shipyard has unique characteristics which make this wreck even more alluring. First is the Skipjack II, which is partly emerged above the sea level. The rusted bow has now become a trademark of Lhaviyani Atoll and is synonymous with the island of Felivaru where the country’s first tuna canning factory operates. Some even call it Felivaru Wreck and to me it’s a more suitable name than Shipyard. Secondly, it provides snorkelers and skin divers the opportunity to explore a wreck without the SCUBA gear. Normally, wrecks are not for snorkelers as most are found in deep waters. The top 5 meters of the Skipjack II is most notable for numerous and colourful reef fishes and soft corals inhabiting the wreck itself and they are as beautiful as those found at the bottom. Snorkelers and skin divers
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How to access
Access to this wreck is by a boat, although technically you can even enter from the shallow reef. However, most divers access this wreck by a boat. Finding the wreck is not a difficult task as the bow is exposed about 5 meters above the water. Depending on the strength and direction of the currents, you will have to jump either from north or south of the wreck. Either way, the first thing that you will notice when you descend is the slanting position of the Skipjack II. As you go down, you will notice a large gap between the hull and the reef created by the position of the wreck. The stern rests at about 30 meters and from about 5 meters from the bow, the hull rests on the reef. The topography of the reef creates this empty space where the hull looks suspended in the water column. The position of the hull is very interesting, especially when it is silhouetted against the sun. It looks like an underwater bridge, so that several divers can swim through this large gap together. The wreck has a very healthy population of soft corals, especially at the bottom.
1.The stern of the wreck rests at the bottom and a section of one of the cabins lay beside the wreck. 2.Location of the wreck. 3.Soft corals occupy the majority of the wreck with fascinating encounters. 4. With the sun in the background, the wreck provides very interesting photo opportuities. 5. Many large fish take refuge inside this broken section of the wreck and divers often get to experience them very closely.
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6 can therefore enjoy and explore the wreck itself. Thirdly, a second shipwreck lies just south-east of Skipjack II at a depth of 30 meters, so experienced divers get to explore two wrecks on the same dive. But the beauty of the Shipyard comes at a price. Diving this site is recommended only for advance divers as the tidal flow creates very strong currents along this channel, the deep bottom sections lie at around 30 meters. Furthermore, to explore the second wreck which lies around 45 meters south-east of the Skipjack II, one must be able to swim against strong currents when required. Although the two wrecks lie in a channel, divers with less experience can also take advantage of times when currents are slow and moderate. I have done two dives to this site and on both occasions, the current was very strong.
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Brief history of this wreck The Skipjack II used to be a mother ship for the Felivaru Tuna canning factory. It was the collector vessel of fish from small fishing dhonis and remained permanently moored at Felivaru for many years. In 1985, the ship was declared old and redundant. Its services were permanently stopped. Some entrepreneurs in the tourism industry proposed the idea of sinking it to make an artificial reef, but the laws and regulations on environment in the 1980’s did not allow it to do so. While the ship was towed away from Felivaru, it caught fire and ended up at its present location. This became later one of the top dive sites in Lhaviyani Atoll.
What to see? My first instinct down below was the abundance and variety of fishes and most notably the fast moving schools of jack fish swimming instantaneously all over. The inhabitants of the wreck include jack fish, glass fish, bat fish and damselfish to name a few. If you are lucky, you can also see sharks and schools of eagle rays as they are quite often spotted along this channel. There are several confined spaces within the wreck where schools of glass fish make their home and it’s a wonderful sight to see and photograph with colourful soft corals all around the wreck. If you are an advanced diver or have enough air, dare to explore the second wreck which lies further 45 meters south-west of the wreck. This marvel lies at 30 meters where soft corals and many types of fish rule this wreck. The best way to explore these two wrecks on a single dive is to begin with the second
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wreck that lies at 30 meters and dive all the way to the Skipjack II. Divers will never get bored diving the Skipjack II as they can keep on exploring the wreck throughout the ascent and even during the safety stop. During one of my dives here I was so engulfed in its beauty trying to capture it on my camera that I went beyond my non-deco limit and had to spend a considerable time at 5 meters depth. But this was not a problem at all as I had plenty to explore at 5 meters. The top 5 to 8 meters of the wreck shows yet a different world. Soft corals and varieties of small reef fishes inhabiting this region is a delight for deco divers before surfacing. This became a favourite stop for me since most wrecks I have dived are deep, making the 3-minute safety stop engulfed in only blue water with nothing to see. I guess every wreck and dive site will have their advantages and disadvantages. On the top 5 meters, lush marine life is guaranteed. Even snorkelers can explore the top without having to skin dive. During strong currents, one can always take refuge on the leeward side and explore this part of the wreck without much difficulty.
As with anything else, there are also few disadvantages of this wreck, some of which are worth mentioning. The wreck’s position being a channel brings strong currents, which is the number one enemy for divers. This could however be overcome with experience and the willingness to try a challenging dive. Therefore inexperienced divers might find it hard to dive here, but don’t despair! Once you become confident in maintaining good buoyancy control, it only takes a short while before you are comfortably exploring the site. It may not be possible to explore the entire two wrecks in a single dive, especially when currents are strong, so plan well before you begin. Throughout the day and night, the remains of this marvellous wreck that once was part of the Felivaru tuna canning factory appears anything but extraor¬dinary. The sight of Skipjack II may seem more scrap heap than a wreck but the hidden treasures of this wreck are there to explore 365 days a year. Once you have seen it all, you would say that there are two worlds at Felivaru Kandu.
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6. The mast is still attached to the main body, but the top is about 3 meters below the sea level. 7.Jack fish, a common inhabitant in this wreck can become very friendly at times. 8,9. Colourful soft corals and algae cover the majority of the wreck.10. Many large fish species are also found. 11. Large schools of glass fish take refuge inside one of the cabins sorrounded by soft corals. 12. A school of Yellowfin Surgeon fish lined up beneath the hull, which hangs in midwater where divers can pass below.
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PACKAGE DETAILS... - 7 days on a safari boat - Breakfast, lunch and dinner included - Twin sharing cabin - Three guided dives per day including tanks, weights & weight belts - Arrival & departure transfer - US$8 daily tax per person - Unlimited tea and coffee - 1 bottle of mineral water per person per day - Itinerary applicable within North & South Male’ Atoll, Ari Atoll and Vaavu Atoll - Sun deck Exlusions: All extras including alcoholic drink.
CONDITIONS - Minimum skill level: Open water diver - At least 50 logged dives and must produce diver certification on request - Willing to share accommodation - Open minded, fun loving and flexible - Should follow all dive briefings and tour briefings - Should respect local laws and regulations - Minimum 8 pax required. Maximum 12 pax - Should bring all personal equipments (BCD, fins, mask, regulator, wet suit and dive computer).
7 Days 21 Dives US$ 245/per person*
Tel: +(960) 3306693; Fax: +(960) 3331643; HP: +(960) 7961643 www.escalemaldives.com Email: reservations@escalemaldives.com * price quoted per person per day and subject to rate of exchange.
Escale Maldives Boat Diving Tips Text : Verena Wiesbauer-Ali | Photos : Amooo
Boat diving is one of the best ways to enjoy the underwater world in Maldives. Every resort’s dive school now offers boat diving on a daily basis. These trips range from a few hours to a “two-tank” excursion which lasts from morning until late afternoon. On liveaboards, divers live and sleep onboard and dive for a few days to a few weeks. From the rigid-hulled inflatable boat to the luxurious cruise ship, every boat will have the basic safety equipment such as marine VHF radio and oxygen first aid on board. Whether it is your first or an uncountable boat dive, it is always wise to remember the following guidelines for boat scuba diving:
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Before the dive Photographers There is probably nothing more regrettable for an underwater photographer to realize on the boat or even in the water that you forgot to charge your camera’s battery or that the storage card is actually full. Therefore, charge your battery the night before the dive and save your photos on your computer. Clean your camera housing well from sand, hair and dust particles, and do not forget the silica bag to absorb moisture.
