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Dive Sites in Maldives – The Best Underwater Thrills and Chills

anand — Mon, 16 May 2011 10:05:35 +0000

There are an enormous number of dive sites in the Maldives; enough in fact that you could dive here every day for months on end and never need to visit the same dive site twice. Some are more exciting than others, and which Maldives dive sites you visit will depend largely on what you are hoping to encounter while under water as well as your experience level. Many of the best dive sites in Maldives are centered around quite deep reefs and as such, a PADI Advanced Open Water qualification (or equivalent) is often required.

Stunning Marine Life at Maldives Dive Site

Best Dive Sites in the Maldives

It’s difficult to say exactly which are the best Maldives dive sites because there are so many and it depends a lot on what time of year you come to the Maldives and of course on each diver’s personal preferences, but the following are a good selection of the best Maldives dive sites in the major atolls. On the whole, these dive sites are well-known and often visited by the various resort dive centres and liveaboard boats. Once you get to the Maldives, you’ll find out about plenty more top dive sites in Maldives and end up with your own collection of favourite Maldives dive sites.

Maldives Dive Sites in Ari Atoll

There are plenty of amazing dive sites in the Ari Atoll, which are highly recommended Maldives dive sites thanks to their marine life and are known for their populations of sharks and rays. Hammerhead Point, one of the dive sites to see hammerhead sharks in Maldives, is located in the North Ari Atoll and is sometimes known as Big Blue. The best time to dive this site is in the early morning, just before the sun rises, which is when the hammerheads are most likely to visit.

Whale Shark Sighting in Maldives

Maaya Thila, also in the North Ari Atoll is best known for its amazing congregations of grey reef sharks. Maaya Thila makes for a great dive during the day, but is best known for its spectacular night dives when the sharks can be seen hunting the reef. Being one of the Maldives top dive sites, Maaya Thila is included on many liveaboard routes, some of which stay in the area for a whole day to allow divers enjoy a morning, afternoon and night dive at Maaya Thila. Incredibly, each of these dive experiences is totally different, but equally exciting.

Kudarah Thila is found in the South Ari Atoll and is one of the many wonderfully colourful sites in Ari Atoll . Here, you will find greater concentrations of reef fish like angelfish and soldierfish as well as moray eels, pufferfish and the occasional turtle. White tip sharks have also been spotted at this Maldives dive site.

Fish Head – also known as Shark Point – is another of the famous dive sites in Maldives, mainly because of the large numbers of sharks that gather here. This is an interesting “thila” dive site and is one of the best Maldives dive sites for seeing sharks. Particularly common here are the white tip reef shark and grey reef shark and thanks to a government ban, Fish Head dive site is actually protected from fishing; a move executed by the Maldivian government to prevent overfishing of the sharks. Fish Head is also one of the top dive sites of the Maldives because of its large numbers of pelagic including napoleon wrasse and its curious caves and overhangs.

Maldives Dive Sites in South Male Atoll

The South Male dive sites are top Maldives dive sites in terms of seeing some really varied Maldives life and great diving conditions.

Pink Anemone and Fish

While divers are often hampered by the strong currents, it’s definitely worthwhile visiting Cocoa Thila dive site because the rewards are immense. The interesting overhangs, pinnacles and other formations mean there are plenty of places to shelter from the current and enjoy the views of the oriental sweetlips and fusiliers in their droves and where the reef drops off you should be able to spot tuna and eagle rays as well as a number of grey reef sharks. This is one of the most stunning dive sites in Maldives.

Guraidhoo Kandu, is definitely one of the most spectacular dive sites in the Maldives and such is the extensiveness of the site, it is often split into two and visited twice. Many say that the marine life at Guraidhoo Kandu is unrivalled: here you will spot squirrelfish, moray eels, eagle rays and grey reef sharks. Like many of the best dive sites in South Maldives, Guraidhoo Kandu displays a wide variety of colourful coral formations and interesting topography.

Manta Hovering Over Divers at Dive Site

Kuda Giri is one of the best wreck dive sites in the Maldives and is a good spot to see napoleon wrasse, feisty triggerfish and some batfish. The actual wreck is only small and has only been there for around 10 years, but that seems to have been long enough for some interesting and attractive corals to grow. Sightings of turtles and reef sharks are not uncommon here.

