Maldives : Colors of the Ocean

MALDIVES

Colours of the Ocean MOHAMED SHAFRAZ NAEEM & MOHAMED SHAFRAZ HAFIZ

“Once you enter this world, all else becomes mundane.�

Published by Squid Media Pvt. Ltd. MF Building (4th Flr) Chaandhanee Magu Male’ Republic of Maldives Tel: +960 3310960 | Fax: +960 3340960 Email : studio@squidmedia.net Text copyright (c) 2011 Mohamed Shafraz Hafiz Photographs copyright (c) 2011 Mohamed Shafraz Naeem Contact the Authors, Mohamed Shafraz Naeem shaff@squidmultimedia.com Mohamed Shafraz Hafiz shafraz@squidmedia.net First Published in November 2011 Designed by Squid Media Pvt. Ltd. Cover Photo : Maldives Anemonefish (Amphiprion nigripes)

MALDIVES

Colours of the Ocean MOHAMED SHAFRAZ NAEEM & MOHAMED SHAFRAZ HAFIZ

FOREWORD

The Maldives is world famous for its picture postcard beaches of swaying palms and soft white sands. The most beautiful part of the country, though, is not above but under the water. Our seas and coral reefs teem with life: from turtles and sharks to tropical fish and manta rays. This book captures the splendor, variety and colours of our marine environment with superb clarity.

The Maldives is extraordinarily beautiful but also particularly fragile. It is important that we protect our environment so future generations may continue to prosper in these islands. For these reasons, the government recently implemented environmental protection measures such as a ban on shark fishing, to complement similar bans on harming turtles and rare reef fish. Baa atoll has been turned into a UNESCO biosphere reserve. The Maldives has also announced plans to generate 60% of its electricity from solar power by 2020.

I am confident that this book will generate greater awareness and understanding of our marine environment. In doing so, the book not only highlights the beauty, but also the need to protect, our delicate ecosystems.

November 2011

MOHAMED NASHEED PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MALDIVES

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President Nasheed at the 350 event organised by DAM

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Photo: Mohamed Seeneen

PREFACE

The competitive advantage that the Maldives has over other tourism destinations is its unique underwater beauty.

Where in the world would one find 1200 small islands neatly arranged into 19 atolls with each island having its own reef structure within which an abundant marine life just spawns. Furthermore every atoll has its lagoon structures – the turquoise shallow sea cascaded by emerald blue lagoons yet again embraced by the waters edge of the deep-blue Indian Ocean proper. Without a doubt, the various shades of blue as one approaches an island has a calming effect on any visitor, a beautiful introduction to the visitor experience.

Then when one goes snorkeling and diving, God’s gift to the Maldives can be witnessed in all its majesty. Millions of multi-coloured fish, coral and other sea-creatures co-exist in the clear warm blue waters. Sharks, manta-rays and turtles along with others swim peacefully in this back-drop. I have dived in many marine protected areas of the Maldives and how marine life just spawns in these areas is indeed a marvel of nature. I would invite you to come and dive in the marine protected areas of the Maldives; I thoroughly recommend it!

This publication highlights some of the rich marine life which we are so blessed with here in the Maldives. I hope it will entice you to explore our waters further.

DR.MARIYAM ZULFA MINISTER OF TOURISM, ARTS & CULTURE

COLOURS OF THE OCEAN

INTRODUCTION

As a Maldivian, as a diver, and as a photographer, Colours of the Ocean represents years’ worth of dives, a deeply enlightening journey of sights and wonders into the waters of my home. It also answers a very persistent question.

Why would one choose diving in the Maldives over other destinations?

There are facts which cannot be ignored. Maldives is not at the mercy of fickle seasonal changes; the diving will be great here all year round. We have a large number of dive spots here, and variety. We have unique sights of which no one else can boast, and unique interactions.

But this is just stacking up facts. The truth is something you’ll just have to see for yourself.

Turn these pages and you will.

