Recreation

Snorkeling

For novice as well as professionals, Maldives is one of the most excellent snorkeling locations in the world. It offers a wonderful combination of variety of aquatic life and crystal clear waters with visibility up to 60 meters. Snorkeling over the shallow reefs is a perfect way to discover the undersea world. Most of the resorts in Maldives offer snorkeling facilities and all the required gear is easily available. Except for a very few Maldives resorts, nearly all of them have a ‘house reef' which is extremely close by. Some of the island resorts arrange regular snorkeling tours to give you an opportunity to experience the diversity of sea life and reef structures in Maldives. When selecting snorkeling equipments, choose a mask, a pair of fins for your feet and a snorkel for your mouth, all of which should fit comfortably.

Scuba diving

Maldives is famous the world over for its marine beauty and many tourists visit the place only to enjoy diving. With an extremely wonderful weather, Maldives offers you an excellent diving experience. All resorts in the Maldives offer scuba diving options, with dive schools that are well equipped and the entire kit is also conveniently available. Many of these resorts offer scuba diving courses in different languages also. Some resorts also carry out open water and professional courses such as night diving, rescue diving, and undersea photography. A majority of the resorts have access to a sheltered reef on the leeward side of the island. This allows them to offer scuba diving activities even during times of rough seas and strong winds. Some of the good scuba diving sites in Maldives are the Shark Thila, Mushimasmingili Thila, Kuda Rah Thila - Broken Rock and Maldive Victory Wreck. Other sites include, Banana Reef and Guraidhoo Corner.

Surfing

Maldives is rapidly establishing itself as a surfing destination. The paradise, consisting of cluster of 1200 tropical islands, which form twenty-six atolls, is a surfer's delight. Surfing is comparatively new to the Maldives, particularly in relation to the better-known water sport activity such as scuba diving. Male' Atoll boasts of a majority of the renowned surf breaks. If you plan to go surfing by making use of a resort's facilities, it is recommended to opt for one on the eastern side of North Male' Atoll, where you can get access to the best spots for practicing the sport. Surfing safaris to the outer islets can also be organized with reputable surf travel operators. The Maldives experiences two monsoons, the northeast monsoon and the southwest monsoon. The southwest monsoon in Maldives from May to October is frequently wet and rainy, but brings excellent weather that coincides with the peak tourist season. This time of the year offers one of the premium surfing experiences. The most ideal way to chance upon a surf site is to travel by ‘dhonis' (traditional boats). They are outfitted well enough to enter shallow lagoons and their tours to other islands are also safe for night exploring.

Parasailing

There are a lot of Maldives resorts that offer parasailing as one of their many activities for vacationers. This activity involves you to fly with a parachute while being drawn by a high-speed boat. While you fly above the ocean water, you can witness an incredible view of the islands, resorts, white sandy beaches and the beautiful marine life as well.

Water skiing

Water skiing is one of the popular recreation activities in the Maldives. This is because the climate in Maldives is ideal, generally the breeze is gentle, and the water is calm enough for the beginners to have a wonderful experience as well.

Banana boat rides

Banana boats are traditional Maldivian boats. They are named so, because of their shape, and are made out of coconut palm trees. Riding on a banana boat has developed into a popular way of traveling from one island to another, and also for vacationers to get a picture of what life was like in earlier days before the invention of motor boats.

Sailing

You can go sailing on one of the several catamarans offered by nearly all hotels or in a dhoni (traditional boat). This provides an astounding experience, mainly during the sunset or early morning views of the horizon. You can witness a large number of dolphins and flying fishes in their natural habitat.

Whale and Dolphin Watching

With unmatched diversity and abundance of whales and dolphins, residing in the warm clear waters, Maldives is one of the most excellent destinations in the world for whale and dolphin watching. Maldives boasts of over twenty different species of whales and dolphins. These vary from the strong Blue Whale (the largest animal living) to the very small but extremely acrobatic Spinner Dolphin. Spinner Dolphins are a very common species and it is very easy to trace them at a particular time, every day. Therefore, several Maldivian resorts offer morning or afternoon dolphin tours to see Spinners. Maldives offers you a great opportunity to see wild dolphins engrossed in their daily activities in natural surroundings. Cruising on safari boats is another option, which tourists can choose from, to see dolphins, and whales species. On one of these extraordinary safaris, you can see whales such as the Blue Whale, Sperm Whale and Pilot Whale in addition to different kinds of dolphins that include Spinner, Spotted and Rough-toothed. You can also see dolphin species such as Bottlenose, Risso's, Striped, and Fraser's. Maldivian spectacles, which are regularly seen here, are Dwarf Sperm Whale, Melon-headed Whale and Tropical Bottlenose Whale (believed to be the rarest whale in the world).