Embudhoo Kandu, like many other of the Maldives best dive sites is well known as a place to see sharks. Here you are likely to find many grey reef sharks and white tip sharks and thanks to a shark fishing ban in the area, this dive spot should remain a good place for sighting reef sharks for years to come. It’s also one of the top dive sites in the Maldives for underwater photographers as there is a stunning pinnacle frequented by morays and groupers.

Maldives Dive Sites in North Male Atoll

North Male Atoll dive sites are known and loved for their beautiful coral formations and the best dive sites in this Atoll are almost synonymous with the best dive sites in the Maldives.

Lion’s Head, named after the lion-shaped coral formations here, is considered one of the most beautiful Maldives dive travel sites in the Maldives and is a common playing ground for many different reef-dwelling types of marine life, including rainbow fusiliers and napoleon wrasse.

Sighting of Oriental Sweetlips

Lankan Manta Point is one of the Maldives famous dive sites, known particularly for sightings of manta rays. The key with visiting Lankan Manta Point is to go at the right time of year. It’s also one of the few places where you can expect to see mobula rays.

Check out this fascinating underwater clip shot at the Lankan Manta Point in the Maldives. The divers were plunged amidst a large group of manta rays, peacefully gliding through the water.

Banana Reef, another top Maldives dive site is named for the curved, banana-shaped reef here and is one of the most colourful dives you will find in the Maldives. This is a great place for seeing vivid reef life like the angelfish, blue-lined snapper and bannerfish. The reef itself is gorgeous here and the only precaution you really need to take is to mind the swirling currents known as “washing machine currents” that can really take you by surprise.

Okobe Thila, one of the most interesting “thila” or “pinnacle” dives in the Maldives, is a definite favourite with scuba divers here. The three coral heads at this dive spot are frequented by schools of eagle rays, tuna, bannerfish and much more, but is perhaps most famous for its barracudas – so much so, in fact, that the site is often known as Barracuda Giri. Reef sharks have also been seen at this dive site on regular occasions.

Underwater Landscape in the Maldives

Maldives Dive Sites Information

There is plenty of information surrounding the many dive sites of the Maldives online and you’re sure to find Maldives dive sites maps and many underwater photos taken at the hundreds of dive sites. The best way to find out more, of course, is to get out there and start scuba diving – the dive guides in the Maldives and experienced liveaboard crew members are the ones who really know all about the Maldives top dive sites.

Get in touch with us now to get the best deals on diving safaris in the Maldives!

Dive Sites in Maldives – The Best Underwater Thrills and Chills is a post from: Maldives Blog

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Map of Maldives

admin — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:06:29 +0000

Map of Maldives

A map of Maldives is an essential tool to any holiday in this exotic destination. But, finding a map of Maldives is not as easy as you might expect. The islands of the Maldives are spread out over an enormous distance, so a map of Maldives is a very long map, with not very much land mass at all. We have put together a selection of maps of the atolls of the Maldives to help you get a better grasp of where everything is in the Maldives.

Map of Maldives Islands

Map of Maldives

This map of the Maldives shows all the atolls, which cover an area of around 90,000 square kilometres in the Indian Ocean.

Map of Maldives’ Male Atoll

Map of Maldives Male Atoll

Male Atoll is divided into two sections – the North Male Atoll and the South Male Atoll. Dive sites that can be found in North Male Atoll include Lion’s Head, HP Reef and Okobe Thila.

Map of Maldives’ Felidhe (Vaavu) Atoll

Map of Maldives' Felidhe Atoll

At Felidhe, or Vaavu Atoll, there are a variety of great scuba diving sites, but by far the best is Fotteyo Kandu, widely regarded as the very best dive site in the Maldives.

Map of Maldives’ South Ari Atoll

Map of Maldives' South Ari Atoll

Ari Atoll has a wide variety of dive sites, including the exciting Pannettone, Gangehi Kandu and Broken Rock.

Map of Maldives’ South Male Atoll

Map of Maldives' South Male Atoll

In the South Male Atoll, divers can look forward to diving at Guraidhoo Kandu, Kandooma Thila and Cocoa Corner.

Map of Maldives is a post from: Maldives Blog

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Black Pearl Liveaboard Begins a New Week of Diving Adventures

admin — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:28:10 +0000

Black Pearl liveaboard sets sail, commencing a new week of diving adventures in the Maldives!