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Mal de Mer? (Seasickness) Seasickness is a problem generally attributed to disturbance in the balance system of the inner ear (vestibular) system and happens when the body, inner ear, and eyes all send different signals to the brain, resulting in confusion and queasiness. One of the most irritating effects of seasickness is how everyone else around you just goes on their merry way, perfectly comfortable and happy, in the same conditions that have reduced you to utter misery. There are a few DO’s and DON’Ts if you are prone to seasickness (see box on next page). If you forgot your medication against motion sickness, don’t despair. Dive guides know their customers’ problems well and often, they will keep some tablets on board. Have a good breakfast, drink enough water and use the toilet. Short boat trips usually do not provide food and drinks on the boat, so make sure to have a snack before your dive and to stay well hydrated with water. Many modern dive boats have a toilet on board, but especially when you get seasick you should avoid them, and nothing is more annoying than wearing a wetsuit and realizing that it’s time to go to the toilet! Do not forget to take water on board to rehydrate yourself after the dive. Check Your Gear Before you get on the boat, make sure you have all your scuba diving equipment with you. Check if you have the right amount of weight and the right size equipment if you are renting them from the dive shop. If you know that you are using a lot of air, request for a bigger tank from the dive school. In addition, if you possess a Nitrox certificate, find out if your dive school offers Nitrox for a safer dive (some offer it without any surcharge).
Do not keep your tank in an upright position unattende d
Get To the Boat Early You will get to know the meeting time for the boat trip from your dive instructor. Make sure you are there at least 15 minutes earlier; this will give you ample time to check if you have all the right gear and assemble it before you leave. Don’t forget to secure the tank before you leave or else that tank and your gear can end up on the deck, not to mention on someone’s toes. Sometimes, the crew will assemble your gear for you; nev-
ertheless, turn on your air valve and check your gear for any abnormalities. Breathe through your second stage and reassure yourself that the air is tasteless and smooth. Suit Up Early (or at least on time) Depending on the length of the boat trip, you may suit up at the dock or about 5 minutes before you reach the dive site. The dive master will tell you when to begin. Start getting ready when they do, if you haven’t already done so. This will ensure you are ready to get in the water and not keep the other divers waiting.
On the boat Put Your Gear in a basket Keep all your scuba gear contained in a basket. Boats can become crowded and having your scuba equipment all over the place is annoying. Your dive school will inform you on how to keep your equipment and will usually give you a basket that is stored under the seat. This also prevents someone from stepping on and breaking your scuba gear or you losing something. Get ready on time It is advisable to wear your wetsuit early, but not too early since it could warm you up too much under the heat of the sun. Photographers should double-check their cameras to make sure they are waterproof and that there is enough storage on the memory card. Ask one of the crew members to hand over the camera to you after you jump into the water. Clean and defog your mask on time. Listen to the Dive Briefing Always listen to the dive master when he/she goes over the details of the dive: how to enter the water, where you will be going, max depth, time of dive, etc. Even if you think you heard it all before - currents may change at dive sites, so listen carefully and do not hesitate to ask questions! Entering the other world Before you hit the water, make a pre dive safety check with your buddy. Make sure your buddy is using an alternative second stage (‘octopus’) that he/she can share with you in case of emergency. Check if your air valve is open and breathe through your second stage a few times before you jump.
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Com klist fo p r bo Snac lete dive k and gear at dive trips Towe wate r l : Sun l o Cam tion, sun e glass es Mp3 ra playe Dive r atlas / Ma p boo k of M aldiv es
Jump! When the boat reaches the dive spot, your dive guides will want you to jump from the boat as quickly as possible, especially when you do drift dives. Nevertheless, safety goes first, so make sure that there are no other divers below you who you might hit when you jump. During the dive briefing, you will have been informed whether you have to descend immediately after jumping, or if you have to wait for your group to descend together. This is important, because your dive guide might be looking for you on the surface if you have already dove down or might be already expecting you under water while you are still at the surface. However, do not dive down if you face any physical discomfort or if you have any problem with your equipment, even if your dive guide pressures you to come down. After the dive Stay with your buddy and have at least one safety buoy per buddy team. The dive master will group all divers into groups; the smallest group is a buddy team. Make sure you stay close to your buddy at all times of the dive and if you go in a group, don’t swim too far from the other members.
The famous giant
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8 Tips to avoid seasickness: 1- Stay busy and keep your mind occupied. 2- Stay on deck of the boat and focus your mind on anything other than the swaying environment. 3- Stay in fresh air instead of within a stuffy cabin or below decks with no land or horizon to look at. 4- Take deep breaths and drink plenty of water. 5- Reading or staring at an object will definitely make you seasick. Keep your senses, particularly your eyes, working flat out interpreting the motion of the boat and the waves. 6- Let you brain adjust to this unstable environment by allowing the horizon to act as a true point of reference. 7- There are certain remedies that may help some sufferers. Medication must be taken hours before you travel and not during the onset of symptoms. It is important to consult a doctor about which tablets you are allowed to take before a dive, since some tablets might make you feel sleepy. Herbal remedies such as ginger are reported to have a beneficial effect. Some non- pharmaceutical aids such as pressure bands are claimed to help too. 8-My personal tip: Homeopathic tablets (e.g. a mixture of Cerium oxalicum D15 / Hyoscyamus niger D15 / Mandragora e radice siccato D15 / Sanicula D12 / Theridion currassavicum D15) are surprisingly effective and do not have any known side effects.
Inflate your buoy during your safety stop so that the boat can see you before you ascend. Never leave your buddy alone! Signal the boat crew OK as soon as you come up. Don’t Hang Under the Ladder Approach the boat carefully. When you are waiting to get back on the boat after you have finished your dive, don’t wait right under the ladder for your turn. The diver going up the ladder ahead of you could fall off the ladder and land on top of you. Be extra careful near the ladder if the water is rough – also keep your mask on until you are on the boat. Hand over your fins to the boat crew and climb up
Climb the ladder and secure your equipment
the ladder carefully. During your surface interval... ... keep yourself warm with a towel and have a light snack and water to keep yourself hydrated! We hope that these boat SCUBA diving tips will help you have an enjoyable boat dive!
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Hand over your fins to the boat crew
Do not hang under the ladder after jumping
Starting from US$ 199/per person* Package Details - Bed and breakfast in a 3 star hotel in Male’ or Hulhumale - Two dives per day - Same day return to Male’ or Hulhumale - Snack lunch and a bottle of drinking water provided - All equipments provided for divers without equipment - Experienced dive guide and dive master - More than a dozen dive sites to choose from Conditions - Should be a certified diver from a recognized dive institution - Willing to dive with a mixed group of individuals - Should follow all dive briefings and tour briefings - Should respect local laws and regulations - Minimum 4 pax required * price quoted per person per day and subject to rate of exchange plus GST.
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PLUS GET 1 BOOK & 1 TRAVEL MAP ABSOLUTELY FREE ! All divers taking this package will receive FREE copies of Complete Guide to Male’ & a Discover Male’ Map
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Male’ Explore this vibrant city
Jan 2010
e
sc
ale
s
m al dive
wish you were here...
Tel: +(960) 3306693; HP: +(960) 796 1643 Email: reservations@escalemaldives.com
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Hidden Coral Reefs
The gardens beneath the water Text & Photos : Amooo
It was 4.30 pm, we have been travelling to Felidhoo island in Vaavu Atoll, about 6 hours from Male’ on a dhoni. After few hours of our journey, I was tired and impatient and could not wait to get to the island. We passed by many beautiful islands, but none was good enough to kill my boredom.
