Swimming With The Turtles In The Maldives

The stunning coral reef formation in the Maldives, coupled with the crystal clear turquoise-blue waters, make it perfect for snorkelling. I’m a nervous snorkeler, preferring to be above not under the water, but am so glad that I opted to give it a go. The average water temperature is between 25 – 30C, and as the sun is often ten degrees higher then lots of sun tan lotion needs to be applied before you put on the mask and flippers. A t-shirt is often advisable as well.

We snorkelled off a boat at Vilu Reef Beach & Spa Resort and as I got into the water, I could clearly see the bottom of the sea with the sparkling coral just a few feet below. Before I knew it, the strong tide had carried us along and we had moved into deeper water, and then the coral bottom gave way to what appeared to be another world below. It was just like stepping off a ledge and straight in front of me were a variety of multi-coloured fish of all shapes and sizes. We saw parrot fish, clown fish, trumpet fish, grouper, red snapper – in fact it was almost the entire menu from a posh fish restaurant!

Suddenly my husband grabbed my hand and pointed to just below me. All I could see was a rock with black and brown markings. And then it moved and I realised that my rock was in fact a rather large and proud turtle, who was rather annoyed that her camouflage decoration and been discovered. She swam around us for a brief time and then sticking her nose up in the air, she made her way gracefully onwards, like a bird, gliding away into the distance. My snorkelling trip was complete. After sharing those amazing few moments with a turtle, I headed back to the boat, to leave the turtle and fish in peace and solitude in their stunning underwater world.

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