Black Pearl live aboard performed its last dive of the week to Maaya Thila, North Ari Atoll. Once the dive was finished, the Black Pearl started heading back to Hulhumale’ of the North Male’ Atoll.

Maaya Thila Dive Site

The Maaya Thila dive was one of the best dives last week with regards to Maldives marine life. Although the visibility was below average, there was an abundance of fish life, where highlights included grey reef sharks, dogtooth tuna and white tip reef sharks.

Grey Reef Shark at Maaya Thila

Visiting Male’, Capital City of the Maldives

It took about 3 and a half hours to cross Alihuras Kandu, the channel that separates Ari Atoll and Male’ Atoll. During the crossing, the sea remained calm, allowing for an extremely pleasant and enjoyable cruise back to Male’. The clear Maldivian weather was an added bonus. After reaching Hulhumale’, the anchoring process began. Once fully anchored, the guests took off for their visit to Male’, the capital of the Maldives.

Guests Departure and Arrival

Black Pearl‘s guests from the UK departed on the morning of the 23rd, the same day the new diving group arrived, which was a total of 12 divers from Switzerland. The orientation dive began after lunch.

Farukholhu Fushi Beyru Faru, aka Faru Beyru, Dive

Mobula Rays in the Maldives

The orientation dive at Farukholhu Fushi Beyru Faru (also called Faru Beyru) turned out to be a very exciting check dive for everyone. We saw 10 mobula rays…Absolutely unbelievable! The orientation dive to Farukholhu Fushi Beyru Faru, aka Faru Beyru, was a great start to the week! Mobula is a genus of ray in the family Myliobatidae (eagle rays). Their appearance is similar to that of manta rays, which are in the same family. The devil fish can attain a disc width of up to 5.2 meters (17 feet) and probably can weigh over a ton, second only to the manta ray in size. Despite their size, there is little known about this genus. Black Pearl recently spotted a mobula, also called devil fish, at Kandooma Thila dive site.

Black Pearl Liveaboard Begins a New Week of Diving Adventures is a post from: Maldives Blog

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Black Pearl Dives at North Male Atoll at Lankan Manta Point

admin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:35:07 +0000

Black Pearl Dives at Lankan Manta Point of the North Male Atoll

The Black Pearl live aboard continues its scuba diving adventures in the Maldives!

Lankan Manta Point, North Male’ Atoll

Black Pearl live aboard diving started from North Male’ Atoll at Lankan Manta Point. With a mild current and visibility of 10 meters, divers from the Black Pearl observed 3 mantas at the cleaning station during the entire dive.

Kuda Giri Wreck, South Male’ Atoll

After Lankan Manta Point, the Black Pearl live aboard cruised to South Male’ Atoll and dived at Kuda Giri Wreck. With almost no current at all, divers got the chance to explore the wreck without much difficulty.

Manta Ray over Coral in the Maldives

Guaraidhoo Region

For final anchorage, the Black Pearl live aboard was around the Guraidhoo region and will be crossing over to the South Ari Atoll today.

Maldives Weather

This week began with clear, sunny skies…Holidaying and scuba diving conditions have remained perfect!

For present weather in Maldives and a 5 day weather forecast, click here.

Weather: Apart from a few showers in the upper north province, generally favorable weather is expected to prevail over the country.

Temperature: 30° C / 86° F

Humidity: 63 %

Winds: West / north-westerly 4 – 11 knots.

Visibility: 12 km

State of the sea: Slight

Wave Height: (open sea) 1 – 3 feet

Black Pearl Dives at North Male Atoll at Lankan Manta Point is a post from: Maldives Blog

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Black Pearl Live Aboard Begins a New Week of Diving Adventures

admin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:17:51 +0000

A new week of diving adventures begins in the Maldives on the Black Pearl live aboard…

***Make your reservation for a holiday on the Black Pearl live aboard now!***

The Black Pearl live aboard, a boat measuring 95 feet long and 26 feet wide, featuring a magnificent main deck made entirely out of Balau wood, begins a new week of fabulous diving in the Maldives. Learn more about the Black Pearl’s accomodation, diving & prices here!

Black Pearl Live Aboard Welcomes Guests from the UK

Yesterday, the Black Pearl live aboard began a new week of diving adventures, playing host to a total of 10 guests from the UK, of which 7 are divers. All arrivals were checked in and the Black Pearl live aboard left Hulhumale’ after the orientation dive.