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Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) They love to crawl up on the shore of the beach and spend time soaking up the sunlight. They are deep divers but have to come up every four or five minutes for air.

01

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Leaf Fish (Taenianotus triacanthus) The leaf fish is a master of camouflage. His body is often covered with spots, stripes, warts, skin flaps and filaments. The frogfish mimics substrate and structures like algae covered rocks or rubble, plants like sargassum weed or algae, and animals like tunicates, corals and sponges.

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Blue-faced Angelfish (Pomacanthus xanthometapon) As with all angelfishes, these exotic and vibrant coloured fish are mainly seen in areas of rich coral growth, channels, outer reef slopes and caves.

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Jewel Fairy Basslet (Pseudanthias squamipinnis) - female Often found in large schools on the top reefs, jewel fairy basslets start their lives as females. They change into males when there is an opening to preside over the the rest of the harem of females.

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Blue-lined Sabretooth Blenny (Plagiotremus rhinorhynchos) The blue-lined sabretooth blenny is an aggressive fish that mimics other species in order to get close to its prey.

05

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Bulb-tantacle anemone (Entacmea quadricolor) These are identified easily due to the oresence of a swelling which appears a short distance from the tip. It is recorded that bulb tentacle anemone hosts are hosts to 13 kinds of anemonefish.

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Bristle Coral (Galaxea fascicularis) Very common in this region, bristle coral can form large colonies upto 3 metres across. They come in different colors from green, red, brown and yellow.

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Red Hermit Crab (Dardanus megistos) Hermit crabs love to interact with each other. Quite often you can see them waving their antennae, sometimes fighting over a shell when one crab takes a fancy to another crab’s shell.

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Brittle Stars (Ophiothrix purpurea) Brittle stars inhabit rocky shallow coastal areas and are found clinging to sponges, gorgonians, and corals.

They are quite brittle, breaking off easily - therefore the common name.

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Hovering Goby (Bryaninops natans) The tiny gobies, about 2.5 cm, rest on a polyp of a fine table coral (Acropora cytherea). They are found in small groups in lagoons and protective coral gardens swimming above or through acropora plate corals.

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Clark’s Anemonefish (Amphiprion clarkii) Called anemonefish because of their symbiotic relationship with sea anemones, they are some of the few fishes that are able to live among anemones without being stung by their tentacles. Because other fish can’t get so close to anemones, clownfish are safe from predators among the anemones.

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Common Lionfish (Pterois miles) Lionfish have the best of both worlds as one of the most spectacular fish to see but also one of the most venomous in the ocean. However, they do not attack unless they feel threatened.

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Spotted Hawkfish (Cirrhitichthys oxycephalus) Hawkfish can be found perched on top of coral blocks waiting for prey.

At the approach of predators they quickly dart away to hide.

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Variable Thorny Oyster (Spondylus varians) While patterns and colours may vary from place to place, thorny oysters are found on coral and rocky reefs,usually attached to back walls of caves and overhangs.

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Midas Blenny (Ecsenius midas) Blennies are similar to gobies, though one way of distinguishing blennies is by small antenna-like projections protruding from their heads called cirri, which all members of the blenny family have.

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“The true beauty of Maldives lies beneath the shimmering waters, among the vivid colours and bustling activity of life.�

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Yellow Sweeper (Parapriacanthus ransonneti) Yellow sweepers congregate in large shoals around cave mouths. Swimming in formation, they shoal together during the day and then disperse at night to feed.

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Red-tailed Butterflyfish (Chaetodon collare) Other common names for Red-tailed Butterflyfish include collared butterflyfish and Pakistani butterflish.

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Ember Parrotfish (Scarus rubroviolaceus) Parrotfish spend most of the daytime feeding and the night in almost complete inactivity.

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“Until you dive in the Maldives, you can’t know that there are sunsets beneath the waves, that there is fire underwater.”

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Graeffe’s Sea Cucumber (Bohadschia graeffei) - juvenile This juvenile sea cucumber which is active during the day are known to mimic nudibranches.