The gloomy day worsened the ambience, the sea was calm, no wind and there were almost no waves. We were about an hour away from the island inside Vaavu Atoll. I could see the distant outline of the island and while looking intently into the open sea, I kept wondering how soon I would reach there. My caretaker assured me that we would arrive in no time and that I would have plenty of time to rest and
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enjoy. As we approached the island, a sudden noise rocked the boat and shocking everyone onboard. We ran aground a reef that emerged straight from the ocean floor. Neither the captain, nor the crew were aware of this reef that suddenly appeared in our path. Such reefs are locally known as ‘giri’, most of which are shallow and visible from a distance on a normal sunny day.
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1. This truly hidden treasure is over grown by various species of sponges, corals and algae 2. The rock is occupied with hundreds of snappers. 3. A sweetlip posing for a photo. 4. A diver encounters a school of Kashmir Snappers on the way to the rock.
The year was 1984 and I was just 11 years old when I went to Felidhoo island during the school vacation. Back then, I didn’t know what these giris were and how dangerous they were for travellers. I always had a fascination for the ocean and, I was fortunate enough to travel to the islands frequently and enjoy snorkelling. My interest towards coral reefs developed quickly and soon it became one of my favourite places of discovery. The limited knowledge I had in
this domain made me innocently portray the blue water beneath, beyond the reef as a dark space devoid of any life form except for the much feared sharks and other predators. Twenty five years have passed since then and today I would like to convince anyone that the ocean is not just deep dark blue waters but another world with its own living system and its various animals. One must be adventurous enough to experience this “other world”. Although my ex-
perience in 1984 was a reef that would normally be seen with the naked eye from above, there are numerous hidden reefs spread across the entire Maldives that are concealed from above. We call them ‘submerged reefs’, ‘hidden reefs’ or ‘hidden treasures’, but what makes them unique is how diverse and beautiful they are despite their isolation. They are one of the very interesting places to explore in the fascinating world of the underwater life and in Maldives there
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are quite a few of these, most of which are still waiting to be discovered.
Mysteriously it is almost impossible to figure out above where the hidden reefs lie. Many of them are in the open sea, both inside the atoll and outside the atoll. Some are found very close to large reefs or slightly off the main reef, while others have emerged completely isolated from a main reef. Some of these hidden reefs are among the top dive sites in Maldives and my diving instincts often take me to these sites during recreational dives.
The wonderful world of Maagiri Rock Tucked away slightly to the east of Maagiri reef in the blue waters of North Male’ Atoll, is a small but a precious piece of treasure called the Maagiri Rock. Maagiri reef lies approximately 500 meters north west of Kanduoyigiri island in North Male’ Atoll. Maagiri reef is a famous dive site in North Male’ Atoll because it provides different levels of diving both for beginners and professional divers. The reef spans about 580 meters from north to south and measures almost same from east to west. The reef and its surroundings form a landscape of hidden coral gardens and shallow Thilas visible from above the water surface. The main reef, Maagiri reef provides wall diving and cave diving while on the south and south west
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Maagiri
(Picnic island)
HULHULMALE 0103
Coral reefs are known to be the equivalent of tropical rainforests. Reefs are some of the world’s most diverse ecosystems. They are geological features that support a huge diversity of marine life and provide a place or a habitat for sea life. There are different types of reefs throughout the Maldives. Hundreds of divers from all over the world dive these reefs every day and most will dive the famous and the well known sites. Technically, all reefs are submerged, but at different levels. Some of them have islands, sand banks or none of these. They are distinct and can be differentiated from the deep ocean. ‘Thilas’ (local name for underwater mountains) on the other hand are reefs that lie much deeper but are still visible from above. Most Thilas will have their tip between 7 to 15 meters below sea level and boats can easily pass over. Giris, on the other hand, are much shallower reefs emerging from the ocean floor. They are considered to be unsafe for navigation as the depth can measure as shallow as 3 meters below sea level. Nevertheless, from an ecological and a diving perspective, these are places of great importance as they not only support diverse marine life, but are also extremely beautiful. Hidden reefs, on the other hand, are further below, some starting at 25 meters which is the reason why they are not visible from above.
5 Bodu Bandos (Bandos Island resort)
HULHULE ISLAND (Male’ International Airport) Map : www.water-solutions.biz
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of the main reef are several Thilas. These Thilas are visible from above. Around Maagiri reef, one of the most interesting dive spots is Maagiri Rock, a huge rock resting at 30 meters depth about 50 meters west of the main reef. Maagiri Rock is completely concealed from above and for anyone unfamiliar with this place, it is impossible to locate the rock while diving Maagiri Reef. From its position, I would assume that the rock must have been first discovered by accident. My first dive at Maagiri Rock was a striking discovery. The beauty of the place is breathtaking. The rock sitting 30 meters below is not visible from above the water. Only white sand separates the rock and the main reef, completely hiding it from divers visiting the main reef. Access to the rock is through a specific path known only to those who frequently visit the site. Therefore, finding the rock requires a guide who knows its location very well. Fortunately, its location being in close proximity to Male’
makes the site, the most visited dive sites in North Male’ Atoll and getting there should be very easy as almost all dive guides are well aware of the site. Maagiri Rock is best illustrated as a ‘miniature version’ of a large reef reserved for experienced divers. Photos and words do not suffice to describe its natural beauty consisting of a plethora of marine life forms and hues of rainbow colours. The circular shaped rock rests on a sandy sea floor. Its top has emerged up to about 23 meters below the sea surface, its diameter measuring approximately 4 to 5 meters. Depending on the route divers choose to access this rock from the main reef, you may also encounter small patches of corals and tiny fish. These small colonies of life harbour eels, lionfish and are worthy of photographs. But the most common route leading to the rock begins from the west of the reef where the sandy bottom is visible from above. Jumping from here,
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5. Map showing the location of Maagiri Rock in North Male’ Atoll 6. Aerial photo of Maagiri reef with its numerous Thila’s 7. The rock is covered with colourful soft corals and algae.8. Near Maagiri Rock divers can encounter interesting corals like this huge coral massive. 9. School of Kashmir Snapper will always will be a sure encounter in every dive in Maagiri Rock.
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you dive westwards and within a minute or two, you will gradually perceive a dark shadow transforming into the rock itself. The first impression you get would be that of an isolated rock. As you approach closer, a welcoming reception by hundreds of fishes, foraging around the rock captures your attention.
Divers usually can spend 15 to 20 minutes exploring the rock which is more than enough to see the rock in its entirety. If you are an underwater photographer, it is always better to arrange your own dive guide and go separately instead joining a group dive. Once the rock is fully explored, there are still more places to see. The most common route would be to swim further
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south-east towards the main reef where many more Thilas are found. A favourite for most divers is the Potato reef, which is part of the reef that contains corals resembling potatoes situated at a depth of about 10 up to five meters. Divers heading south from Maagiri Rock along the main reef will never miss this spot which is often used as a transit point before surfacing. The three-minute safety stop is still a delight to the eyes. If you have enough air left to explore more, swim slightly south-west and you will find many more Thilas blessed with abundant marine life. Divers can also dive straight to one of these Thilas directly from Maagiri Rock without opting to pass by Potato reef. For novice divers, discovering new places will be challenging, but exploring such reefs and their surroundings can be very adventurous. Some of the dive sites in Maldives have been named after people who discovered them. Maagiri reef is a site explored by many divers, but there are many more similar sites in Maldives waiting to be discovered by you. Aerial photos and travelling on a boat will probably never reveal all of the hidden treasures of the Maldives. So get your dive gear and plunge into water. 10. A Close encounter with a Honeycomb Eel enroute to Maagiri Rock. 11. A Diver searching for critters such as nudibranch, snails, slugs etc. which can be found on the rock.