Orientation Dive on the Black Pearl Live Aboard

The check dive (normally the first dive you do on holiday or in new diving conditions) was performed at Beyru Faru (Farukholhu Fushi Outer Reef). Surface conditions and underwater conditions were more than perfect to perform yesterday’s check dive. The current remained mild and visibility at around 10 to 15 meters.

Starfish Seen on the Reef in the Maldives

Diving Adventures on the Black Pearl Live Aboard

The Black Pearl live aboard anchored in Himmafushi, in the North Male’ Atoll, for the night. This week, the Black Pearl live aboard will explore the dive sites of the North and South Male’ Atolls and the Ari Atoll.

The group from the UK requested to perform 2 dives per day and daily snorkeling for the group’s non divers. They are also looking forward to visiting local islands and unihabited islands.

Current Weather Conditions in the Maldives

Weather: Generally fine

Winds: southwest / westerly 3 – 11 knots

Visibility: 12 km

State of the sea: Slight

Wave Height: (open sea) 2 – 4 feet

Get more information and Maldives weather updates here!

Black Pearl Live Aboard Begins a New Week of Diving Adventures is a post from: Maldives Blog

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Black Pearl Dives North and South Male Atolls – Miyaru Faru, Kuda Giri & Kandooma Thila

admin — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:01:59 +0000

The Black Pearl liveaboard explores the underwater marine life around the Maldivian North and South Male Atolls…

Fortunately, the weather in the Maldives brightened up, allowing the Black Pearl to perform three spectacular dives. Check out special offers for the Black Pearl liveaboard here!

Black Pearl Liveaboard Dives Miyaru Faru

The Black Pearl‘s first dive was to Miyaru Faru, meaning Shark’s Reef. North of Black Pearl is a channel dive, where divers can take advantage of the island’s best currents, which generally bring lots of fish feeding on plankton. The current was not as fast as usual, though there remained an abundance of Maldivian fish life. Divers saw white tip sharks and napoleon wrasse during their dive at Miyaru Faru.

Black Pearl Liveaboard Dives Kuda Giri Wreck

Kuda Giri, in the South Male Atoll, possesses two dive sites: the giri, or pinnacle, and the small, 10-year-old wreck, which sits upright on the sea floor. The wreck can be explored from its bow at 18 meters all the way down to its stern at 30 meters.

Kuda Giri Night Dive

The Black Pearl dove the giri, or pinnacle, at night, discovering a large variety of noctural fish life, such as the nocturnal squirrel fish.

Kuda Giri Wreck Dive

The Kuda Giri wreck is a small fishing trawler, which was scuttled (or sunk deliberatively) at the south western side. The 25 meter long fishing trawler is home to many species, including beautiful sponges, seasonal school of glass fish, shrimps, nudibranches and many more.

Black Pearl Liveaboard Dives Kandooma Thila

Shaped like a teardrop, Kandooma Thila is one of the most spectacular dives in the South Male Atoll, for scenery as well as for prolific fish life.

During The Black Pearl‘s dive at Kandooma Thila, there was little current, though divers spotted a couple of white tip reef sharks.

Black Pearl Dives North and South Male Atolls – Miyaru Faru, Kuda Giri & Kandooma Thila is a post from: Maldives Blog

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Maldives North East Monsoon Disrupts Route of Black Pearl Liveaboard

admin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:33:20 +0000

The dive safari route of the Black Pearl liveaboard changed slightly due to the Maldives’ North East Monsoon…

The Black Pearl liveaboard left Male’ this week planning to embark upon the classic Maldivian dive safari route that includes the South and North Male’ Atolls and the Ari Atoll. However, plans were changed due to the weather in the Maldives.

Black Pearl Liveaboard Route Changes Due to Weather

The Black Pearl liveaboard is currently anchored at the North Male’ Atoll at Himmafushi Lagoon. Although the initial dive safari route was changed, two exciting dives were performed at Lankan Manta Point! Learn more about Maldives dive sites here!

Scuba Diving at Lankan Manta Point, North Male’ Atoll

Although the surface conditions were a bit rough, both dives at Lankan Manta Point turned out to be excellent. On the first dive, scuba divers spotted four manta rays and a leopard shark. On the second dive, scuba divers spotted three big, beautiful manta rays.

Current weather conditions in the Maldives: isolated showers every now and then, gusty winds and rough seas at time.