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Indian Flame Fairy Basslet (Pseudanthias ignitus) The gorgeous gradations of fiery reds, bold oranges, and vibrant yellows of the Indian flame fairy basslet add color and vitality to the reefs.

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“It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the intensity of the sights but sometimes something subtle is framed so well it’s just as powerful.”

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Bluegreen Puller (Chromis viridis) These fish are found in large schools over reefs and in lagoons, often among branching corals.

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Emperor Angelfish (Pomacanthus imperator) - Juvenile [left], Young Adult [Top Right], Adult [ Bottom Right] Young emperor angelfish are generally black and have concentric white and blue rings on their bodies. The young fish really bear no resemblance to the appearance of the adults, except for their body shape.

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Red-spotted Coral Crab (Trapezia rufopunctata) These small crabs take shelter between the finger-like branches of a hard coral formations such as those found in the shallow portions of a healthy reef.

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Variegated Lizardfish (Synodus variegatus) Usually found lying on sand, rubble or coral, variegated lizardfish swim only when disturbed. Lizardfish are ambush predators, perfectly blending into its surrounding by the colour pattern and their motionlessness.

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Olivaria Nudibranch (Tambja olivaria) Nudibranches are slow moving, and can swim or be propelled along either by muscular contraction or by the millions of tiny hairs on the bottom of a fleshy ‘foot’.

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Manta Ray (Manta alfredi) These friendly rays are an endangered and protected species in the Maldives. They can be found in the Maldives throughout the year, and the Maldives has one of the most famous manta experience dive spots in the world, ‘Hanifaru Bay.’ ‘Manta’ means blanket, and the creature’s name is attributed to how it looks like a blanket as it moves in the water.

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Orsak’s Flatworm (Maiazoon orsaki) These flatworms are usually found on reef flats but have also been to be found in deeper water beneath coral slabs, rocks, and rubble during the day.

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Golden Moray (Gymnothorax melatremus) At a maximum length of around 18 inches, this colorful eel does not grow as large as most other eels.

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Yellow Boxfish (Ostracion cubicus) Juvenile babies are green with black spots and change to yellow with black spots before changing to the adult greys, yellows, and blues.

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“Underwater geography is a concept that can only be understood firsthand. There are landscapes untouched and histories we can never know.”

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Jewel Fairy Basslet (Pseudanthias squamipinnis) - male Often found in large schools on the top reefs, jewel fairy basslets start their lives as females. They change into males when there is an opening to preside over the the rest of the harem of females.

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Octopus (Octopus sp.)

Octopus make their homes in holes in the reef or burrows in the sand.

They can often be found when camouflaged by the tell-tale debris outside the holes.

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Tassled Scorpionfish (Scorpaenopsis oxycephala) Scorpionfish are masters of camouflage, enabling them to lie in wait for their victims to come close before lunging forward and ingesting their prey with their large mouths.

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Grey Reef Shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) Grey reef sharks are the most common sharks found in the Maldives.

These sharks are more active during the night and are now known to form groups during the day and break up for the night.

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Hakwsbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) The temperature of a sea turtle’s nest is known to determine the sex of the eggs. Males are more likely to develop below 28.7 C, females are more likely at temperatures above 28.7 C.

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Starry Pufferfish (Arothron meleagris) The bodies of pufferfish are covered in a toxic mucus. If the skin or flesh is consumed it can be fatal to humans.

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Loki Whip Goby (Bryaninops loki) These small gobies, about 3 cm long, inhabit gorgonians and seawhips.

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Giant Moray (Gymnothorax javanicus) Morays open and close their mouths to move water through their gills for respiration. This behaviour can often be seen as a threat especially towards divers, when in fact this is far from the truth. Morays are very shy creatures and will only attack if provoked.

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Forster’s Hawkfish (Paracirrhites forsteri) These hawkfish can be found resting on coral or rocks singly or in pairs.