The isolation of the rock is due to its location, which is slightly off the main reef. Its best portrayed as a hidden treasure beneath the blue. The abundance of fish life around the rock strikes you initially where plenty of Kashmir snappers and numerous other types of fish swim about unbothered by the presence of divers. On rare occasions, even mantas have also been sighted here. The carpet of white sand around the rock, schools of yellow snappers, hundreds of other types of fish and numerous red, green, white and blue soft corals on the rock is a magnificent spectacle that we as divers dream of coming back to. Maagiri Rock is a delight for both videographers and photographers who can fully concentrate on the rock itself, simply because the rock sits alone on the sandy bottom. Diving to the rock is also easy in all types of currents but divers must have an advanced open water certification to explore the rock due to its depth. Fortunately, your dive computer will show enough no deco time even after exploring and circling the rock a few times. Photographers and videographers however must keep a watch on their dive computers and air supply as there is a risk of losing track of time under photo frenzy! The rock is home to eels, trigger fish, turtles, snappers, soft corals, hard corals and many other colourful fish. Over time, the rock has accumulated a considerable layer of healthy coral growth and it is not surprising why many divers repeatedly visit the site.
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Anatomy of an underwater photo shoot Text & Photos : Amooo
03:33 pm - Our dinghy broke down after few minutes of journey. Everything looked bad as we were running out of time. the dive site identified in the morning snorkel. or this issue, travel diary takes a peek into an underwater photo shoot organised to obtain a series of photos for a promotional advertisement for a travel company. Since the advertisement focused on customized dive holidays the themes had to be eccentric, diving-related and captivating for the viewers. For this photo shoot, we decided to choose a site that is not too deep, yet providing beautiful underwater landscapes and diverse marine life. A place with isolated live corals seemed ideal to us, so the focus on the surrounding environment was minimal. My most recent dive friend and dive buddy Thoriq was the perfect model for this shoot simply because we have been diving together for nearly two years and he is great fun to be with, both underwater and above. I’m always comfortable diving with him and the best part is that even after 45 minutes of diving, he would still have enough air for a second dive, so I can always count on him for air when backup is required. For this shoot, we selected Ari Atoll and combined a work trip to economise the transport costs.
03:33 pm - Our dinghy broke down after few minutes of journey. Everything looked bad as we were running out of time.
03:40 pm - After several attempts, the engine started, so we finally reached our destination.
03:50 pm - Got ready and finally jumped.
The idea was to take a photo with Thoriq relaxing on a wooden beach chair with a cup of coffee. However, as the chair was too buoyant, we could not take it down. I was able to take it to 5 meters but I gave up after getting exhausted struggling to keep the chair down below. This was something that we did not anticipate, so we let it go and our surface support dinghy driver hauled it on board. We descended to five meters and settled around six meters next to a nice coral patch full of live corals and colourful fishes. I gave instructions to Thoriq on the photo poses, locations and what to do during the photoshoot.
03:15 pm - Prepared the camera and diving
Despite the shallow depth, it was challenging as even the tiniest movement creates dispersed fine sand in the water and this was not good for our photos. Finally I got Thoriq behind a bunch of branching corals (muraka in the local language) and began taking photos. We spent nearly 20 minutes on the photo shoot and used the occasion to explore the area as there were coral patches here and there. As we descended to 12 meters, we found a small dinghy boat covered in algae and inhabited by fish. We spent a few minutes around there to take more photos hoping to get a nice selection of shots in a variety of locations.
03:30 pm - After getting ready, we took off for
After a few minutes at this location, Thoriq indicated another dark area which we thought would be corals. Our curiosity lured us into more
08:10 am - Left Male’ to Ari Atoll. The sea
was very rough so we packed our gear into Pelican cases. It took us nearly two hours to get there.
10:00 am - Snorkelled the reef to find an ideal spot. Found some interesting sandy bottom areas with lots of live corals. We decided to snorkel and do some work in the morning. gear. We used a small dinghy boat to access the dive site.
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exploration. It was another dinghy boat, but this one slightly bigger than the first and inhabited by nine lionfish (Fanhaa Mas). There were also other kinds of fishes, most notably a large angelfish and a medium sized moray eel hiding under the boat. As it was getting dark and late, we decided to come up and slowly ascended to five meters where during our safety stop another series of photos were taken. After our 3 minute stop, we came back to the surface. I still had 80 bars left and Thoriq had more than 100 bars left in his tank
5:20 pm - Left Ari Atoll and headed home.
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FEW HOURS TO KILL IN ADDU Text : Ahmed
Heading back from an official mission in Fuvahmulaku, I had four-hours waiting time before my flight back home. The weather was promising and the ocean was smooth. After a one-hour travel, enjoying the bypassing post-card-landscapes so representative of the country, I finally reached Feydhoo island, situated north of Gan, a reference dating back to the time of British Royal Airforce in the Maldives.
Koattay EIDHIGALHI KILHI
HITHADHOO
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Gaukedi Hankede Hankedehajaru
Maradhoo
Maradhoo-Feydhoo Boduhajera Kafathalhaaheraa Savaaheli Dhigihera
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Gan has a remarkable history which evolved through a complete metamorphosis. During WWII, the British built the RAF (Royal Airforce) airbase. In the process, the inhabitants of Gan were moved to Feydhoo, the nearby island. Its landscape changed as new occupants settled in the island. Gan Island developed with important infrastructure including a holiday village and a mini-sized golf course. All these contribute to the special character of Gan today. It was also a time of changing lifestyles in the island as many people were exposed to a new group of people and their language. The arrival jetty in Feydhoo island is a mini port. Few dhonis and speed boats were busy loading and unloading cargo and passengers. Two huge fishing dhonis were unloading their catch unloading their fish catch while potential buyers and observers mingled around. I noticed that this is also a favourite spot for individuals trying pole-and-line fishing on boats anchored by the jetty. The scene was buzzing with life.
I still had four hours before checking in, so settled to offer myself a tour of the islands. Speaking to locals around, I managed to negotiate a motorcycle ride from Gan to Hithadhoo and back. With my back pack and an obligatory helmet,I got onto the motorcyle and set off to Gan first, struggling to get used to the thick helmet to be used later during the ride. Our starting point was Gan Airport, around which stretches of green grass and neatly laden roads give an idea of what this place would have been like four decades ago. We moved slowly along the tarmac, passing by an old garment factory now converted into a godown (warehouse) and drove through what used to be the recreational area of the RAF staff, blotched around with abandoned swimming pools, tennis courts and many other utility areas. Few birds unique to Addu Atoll hovered around the canopy of trees. These “dhondheenis” have pure white feathers and a dark beak. “Amazing creatures of nature”, I thought, at the Gan Exit. The causeway bridge connects Gan to Feydhoo. From this point I drew our trail ahead in my mind. We were heading to the “mainland”, my nose longing to smell the moisture of vegetation. The airport transformed into an island environment. I remained calm, contemplating the landscape and letting time pass by. Suddenly, the picture changed completely with the island on the left and the seaside on the right. Then only I noticed that we were on the famed link road of Addu, the longest paved
1 road (14 km) in the Maldives. Few minutes of ride and we were in Maradhoo - Feydhoo. It’s a combination of two islands, Maradhoo and Feydhoo, wsettlement history behind them, relative to Gan development.When the RAF was to be developed, the people of Gan were relocated to Feydhoo and inhabitants of the latter to Maradhoo created their own administrative region called Maradhoo-Feydhoo. The ride became somewhat adventurous as we continued along the link road. Every few minutes we deviated into the village for some shots of island life. I did not bother to find out where one island began and where the next island ended, rather enjoyed a moment that is rare in Maldives, a long ride along an ocean road. I calculated the journey in my mind, “we must be in Maradhoo or Hankede.” No, I was wrong; we were still in Maradhoo-Feydhoo and heading towards Hithadhoo, the largest and most populated island in the Atoll. At its tip, a huge a wetland surrounded by lush mangroves is located; this is the protected site of ‘Eadhigalhi Kilhi’.