The Black Pearl liveaboard plans to move to South Male’ Atoll, more specifically the Guraidhoo Kandu Dive Site tomorrow.

Maldives North East Monsoon Disrupts Route of Black Pearl Liveaboard is a post from: Maldives Blog

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Black Pearl Liveaboard Currently at Himmafushi Island of the Male Atoll, Maldives

admin — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:26:23 +0000

The Black Pearl, a Maldivian liveaboard, sets sail once again, and is currently at the Himmafushi island of the Male’ Atoll…

This week, the Black Pearl liveaboard set off with 11 divers from Switzerland. Following the check-in orientation dive, the diving team headed to the outer reef of the Farukholufushi unihabitated Maldivian island. Learn more about the liveaboards offered by Maldives Dive Travel here!

Black Pearl Liveaboard Dives at Banana Reef

This morning, the first dive took place at Banana Reef, where visibility was fantastic, allowing us to see a large collection of Maldives marine life, such as Clownfish, Whale Shark, Reef Shark and Manta Rays.

Black Pearl Liveaboard Dives at Lankan Manta Point

The Black Pearl liveaboard‘s second dive was to the Lankan Manta Point, truly a top of the line dive. The diving group saw 7 manta rays, 4 of which were happily parked at the cleaning station of Lankan Manta Point. Throughout the dive, the other 3 manta rays periodically glided through the Lankan Manta Point’s cleaning station.

Black Pearl Liveaboard Dives at HP Reef

Manta Ray at Lanka Manta Point, North Male Atoll

The Black Pearl liveaboard‘s third dive was to HP reef, where divers spotted a sting ray and a couple of eagle rays.

North East Monsoon Transition Period

The North East Monsoon transition period has begun, which has caused less-than-optimal weather conditions during the past week, such as isolated showers and gusty winds, where the average wind speed is 15 – 25 mph, gusting up to 45 mph. However, this Maldives weather is limited mostly to the central and southern Maldivian atolls.

Current Diving Conditions

Weather: Widespread rain with isolated heavy showers and thunderstorms will be experienced over the country. Get up-to-date Maldives weather here!

Winds: South-west / westerly 9 – 17 knots in northern atolls and 13 – 22 knots elsewhere. Winds may increase 35 – 43 knots during showers.

Visibility: 10 km, becoming 3 – 1 km during showers.

State of the sea: Generally rough.

Wave Height (open sea): 5 – 7 feet.

Black Pearl Liveaboard Currently at Himmafushi Island of the Male Atoll, Maldives is a post from: Maldives Blog

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Upcoming Diving Season in the Maldives

admin — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:13:30 +0000

A new diving season has arrive in the Maldives…

For more information on diving holidays, visit Maldives Dive Travel now!

The Maldives, an island nation located in the Indian Ocean and comprised of over 1000 atolls, features some of the world’s best scuba diving sites…

Maldives Diving Season

Iruvai, the North-East Monsoon, brings with her the Maldivian dry season, ushering in a distinct diving season.

Maldives Weather

The Indian Ocean has a great effect on the climate in Maldives by acting as a heat buffer; absorbing, storing, and slowly releasing the tropical heat. The temperature of the Maldives ranges between 24°C and 33°C throughout the year. Although the humidity is relatively high, the constant cool sea breezes keep the air moving and the heat mitigated.

The weather in the Maldives is affected by the large landmass of South Asia to the north. The presence of this landmass causes differential heating of land and water. These factors set off a rush of moisture-rich air from the Indian Ocean over South Asia, resulting in the southwest monsoon.

Two seasons dominate Maldives’ weather: The dry season, associated with the winter northeast monsoon “IRUVAI,” and the rainy season, brought by the summer southwest monsoon “HULHANGU.”

According to the traditional Maldivian calendar, the IRUVAI begins in December with typically strong, unsettled winds and rough seas that gradually travel down the Maldives from the north. It is divided into nine “Nakaiy,” or periods, with the last “Nakaiy” finishing in April. The “Iruvai” brings the driest weather period to the Maldives, where the air possesses a comparatively short sea track compared with that during the remainder of the year.

Diver hooked on the reef using a current hook

Currents in the Maldives

The exposure of the Maldives to the vast Indian Ocean ensures that an immense body of water is constantly flowing across the plateau on which these atolls are built. Oceanic currents are largely influenced by the direction of the trade winds. They flow from the NE to SW during the Iruvai and from SW to NE during the Hulhangu. They are of great strength, where currents in the channels near Male’ have been recorded at four knots or more.