They are very common in the Indo-Pacific region, but their colour varies from place to place.

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Blacktip Grouper (Epinephelus fasciatus) The blacktip grouper is a very widely distributed grouper found from the Red Sea to South Africa and as far as Korea and Australia.

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“After a while one does get used to how many colours there are, how beautiful it all is. Then, something moves, and everything is new again.�

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Magenta spiky soft coral (Dendronephthya sp.)

One of the most abundant soft corals in the Maldives, These soft corals come in a variety of colors.

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Longfin Batfish (Platax teira) Batfish have a striking flattened profile. Juvenile batfish are extremely tall finned, but as they grow they become more rounded.

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Powder-blue Surgeonfish (Acanthurus leucosternon) These surgeonfish are very common in the shallow waters of the Maldives. They are often seen in pairs or groups along coral reefs where they feed on algae.

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Glenie’s Sea Slug (Chromodoris gleniei) These are distinctive nudibranch endemic to the Indian Ocean and are seen to be more common in Maldives than anywhere else.

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Midnight Snapper (Macolor macularis) Midnight snappers are found singly or in groups of varying numbers in reef channels, reef slopes and walls with rich coral growth. They have a beautiful colours and textures.

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Ember Parrotfish (Scarus rubroviolaceus) By no means an uncommon relationship, an ember parrotfish is cleaned by a clear cleaner shrimp (Urocaridella antonbruunii).

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Anemone Crab (Neopetrolisthes maculatus) Porcelain anemone crabs live together in pairs under the protection of an anemone. They may attempt to defend their territory from clownfish that try to establish themselves among the anemone, although the clownfish generally prevail.

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Faulkner’s Coral (Tubastraea faulkneri) Usually seen beneath caves and overhangs, these large polyps only extended themselves at night.

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Long Nose Butterflyfish (Forcipiger flavissimus) Divers usually confuse long nose butterflyfish (Forcipiger flavissimus) and very long nose butterflyfish (Forcipiger longirostris), which are identical except for the lengths of their snouts, the latter’s being longer.

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Dracula Goby (Stonogobius dracula) & Randall’s Pistol Shrimp (Alpheus randalli) Nearly all shrimp gobies will readily pair with pistol shrimp and the relationship is one with mutual benefits. The shrimp creates a burrow in which both animals can seek refuge and the goby acts as a means for early warning for the vulnerable shrimp when it sallies forth from the burrow to feed.

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Semicircle Angelfish (Pomacanthus semicirculatus) These are very rare in the Maldives and are normally found to be solitary as, like all members of large angelfish species, they are aggressive towards their own kind.

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Red Fire Goby (Nemateleotris magnifica) These cute little fish are usually found in pairs hovering directly above the ocean floor, facing the current to catch their food. When predators approach they dart back into their holes or under a rock for safety.

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Red Reef Lobster (Enoplometopus occidentalis) These rare lobsters hide behind rocks or in rock caves, away from light during the day time and can be only seen at night when they come out to feed.

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Hakwsbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) Hawksbill turtles often resemble adult green turtles, although the two can be distinguished by the number of scales behind their eyes.

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Orange-Line Triggerfish (Balistapus undulatus) One of the most colorful of all triggerfish, and like other species, yellow-line triggerfish are territorial and agrresive towards other fishes, especially other triggerfishes.

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Coral Grouper (Cephalopholis miniata) Groupers are built very streamlined to ‘sprint’ short distances usually to hunt unsuspecting prey.

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Yellow Boxfish (Ostracion cubicus) Inside the mouth is an isopod parasite that specializes in attaching to the tongues of fishes. They are also referred to as ‘tongue biters’.

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Yellow Boxfish (Ostracion cubicus) Juvenile babies are green with black spots and change to yellow with black spots before changing to the adult greys, yellows, and blues.

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Oriental Sweetlips (Plectorhinchus vittatus) Normally moving in groups, sweetlips can also be found quite often in pairs. A fish so common in the Maldives you would probably get to see several before the end of a dive.