2 1. Eadhigalhi Kilhi in Hithadhoo 2. The dynamic Feydhoo Harbour is a very active place. 3. Gan Airport. Gan is one of the most beautifully planned and landscaped islands in the Maldives. Photo Credits: 1 by Riya 2,3 by Amooo
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We had spent most of the time on the “Addu link road” slowly driving along the contours, watching locals living their everyday life. Finally we were in Hithadhoo. Riding down one of the main roads, the landscape gradually became barren with less inhabitants and houses. The view ahead of us converged into a lake that took me by surprise. I took a few steps towards the water and saw mangroves lined around a huge freshwater lake creating a sanctuary for many fish and birds. I reached my camera for this was a moment not to be missed. It was pleasing to the eyes and I wished I had plenty of time on my own to explore this region, which
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included ‘Koattay’ - the tip of the island. Walking towards the seaside, more islands emerged into the picture. Time stood still here. The untouched beauty of this protected site is worth mentioning, a haven for photographers and for environmentalists studying biodiversity. As for me, I only had limited time to see it all, hence captured the best of the moments by camera. Oblivious to a strict imposing departure, I got carried away by the ambience around me. Shocked, I realized that my flight was due in less than one hour and prompted the driver to head back. On the way back, my guide took an abrupt detour. Obviously this was not in the itinerary I had imagined, but the surprise was well worth it as I discovered ‘Fehelhi Kilhi’, yet another wetland located on the southern end of the island. These uncommon ecological sanctuaries sparsely dotted around the Maldivian archipelago soon became a place of fascination for me. I was lucky not to miss my flight to Male’ International Airport. On the return, I figured out that a visit to Addu requires planning. The southernmost atoll of the Maldives has a fascinating geography and landscape. The one hour local flight back to Hulhule gave me ample time to view the photos in my camera. There were lots but not enough. But at least my guide had taken me to see the best of Addu Atoll, I think, worthy of killing time while I waited to board the plane back home.
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4. A fresh water lake in Hithadhoo near Koattey Area. 5. Boat under construction. 6. A Colorful filling station on the link road.7. ‘Dhon Dheeni’ The symbol of Addu is only found in this atoll. 8. Maradhoo Harbour with island of Gan in the background. 9. British War Memorial in Gan.
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Addu facts Total population of 28,000 as of December 2008. Six (6 ) Inhabited islands, namely Hithadhoo, Maradhoo, Maradhoo-Feydhoo, Feydhoo, Hulhudhoo, Meedhoo. Twenty five (25) uninhabited islands. There are two (2) resort islands, Herathera and ShangriLa Villingili Resort and Spa and Equator Village in Gan, which is a city hotel. Domestic GSM network with international roaming and good coverage is available. WIFI Internet access is available from the resorts and also from selected areas in some inhabited islands. The best way to get around Gan and over the causeway to neighbouring islands is by bicycle. Equator Village includes bicycle hire in its rates. Taxis shuttle between the islands and around the islands; from Gan to Hithadhoo should cost about Rf100 to Rf 150. Taxis wait at the airport and you can order one from Equator Village. Equator Village picks up guests by free minibus from the airport, though you may need to call at arrival. There are also regular ferries to the isolated islands, Meedhoo and Hulhudhoo. Photo Credits: 4, 5 by Riya 6,7,8,9 by Amooo
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* For Terms & Conditions, please see Page 11.
Clue: Clue:Type Typethe thecoordinates coordinatesininGoogle GoogleEarth Earthsearch searchbar. bar.
Seaplanes, Vans and Dinghies – A day trip to explore Laamu Atoll Travelling through the Maldives archipelago can be enjoyable since it is the dream of many adventurers to explore these tiny islands. However, due to the challenging geography of our atolls scattered across the central Indian Ocean, such adventures can be both expensive and difficult. Text & Photos : Amooo
Isdhoo
Dhan’bidhoo
Maabaidhoo Mundoo
Kalhaidhoo
Gasgandufinolhu Bodufinolhu
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Olhuveli
Hithadhoo
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or this issue of ‘Discover Maldives’, Escale Maldives takes a peek into some of the most beautiful islands in Laamu (or: Hahdhunmathi) Atoll during one day of exploration with full of adventure. The Escale team grabbed the opportunity to travel to Laamu Atoll accompanying the future island developers. We took off from the airport on Hulhule Island and soon we had to revert to different modes of transport that included a sea plane, a van and a small dinghy boat to reach our destination. The journey involved crossing some 250 kilometers by air, nearly 10 kilometers by land and about 85 meters by sea. It is this mix of transportation that makes this travel diary worth exploring. Of course besides time, you must have the adventure gene within you to take on such a journey! The objective of the trip was to visit two small uninhabited islands, Bodufinolhu and Gasgan’dufinolhu, situated approximately 85 meters north of Gan, one of the largest islands in Maldives. These two small islands have been leased to be developed as a Resort.
8:30 am
Our journey began from Male’. We gathered our photo gear and met at ‘Jetty No 1’ in Male’ to go to Hulhule Airport by speedboat. Almost immediately on arrival, we checkedin at the domestic seaplane terminal.
11:30 am
The waiting time at the terminal was short and soon it was time for boarding. The sea plane took off and headed straight to the South. Watching the islands from the seaplane window definitely added entertainment to the monotonous sound of the engines.
12:30 pm
After nearly one-hour flight time, the islands of Laamu Atoll began taking shape. The first was Isdhoo, a very large inhabited island on the northernmost tip of the atoll. From there onwards, I switched my camera to ‘continuous shooting mode’, vowing myself to capture every shot. The best way to see this geographically attractive island, separated by a beautiful lagoon from its neighbouring island Dhan’bidhoo, is by air.
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1. On arrival at Kaddhoo Airport. Scenes like this are very rare in Maldives. 2. Island of Isdhoo, one of the largest islands in the Maldives. 3. Kudarah to Rahaa Island .4. Maabaidhoo Island. 5. Gasgandufinolhu Island 6. Fonadhoo, the capital of Laamu Atoll.
12:32 pm
Traveling south, we were aligned with many small islands forming a row on the eastern rim of Laamu Atoll. My continuous gazing outside the window was a delight to the eyes as these tiny islands appeared and disappeared below me. We could clearly see that everyone on board was enjoying the views as much as me.
12:33 pm
We were just above Maabaidhoo - an island enclosing a brackish water lake and with 51.6 ha in area considered ‘large’ by Maldivian standards. This island has a unique shape and the community lives only on the southern part of the island leaving the northern part uninhabited.
12:43 pm
Once again, we were above our target island to take photos. The islands looked like emeralds encrusted on a blue surface. After circling a few rounds over these islands and Gan, it was finally time to land.
12:55 pm
Our plane landed west of Kahdhoo island inside Laamu Atoll and headed straight to the boat harbour. Now this is a rare sight! A seaplane inside a harbour is not really common in the Maldives. Our land transport vehicle, a van, was waiting for us and from here we began the second part of our journey, crossing nearly 10 km on the road to the northern tip of Gan island. The distance ahead of us seemed rather long so that everyone decided to have a quick snack before the journey began.
12:34 pm
We finally flew over Bodufinolhu and Gasgan’dufinolhu, our destination islands. But first things first, everyone got busy taking snapshots of these two beautiful islands.
12:38 pm
The plane took a smooth turn south of Fonadhoo island, the capital of Laamu Atoll, and then towards the North, allowing us to take more photos of Bodufinolhu and Gasgandufinolhu. Passing on the east side of Fonadhoo, I could see vast empty space and agricultural fields.
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After spending an hour for lunch, we headed straight to Gan. It took us about 20 minutes to reach there. The journey was remarkable, since long roads like these are found only in Addu and Laamu Atoll. I later checked my sources and it turned out to be the longest road in Maldives. We arrived at the tip of Gan, where everyone had some time to explore and take some snap shots. From here, we could see our target island, located about 100 meters to the north. One could easily cross the narrow channel by swimming. Considering
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the amount of baggage (cameras, maps, mobile phones etc.) we were carrying with us, we got on board a small dinghy, which could only accommodate a limited number of people. It took two trips to transport the whole group to the island.