Tidal currents flow according to the height of the tide and the direction of the prevailing winds, and are said to be much weaker than oceanic currents, though they causes velocity variations in the flow. At the atoll passages, current streams can be quite irregular due to the islands, reefs and sandy shoals.

Best Time to Dive in the Maldives

The North-East Monsoon is considered the best period to dive in the Maldives, as a result of continuous flowing of water into the atolls, especially the channels the feature clear water and lots of food for the pelagic creatures, such as the gray reef shark and the whale shark.

Due to the continuous flow of the North-East Monsoon current, the visibility becomes crystal clear, which is why this is one of the best times to go scuba diving in the Maldives.

Felidhu Atoll

The Felidhu Atoll, within the range of liveaboard diving, is often visited during the North-East Monsoon due to the high possibility of spotting some larger marine life.

Almost all the dive sites are channels in local “Kandu” based dives. The incoming current attracts lager fish and channel crossing has become a common way of performing dives in these channels. The entrances of the channels are at a depth of 28 to 30 meters and the width of these channel are no more than 150 meters.

Gray Reef Shark

Maldives Fish Life

Due to the North-East Monsoon‘s currents, the channels’ entrances are attractive to bigger fish, such as gray reef sharks, white tip reef sharks, schooling silver jack fish, tuna, schools of eagle ray and many more.

Early morning dives to hammerhead shark point “Fotteyo Kandu” is also a highlight during this season. Hammerheads are not only seen during the early morning hours here, but have also been seen by divers during the day.

Channels like Miyaru Kandu, Devana Kandu, Diggiri Kandu and Alimatha Dekunu Kandu are also well known among the liveaboards.

In addition to Felidu Atoll, other atolls, North and South Male’, Ari atoll, Meenu atoll and Baa atoll are also considered to be excellent diving sites during the North-East Monsoon.

If you are booked for a diving holiday this season, I strongly recommend that all the divers possess a current hook, have your scuba gear tuned up and get ready for a new season of diving in the Maldives!

For more information on diving holidays, visit Maldives Dive Travel now!

Upcoming Diving Season in the Maldives is a post from: Maldives Blog

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From underwater, Maldives sends warning on climate change

admin — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 04:29:51 +0000

Underwater Cabinet Meeting about Climate Change in the Maldives

With fish as witnesses, the president of Maldives and his Cabinet wore scuba gear and used hand signals Saturday at an underwater meeting to highlight the threat climate change poses to the archipelago nation.

The Maldives declaration will be presented at a U.N. summit on climate change in December.

The meeting, chaired by President Mohamed Nasheed, took place around a table about 16 feet (5 meters) underwater, according to the president’s Web site. Bubbles ascended from the face masks the president and the Cabinet wore, and fish swam around them.

At the meeting, the Cabinet signed a declaration calling for global cuts in carbon emissions that will be presented before a U.N. climate summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December.

“We are trying to send our message to let the world know what is happening and what will happen to the Maldives if climate change isn’t checked,” Nasheed said, according to his Web site.

Asked what would happen if Copenhagen fails, the president said, “We are all going to die,” according to the site.

The ministers signed their wet suits, which are being auctioned, to raise money for coral reef protection in the Maldives, the Web site said.

Maldives is grappling with the very likely possibility that it will go under water if the current pace of climate change keeps rising sea levels. The Maldives is an archipelago of almost 1,200 coral islands south-southwest of India. Most of it lies just 4.9 feet (1.5 meters) above sea level.

The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change has forecast a rise in sea levels of at least 7.1 inches (18 cm) by the end of the century.

The country’s capital, Male, is protected by sea walls. But creating a similar barrier around the rest of the country will be cost-prohibitive.

Soon after his election in November, Nasheed raised the possibility of finding a new homeland for the country’s 396,000 residents.

The tourist nation wants to set aside part of its annual billion-dollar revenue into buying a new homeland, he said at the time.

“We will invest in land,” he said. “We do not want to end up in refugee tents if the worst happens.”

Nasheed’s government said it has broached the idea with several countries and found them to be “receptive.”

From underwater, Maldives sends warning on climate change is a post from: Maldives Blog

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