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Longnose Hawkfish (Oxycirrhites typus) These hawkfish are found alone or in pairs resting among sponges, sea fans, black coral bushes, on reefs, and in wrecks.

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Manta Ray (Manta alfredi) A protected species in the Maldives, mantas are very intelligent animals. It has the largest brain-to-body ratio of all sharks, skates, and rays on Earth.

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Purple Fire Goby (Nemateleotris decora) Nearly always seen in pairs, purple fire gobies exhibit excellent colouration which can can only be seen at lower depths where there is natural light.

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Long-horned Spider Crab (Naxiodes taurus) Living near black corals and gorgonians, these crabs climb on to the branches during the night to feed.

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Maldives Anemonefish (Amphiprion nigripes) This species of the iconic anemonefish are called Maldivian anemonefish because they are unique to Maldivian waters.

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Marble Ray (Taeniura meyeni) This ray is called by many common names such as black-spotted stingray, blotched fantail ray, fantail stingray, giant reef ray, round ribbontail ray, and speckled stingray.

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Durban Dancing Shrimp (Rhyncocinetes durbanensis) These nocturnal shrimps form groups under overhangs and in reef crevices. Their red is of a hue indicative of a nocturnal lifestyle.

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Blue stripe snapper (Lutjanus kasmira) Large schools of Blue stripe snappers are a very common sight in the Maldives.

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Monocle Hawkfish (Paracirrhites arcatus) Lacking a swim bladder, the monocle hawkfish spends most of its time perched on corals watching for prey.

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Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) Generally, adult barracudas are thought to be solitary during hunting. Young barracudas tend to gather in large schools, sometimes in numbers up to hundreds or even thousands.

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Napolean Wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) A protected species in the Maldives, napoleon wrasses are extremely long-lived, known to survive for at least 30 years, and take around 5 to 7 years to reach sexual maturity, meaning their population growth is slow.

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Common Lionfish (Pterois miles) The lionfish are mainly nocturnal animals and spend the day hiding in crevices and other hollows. They normally leave their shelters at sunset to look for food. Lionfish usually finish eating in an hour and spend the night wandering about in the water.

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Pipefish - Juvenile Pipefish are very weak swimmers. Juveniles can be as small as a toothpick and are hard to identify at a a very juvenile stage.

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Honeycomb Moray (Gymnothorax favagineus) The honeycomb moray opens its mouth wide open for blue-streaked cleaner wrasses (Labroides dimidiatus) to clean.

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Sea Slug (Phyllidia varicosa) This sea slug is probably one of the most common species frequently noticed by scuba divers. Recent studies have shown that its toxic secretions may have anti-malarial properties.

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Peacock Mantis Shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) Peacock mantis shrimps are some of the most beautiful creatures ever to grace the sands of the ocean. It has the fastest strike in the world and is the most lethal combination between an insect and a sea dwelling invertebrate you will ever come across.

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Anemone Hermit Crab (Dardanus pedunculatus) These nocturnal crabs have shell almost always “planted� with one or more commensal sea anemones, which protects the hermit crab from predators.

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Whale Shark (Rhincodon typus) Whale sharks are the biggest fish in the world but also the gentlest. They eat only plankton.

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Acknowledgement It is with great faith, lots of support and encouragement that we are able to finally publish this book. We would like to offer our sincere appreciation to the following people who have been instrumental in making this a success.

First we would like to mention our publisher, Maldives Promotion House, espesially Ismail Faseeh for his faith in us and continuous support during each stage of the production.

Special thanks to Maldives Media & PR Corporation & the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture, especially Dr. Mariyam Zulfa, Simon Hawkins & Thoyyib Mohamed for your continuous support to all our works.

Very big thanks to His Excellency President Mohamed Nasheed for your support and taking the time to write the foreword for the book.

Also, we would like to thank everyone at Squid Media, especially Fazeel, Ihvan, Riyazi, Ajuhadh & Ahmed Mauroof (Andhu).

