Transparent as tear, water, white silky sand, stormy green vegetation, an abundance of exotic fruits and bright coral reefs - these associations come to mind to the person who heard the word “Maldives”. It is not easy to find someone who would not have dreamed at least once to visit this corner of the planet and see a fairy tale in reality. Since these islands are located at the equator, the summer is all year round, and you can relax at any time. However, those who endure the heat are advised to visit the Maldives in June. This month, the islands have a storm season: the wind blows and it rains. However, showers occur mostly at night, and warm and sunny weather is maintained throughout the day.
What to see in the Maldives
Despite the fact that a vacation here is quite an expensive pleasure, a tourist will get a lot of impressions. This is a great place for a relaxing holiday with your loved one. Of the entertainment, diving in the Maldives is considered the most popular. And this is not surprising, because the wealth of flora and fauna is amazing. A clear clear water in some places reaches a visibility of 60 meters. Of greatest interest to divers are sharks.
What sharks are found in the Maldives
In total, scientists count about two hundred species of sharks. Some individuals reach a length of 20 meters. In Maldivian waters, 26 species of these predators can be found.
Among them is the largest whale shark in the world. Another inhabitant of the Maldivian waters is the most common tiger shark on the planet. Both of them are known as very bloodthirsty and aggressive creatures.
You can also meet a hammerhead shark, a nanny shark, a zebra shark in the Indian Ocean , and also black, blue, colorful, white and many other species.
What danger are sharks in the Maldives
Despite the pile diversity, these predators do not pose a great danger to tourists. The thing is that this area is very rich in food for sharks, and they do not need to attack people at all. These fish are happy to feed on plankton, which does not even need to be hunted. Sharks simply swim through a cloud of living protein drifting in the ocean, and the food itself enters their open mouth. Therefore, the need to hunt for larger representatives of the animal world is absolutely not necessary for them.
According to reports, sharks in the Maldives have never killed or caused serious harm to tourists for the entire existence of this resort. Locals claim that only once did a shark bite one of them. But that was many, many years ago.
Thus, tourists who decide to visit this paradise should not be afraid of sharks. You can admire them, for example, on a boat excursion. The guides specially feed the fish so that visitors can view them through the transparent bottom of the boat. In addition, the Maldives has underwater restaurants with transparent walls and a roof. While tourists are tasting the traditional mas huni made from smoked fish with coconuts and onions, they will have a great opportunity to appreciate the richness of the underwater world of the described islands.
Another way to get acquainted with the sharks in the Maldives is diving. It is for this that tourists from all over the world flock here.
Diving Safety
As mentioned earlier, diving in the Maldives is the hallmark of these islands. When you meet a shark underwater, you should remember the most important rule: if you do not touch it and do not provoke it, it will not attack. An exception may be a white or tiger shark. However, these predators are not found in coastal waters, because the constant traffic movement scares them away. They live mainly far from the coast, where there is a strong current.
Only a very persistent diver who wants to take a selfie with her can provoke a shark. If you follow a predator for a long time and stubbornly, it may suspect danger and, in order to protect yourself, try to scare away the annoying paparazzi.
For example, gray-haired sharks, of which there are many near the coral reefs, are trying to scare a person by dispersing as they should and starting to approach him with an open mouth, from which several hundred snow-white sharp teeth look threateningly. Typically, tourists who do not have a complete instinct for self-preservation have enough of this gesture to understand that the shark is not configured to do a photo shoot, and to flee from it.
What else is dangerous for a tourist in the Maldives
It may seem that the worst thing a traveler may encounter in exotic countries is predators. But, as we have already found out, the thunder of the oceans - the shark - does not threaten Maldivian tourists. But do not think that visitors to these lands are not afraid at all.
One of the most common injuries earned by people who come looking for exotic people is when they walk barefoot on a sea urchin. You can also earn a burn or even poisoning by touching a poisonous jellyfish.
And even the most seemingly harmless representative of the flora of the Maldives - the coconut palm, and strives to injure the tourist. There are cases when the fruit of this tree that fell from a great height seriously injured a person’s head.