2:11 pm
We reached the small island of Bodufinolhu north of Gan. There we spent about 20 minutes before heading to Gasgan’dufinolhu, our second target, north of Bodufinolhu. The islands are very typical of other uninhabited islands; beautiful and unspoiled, without human influence, a naturally eroding coastline, beach rock, a crystal clear lagoon and white sandy beaches. Just about an hour was adequate to explore the two islands. We then headed back to Gan island where a well deserved tea was served to the group at a local restaurant.
3:50 pm
After the tea, we realized that there was still some time left before taking the flight. Taking advantage of free time, we explored the harbour area of Gan where locals were going about with their daily lives. We drove back in the van to Kahdhoo airport where the seaplane was waiting for us to return to Male’.
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4:33 pm
Time to head back home. As the flight took off towards the South, we flew over the island of Olhuveli, before taking a smooth turn to the North.
5:30 pm
After about an hour, we were back at Hulhule airport. Everyone was content having visited deeper into these unexplored islands. Back at work I realized that I had taken aerial shots of more than 30 islands of Laamu Atoll and that is not counting several other aerial photos of other islands in other atolls. This was truly an adventure trip.
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7. Arrival at the northern tip of Gan where our Dinghy was waiting. 8. Exploring the northern tip of Gan and the surroundings and posing for a snap. 9. A short trip on a dinghy to cross to our destination island. 10,11. Exploring the islands of Bodufinolhu. 12. A street food outlet at the harbour front of Laamu Gan.
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Hulhumale’ Goes Green with Solar Lights
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The Minister of Housing, Transport and Environment, Mr. Mohamed Aslam inaugurated the Hulhumale’ Solar powered street lights scheme in conjunction with the international earth hour marked at 2030hrs on the 28th of March 2009. The project was started in an effort to lessen Hulhumale’s carbon footprint. The solar street light is 8 metres tall with a solar panel mounted on top, and carries two lamps, one illuminating the street and the other illuminating the pedestrian walkway. The lamps have a life span of 14 years, while a good quality street lamp would last only 3 years.
The Addu flight school established in Seenu Atoll Gan was officially opened by Minister of Defence and National Security, Mr. Ameen Faisal on 26 July 2010. This flying school is a cooperative effort between the Maldives Government and Asian Academy of Aeronautics (AAA) of Sri Lanka. Both Private Pilot License (PPL) and Commercial Pilot License (CPL) courses will be available from the school and the courses are approved by the Maldives Civil Aviation Department. Those wishing to apply for the courses at the flight school can now submit their applications. Maldivian students will also benefit a 10 percent discount, according to the agreement made with the Maldives Government. The company had stated earlier that their first intake would consist of 60 students, 25 percent of which will be Maldivians, as was stipulated by the Maldivian Government. The 10-year agreement to establish the flight school in Maldives was signed by the Government on January 21, 2009 and the operations had been officially handed over to the AAA a week later.
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The space between the two buildings of the new National Museum complex in Sultan Park has been developed into a unique Maldivian botanical garden by the British organisation. The park is being developed to emphasize on the plants of Maldives. 10 14
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Beach House Maldives at Manafaru rebranded to the Waldorf Astoria on 1st March 2010.
Plans have been drawn to turn Sultan’s Park into a specialised garden, the only place in the world with this particular collection of plants. It will give something distinct for the Maldives, something more than just a garden with pleasant shade. Maldivians will find plants that have played a key role in their cultural identity. It will become a place for children to understand what it means to be a Maldivian. This Project is supported by the Ministry of Environment.
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‘Divers Lodge’
Dive school in Villingili is based close to the western beach next to the grand mosque. Just an 8-minutes ferry ride from Male’, the dive school organizes dive courses, house reef and boat dives, as well as dive and surf safaris for both locals and foreigners.
National Museum 2
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The new National Museum Complex, located in the heart of Sultan Park was officially declared open by President Nasheed on Independence Day 2010. The building facing Chandanee Magu displays exhibits mainly from the old museum at the nearby Sultan’s Palace, while the other building across the park features an exhibition of 120 faiykolhu or Maldivian legal deeds and other official documents dating from the 1600s to the 1930s. The new National Museum complex was funded by the Chinese government as part of a UNESCO project. The National Museum is now open for the public.
Highlights from Earth Day 2010 Celebrations On 22nd April 2010, Coco Palm Bodu Hithi officially launched its coral reef project. The inauguration ceremony was held on the beach at the northernmost tip of the island in the presence of the resort staff and guests. During his inaugural speech, the General Manager, Mario Stanic, highlighted on the importance of Earth Day and on the upcoming project and unveiled the new wooden plaque marking the memorable day for the island. “We always celebrate Earth Day in Bodu Hithi and Dhuni Kolhu, and this year we will not only encourage our guests to plant a tree - today they can even “plant” their own coral”, says Manager Abdulla Shaugee. Initiated by Water Solutions Pvt Ltd., Bodu Hithi is conducting a reef rehabilitation programme which will last for 18 months. Starting with artificial reef structures submerged in various parts of the lagoon, the island will eventually set up a self-sustaining coral nursery to produce corals on a regular basis without destroying their existent house reef. The artificial reefs that are being set up around the island are already attracting a large number of fish – between 28 and 32 species are currently using the reef at the ‘Club Coco Palm’ and the already completed reef next to the Spa jetty. On Earth Day, April 2010, the resort decided to introduce the programme to its guests and invited them to participate in the work that will be carried out over the following months. Verena Wiesbauer Ali, marine biologist at Water Solutions, set up a temporary coral processing station for resort guests and staff to experience onhand what it means to work with the very animals that have built the framework of the Maldivian coral reefs. Participants were encouraged to put on gloves and plant a coral fragment into a concrete plug which provides the coral a firm base to grow on. Each participant swam with their coral nubbin to place it in a prepared nursery grow-out table where it remained until
being relocated to the artificial reef next to the Spa walkway. By the end of 2010, Water Solutions will have set up a permanent coral processing station on the island where guests can visit throughout the year. Guests took home the memory of having contributed to reef recovery by “planting” their own coral after the severe coral bleaching event in 1998/99, which wiped out one third of the world’s reef-building corals. Two books, Above Maldives and Dangerous Marine Animals, were also on sale at Bodu Hithi on the occasion of Earth Day.
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Six Senses Laamu is located on Olhuveli Island and is the first resort which is scheduled to open in Laamu Atoll, early 2011. Six Senses Laamu is managed by Six Senses Resorts & Spas, which has developed and operates unique properties in the Maldives, Oman, Thailand, Vietnam, Spain and Jordan under the brand names Soneva by Six Senses, Six Senses and Evason: plus Six Senses Spas and Six Senses Destination Spas. Six Senses Laamu maintains the same brand values and personal service promised in the Six Senses Core Purpose:
Coco Palm Kuda Hithi is a five star deluxe and exclusive resort hotel with only one guest villa. The Only Retreat Hotel from COCO Collection of Maldives has been developed with with modern facilities and its architecture reflects unique Maldivian traditional design and style. This unique private resort island is for those who are looking for pure privacy. If you are looking for a high end exclusive leisure retreat offering seclusion, quiet and pure privacy then it can be the Coco Palm Kudahithi Resort Maldives. It’s a unique private island for you and for your loved ones. The resort is is schedule to open in December 2010
Six Senses Laamu has 99 Beach Villas, Water Villas and Water Villa Suites. Carefully designed to complement the outstanding natural beauty of the island, they offer absolute privacy, comfort and luxury. True to its philosophy of environmental protection, the villas are made from local and sustainable materials along with every possible thought for the comfort of their guests.