We would like to thank Ahmed Hafiz & Dr.Charles Anderson for their guidance and help in identifying certain species of fish featured in this publication.

MOHAMED SHAFRAZ NAEEM: I would like to thank my wife Maha & my two sons Houdh & Nooh who has supported me at every step of the way. My parents and family. Mohamed Ahmed Didi, Shaley & Shazley, Sikka Ahmed Ismail Manik & Sikka Mohamed Ismail Manik, Seeniya & Vishal, Mohamed Jinah, Ali Afsah, Hassan Saleem (Salle’), Hussain Rasheed (Sendi), Mustaq Hussein, Majid & everyone at Dive Gear, Luigi from Coltri Maldives, Abbe & AJ from Ark HG Ventures, Tholal & Moosa Niyaz (Moochi), Anne-Marie Kitchen-Wheeler & Matt Kitchen, Guy Stevens, Dr. Alex Tattersall of Underwater Visions UK, John Ellerbrock at Gates Underwater Housings, Indra Swari, Hendra Tan, Eliane Groves, Marc Pomel, Marcelo Guimaraes, Charly & Lisa Knodl, Nikhil Chinapa & Pearl, Ben & Simone Reymanents, Shohei Ota, Shamma Hameed, Mohamed Ashraf (Primary0), Nishan Perera, Imran Ahmed, Sayeed Salim, Anees Adenwala, Siku Kamaaldeen.

Chief of Defence Force MG. Moosa Ali Jaleel, Vice Chief of Defence BG. Farhath Shaheer, BG. Mansoor, BG Shamaal, Commandant Coast Guard BG Ahmed Shiyam, Principal Director Coast Guard Lt. Col Ismail Shareef, Lt. Col Mohamed Ibrahim, Captain Mohamed Saleem, Capt.

Ahmed Mujthaba Mohamed, F.Lt Yoosuf Nishar, CO MNDF Special Forces Lt. Col. Ahmed Giyas, Lt. Moosa Niyaz (Moochi), Sgt. Tholal, everyone at CG DSEPU especially Cpl. Iqbal.

MOHAMED SHAFRAZ HAFIZ: To my parents - Thank you very much for your INCREDIBE support throughout the years. You guys were instrumental for my love for the life beneath the water. Specially dad, whose work in this industry had inspired me for a long time. To my wife & my son Kayes, you guys are the pillars of everything i do and without your confidence & faith in me, i would not have the strength & courage.

Special thanks to my younger brother Iju, i look forward to working with you soon. Special thanks to Dr. Charles Anderson, Maldives Association for Travel Agents & Tour Operators (MATATO) and to my friends whome we have spend a lot of time sipping coffee and talking about this.

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About the Authors Mohamed Shafraz Naeem Shafraz Naeem is a widely travelled diving instructor, photographer and videographer and is currently working at Maldives National Defence Force, Coast Guard as a diving instructor.

His flair for photography was recognised at the Sunny Side in Frames photography competition held by the Maldives Tourism Promotion Board in 2007 where he won two prizes, including ‘Best Of Show’. His work has also been published in various international magazines including Asian Geographic Passport and Ocean Geographic.

Mohamed Shafraz Hafiz Shafraz Hafiz comes from an advertising background and first fell in with the wonders of underwater exploration during his time studying in Australia. It’s hard to consider the Great Barrier Reef a mean place to start but Shafraz considers what he’s seen in Maldives far more breathtaking.

His greatest inspiration comes from his father Ahmed Hafiz, who along with Dr.Charles Anderson pioneered photo documentation of marine life in the Maldives with their work on Common Reef Fishes of the Maldives .

Shafraz Hafiz is also the editor of the travel magazine, Maldives Finder and FlyMega.

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80 years of life...

1 year to give birth...

Dead in seconds

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“Once the coral gardens capture your imagination it’s easy to forget that everything is suspended in water. But on the way up, you wonder how you could ever ignore it.”