Photo: Atoll Images
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Thudufushi in South Ari Atoll, operated by Planhotel is currently under redevelopment and is expected to be opened sometime early 2011. The newly refurbished resort will have over-water villas among other guest facilities. Thudufush is popular for its beautiful house reef.
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Constance Moofushi Resort is situated in South Ari Atoll. The Resort combines the Crusoe Chic Barefoot elegance of a deluxe resort with the highest standards of Constance Hotels and is widely regarded as one of the best diving spots in the world. Moofushi resort has undergone re-development and will present a new overwater spa, as well as lagoon villas on the western and on the north-eastern side of the island. The resort officially opened on 01st November 2010. Congratulations!
Photo: Hotel Constance
Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma is the first Holiday Inn Resort in the Maldives, and is the second Holiday Inn property in the Maldives following the opening of the Holiday Inn Malé in September 2009. Kandooma Island, is close to many excellent dive sites; the Kandooma Channel, Kandooma Caves and Kandooma ‘Thila’ (an undersea mount) . All these contribute to making the island one of the Maldives’s most sought after destinations for divers. The Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma features 160 villas with great sea or garden views and extensive food & beverage options. This includes a speciality restaurant with MediterraneanThai cuisine, a well stocked wine room? wine bar or wine cellar?, and a rooftop lounge serving tapas.
Jumeirah Meradhoo, is an ultra luxurious 36 villa resort, where villa sizes and space have been elegantly blended with decadent luxury to provide a truly unique experience. 16 of the villas form a unique ‘water village’ separated from the main island by 1km of coral reef, providing guests with an exclusive ‘two resort’ island. Each of the ‘water village’ villas measures a spacious 240m², while the 20 luxury beach villas on the main island will be approximately 300m² in size. Jumeirah Meradhoo will also feature a dive centre, offering guests access to one of the best reefs in the Maldives; three restaurants and a bar, and a Talise spa. Meradhoo Island is also fortunate to have one of the best reefs in the Maldives, with a variety of corals. The resort is scheduled to open in mid 2011.
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The first property in the Maldives to be managed by the Dubai-based management company, the Jumeirah Maldives is a redevelopment of Bolufushi Island on Kaafu Atoll. The resort integrates Jumeirah’s distinctive world-class luxury into the Maldives’ pristine natural environment. Built around the principles of sustainable development, all guest villas overlook a turquoise lagoon and are fashioned in a contemporary style. The resort will feature 48 deluxe beach villas, 42 superior water villas, four exceptional restaurants and bars, a Talise spa, health club and fully equipped dive centre. The resort is expected to be opened early 2011
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Debuting in Spring 2011, set on the pristine, crescent-shaped island of Vagaru, located in the Shaviyani Atoll, Viceroy Maldives will be the first Viceroy to open outside the Americas in 2011. The property will feature 61 luxury villas, situated for maximum privacy both over the crystalline water as well as on the white sand beaches that ring the 17-acre island. The villas will be amongst the largest of the Maldives resorts
Photo: Atoll Images
Photo: Atoll Images
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Athuruga Island Resort has reopened in March 2010 after undergoing a major redevelopment. The newly upgraded resort features modern guest facilities with high standards. The most notable feature of the upgrade is the development of new overwater villas. Athuruga Island has a beautiful house reef for snorkelling and diving.
Photo: Atoll Images
Konotta island in Gaafu Dhaal Atoll is curently undergoing development and is scheduled to open sometime in mid 2011.
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Viceroy Maldives
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Kanifushi island in Lhaviyani atoll is currently undergoing development. The island is formed on the south-west tip of Lhaviyani atoll and considered to be among the most beautiful islands in Lhaviyani atoll.
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Tel: +(960) 3306693; Fax: +(960) 3331643; HP: +(960) 796 1643 | reservations@escalemaldives.com
www.escalemaldives.com
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Crack in Male’ reef? - The Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture has raised the alarm over cracks appearing in Male’ reef, after surveys revealed they could eventually cause the reef to collapse just as it did in January 2010 outside the Nasandhura Hotel. Ali Rilwan from environmental NGO Bluepeace said there are places in the reef where reef slope failure can be found, which could have been caused during dynamite use in 1991 or during the construction of the Male’ seawall near the Hulhumale’ ferry terminal. Head of Malé Municipality Adam Manik said the incident in front of Nasandhuraa Hotel in Malé could also be due to piling works. State Minister for Fisheries and Agriculture, Dr Mohamed Ali said although there were many options being looked at to try and resolve or alleviate the issue, “nothing is being done” at the moment. He added one of the simplest options to help relieve the pressure on the reefs was to reduce the load they are subjected to.
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Cabinet approves long line fishing for Maldivian vessels under special conditions. In March 2010, the Cabinet has decided to open the opportunity for long line fishing of yellowfin tuna and bigeye tuna for Maldivian vessels, while foreign permits expired in April 2010. However, the Ministry of Fisheries is working out strict regulations to control long-line fishing for Maldivian vessels to minimize by-catch to a maximum of 4-5% of the total catch. The proposed method of fishing involves a horizontal drag line with many baited hooks left out for a couple of hours. Unlike the traditional Maldivian ‘pole and line fishing’, environmentalists claim this method produces too much by-catch, including turtles, dolphins, sharks and sea birds.
March/April 2010: Coral spawning: Corals reproduce both March 2010 - Total ban on shark fishing imposed in March 2010 and export of shark products banned on 1 July. Following the serious decline in sharks, the long-expected export ban of shark products came into effect on 1st July 2010, while the fishing for any shark species has officially stopped from 15th March 2010 onwards. The cabinet also decided that the Ministry of Fisheries would assist shark fishermen, who were mainly interested in selling fins to the international market, to find alternative livelihoods. The Ministry is now buying back shark fishing gear from fishermen whose income was based on shark fishing, in addition to conducting training programmes for the Maldives Police Service in Male’ and on the islands. However, the legislation for an export of shark products, as well as generally the import and export of marine-derived products which are heavily sold in tourist areas, is controlled by the Ministry of Trade.
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DISCOVERMALDIVES | 2011 ISSUE
asexually (via budding) and sexually (via the release of egg and sperm cells). Every year, corals release their sexual products simultaneously. It happens for different species at different times. Corals in the Maldives are reported to spawn in March/ April, which is synchronous with the Northern Hemisphere timing, but in Addu Atoll, the southernmost in the Maldives, spawning occurred in December 2009. This is an interesting phenomenon because corals there, below the equator, were spawning according to southern hemisphere patterns. So even though Addu is part of the Maldives, true to its position, it seems to be following the Southern Hemisphere spawning patterns.
April 2010: Gaafaru Wind Farm: the future of Male’s power? - The agreement between the State Electricity Company Limited (STELCO) and Falcon Energy to build and run a 75mW wind farm in Gaafaru, North Malé Atoll, should produce enough clean energy for Malé, Hulhulé and a number of resorts to “switch off their existing diesel power generators” according to the President’s Office. The Gaafaru wind farm project to power the Male’ region will be operational by August 2013, the government has promised, although the cost has already soared to US$370 million from a predicted US$250 million.
World Environment Day 5th June 2010:
1) Villingili (Kaafu): A beach- and reef clean-up was organized by ‘Maldivers’, ‘SOS’ and Divers Lodge on the occasion of Environment Day 2010. 2) ECOCARE Maldives launched the SONEVA – ECOCARE Nature Trip. 6th and 7th graders were selected from Male’ schools to take part in this action-oriented trip that creates environmental awareness among school children. 3) The Maldives Police Services, together with Maldives Ports Limited and Club Raaveriya conducted a lagoon cleaning program in the Male’ lagoon. Five pick-ups full of plastic bottles, tires, metal and environmentally-harmful refuse were taken from the lagoon during this event. Photos: Verena Wiesbauer-Ali
Surrounded by corals forever?
A coffin made out of coral stone has been found in Hithadhu of Seenu Atoll in June 2010. The coffin was found when a man dug inside an abandoned house to plant a tree. It was six feet two inches long and two feet wide.
Soneva Fushi installs largest renewable energy plant in the Maldives
April 2010: Maldives goes carbon neutral
& UN makes President Mohamed Nasheed ‘Champion of the Earth’ - President Mohamed Nasheed has been awarded the UN Champion of the Earth Award by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in Seoul, Republic of South Korea. The awards were held in conjunction with the Business for Environment Summit (B4E), which is being attended by representatives of business, government and civil society who are working to promote a greener economy. He said the fact that other countries had created more pollution than the Maldives did not mean they carry the burden of fixing the problem, and said that is why he is aiming to make the Maldives carbon neutral by 2020. President Nasheed assured carbon neutrality is not only possible, but “it’s economically viable, financially feasible and there is no reason why we shouldn’t do it.”
June 2010: The Maldives has signed a
memorandum of understanding with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to launch a ‘Global Climate Change Adaptation Program’ in the Maldives. The program provides upto US$4.5 million grant assistance under the 3-year program, intended to increase the Maldives’ adaptive capacity to cope with the impacts of global climate change.
April/May 2010: Coral bleaching is
caused when rising water temperatures stress the coral, leading it to expel the algae it uses to obtain nutrients. When water temperatures rise even slightly, algae leave the coral polyp and enter the water column, causing the coral to lose its colour and eventually die. Hussein Zahir from the Marine Research Centre (MRC) has been collecting reports of the bleaching, and said that based on his estimates, 10-15 percent of shallow reef coral were completely white by June 2010, while 50-70 percent had begun to pale.
Soneva Fushi has installed a 70kW solar photovoltaic renewable energy system that has achieved successful operation since January 2010. The panels have been discreetly assembled in the middle of the island’s jungle and are visible only when guests are given guided tours of the resort’s impressive recycling, waste to wealth ‘Eco Centro’. This is the largest renewable energy power system currently operating in the Maldives. This project is a significant step in achieving Sonevafushi’s commitment of a net zero carbon foot print for the resort by 2012. The project is in support of the carbon reduction goals of the Government.
Ban on plastic bags
Plastic bag import clampdown has lead to local manufacture. High government import taxes on plastic bags, intended to reduce their use, has prompted some businesses in the country to manufacture up to 50.000 plastic bags per day. While a 200 per cent duty import duty is levied on plastic bags, the import duty for raw materials is 25 per cent. Due to toxic fumes, the manufacture of plastic bags poses serious health risks, causing breathing difficulties and nausea. Deputy Environment Minister Mohamed Shareef said that the government is trying to make a law to ban all plastic bags.
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bookreviews Title: “Maps of Maldives, The complete guide to the atolls and islands of Maldives”. Publisher: Water Solutions, water-solutions.biz Year: 2008 Size: A4, paper back No of pages: 120 What’s it about?: This book is the first of its kind completely researched and developed by Maldivians. The book contains details maps of all the atolls, in English and Dhivehi. The fact that the book has been developed both in English and Dhivehi makes this a unique and extremely useful book to everyone from Government offices, private offices and businesses, fisherman, resort owners, resort developers, school children, travellers, holiday makers and many more. All the maps have been updated to reflect the latest changes to the geography of Maldives. In addition to detail maps, the book also provides statistics and detail information on all the inhabited islands of Maldives, next to each atoll map. Each map has vertical and horizontal grid and the islands are index in alphabetical order with grid refrence which makes searching any island very easy. The book contains all the upcoming resorts, airports and newly leased agricultural islands in addition to tons of other useful information such as island photos, ATM locations and Bank of Maldives branch locations throughout the Maldives. In short, this will be an indespensable reference book for anyone. To purchase copies contact info@water-solutions.com or visit any of the Novelty Bookshop branches in Male’.
Title: The Complete Guide to Male’. Publisher: amooo.com Year: 2007 Size: A5, paper back No of pages: 120 What’s it about?: A new guide book exclusively on MALE’. Includes information on Hulhumale’ and Villingili as well. This is the first and most comprehensive guide book on Male’. This 142 page book will be the ideal companion while in Male’. The book will be ideal fo Short and long term Consultants, Tourists, Expatriates, Locals, Tour operators Tourist guides, and many others...The book contains details of Places of Interest, Things to do, Getting around, Eating and Dining, Shopping, Accommodation, Money matters Health and Well-being, Staying connected, Best of the Best, Useful Information, Detail Maps, Useful tips and Facts, and a very easy to use Street Index & much more. To order copies, please contact info@atoll-images.com.
Title: “Dangerous Marine Animals - Biology, Injuries & Treatment”. Published Year: 2009 Whats it about?: Size: A5, paper back No of pages: 84 This concise book, DANGEROUS MARINE ANIMALS has two aims. First, it provides information for medical doctors about the wide range of injuries which can be inflicted by marine organisms. Description of symptoms and recommendations for treatment are given. Secondly, swimmers, snorkelers and divers will find information about the biology of dangerous, venomous and poisonous marine animals. This knowledge helps to avoid contact with potentially harmful organisms. Numerous underwater pictures show animals that can be harmful. Their preferred habitat and the type of potential risks are described in detail. In addition, different kinds of seafood poisoning are covered as well. The booklet is small enough to be a helpful travelling companion for holiday makers, and it is voluminous enough to provide quick medical information the case of an emergency. The book is published, marketed and distributed by Atoll Images. To purchase copies, contact info@atoll-images.com or visit our showroom.
Title: Above Maldives, A photographic journey over the atolls and islands of Maldives Publisher: Atoll Images, atoll-images.com Year: 2009 Size: 210 mm by 280 mm, hard cover No of pages: 96 What’s it about?: A new concept featuring satellite photos of the islands of Maldives. This book will be useful for many people and groups
namely, government agencies, planners, private sector, resort owners and developers, potential resort owners, tour operators, tourists, divers, students, marine biologists, geographers, architects, environmentalists and others alike. The book has been designed to provide an insight in to the natural beauty of Maldives, including reefs, desert islands, resorts and inhabited islands from above. More than 96 satellite photos of different islands are illustrated. The book is marketed and distributed by Atoll Images. Most book on Maldives focus all the attention on the resorts, but this book is different. Appreciating the real beauty of Maldives, this book aims to provide the viewer the real picture of Maldives from above. Most visitors to Maldives stay in resorts and do not get to see the real beauty of the Maldives, which is are the shapes of islands, reefs, inhabited islands and the blendng colours from atoll lagoon to reefs, sand banks and much more. Able to visit these islands are great, but seeing them from above is just unbeleivable. This book is strongly recommended for people who love Maldives and geography of small islands in particular. To purchase copies contact atoll images at info@atoll-images.com.
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DISCOVERMALDIVES | 2011 ISSUE
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Sri Lankan Airlines Hostess
German Red Cross Staff
The inauguration of DISCOVER MALDIVES magazine took place at ITB Berlin fair in March 2010. The magazine was released by H.E. Mr. Mohamed Nasheed. It was the right occasion, as hundreds of tourism professionals and prospective tourists gathered at Messe Berlin. The magazine was well received by curious visitors and dive enthusiasts. Let’s just say that we are viewing Maldives from an exploratory perspective! DM TEAM
President Nasheed launching DISCOVER MALDIVES Magazine.
Visitors at ITB
Executive Vice President of John Keells Holdings
MD of Maldives Airports Company
Michael Friedel
Director of Coco Collection
Director of AAA Resorts
Staff of MTPB in traditional Maldivian dress
Ever since the release of DISCOVER MALDIVES, the magazine has been reaching out to people both locally and overseas. It is encouraging to see that the contents have captured the readers’ attention on Maldives and its specificities. This has been one of the goals of DM and it will continue to adhere to its principle of producing light reading and informative materials on Maldives. DM Team.
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