These pictures were taken in March 2015.

The Maldives is an island nation southwest of the Indian peninsula.
The country is a group of coral atolls with very small islands.
The average elevation above sea level is 6 feet (2 meters).
The majority of the population (105,000 people) live on Male, whose area is only 2 square miles (5 sq. km).

We spent two weeks on the dive boat Carpe Vita.

All photos were taken with a Nikon D-300 digital SLR camera in a Sea & Sea housing, Nikon 10-24mm,
60mm and 105mm lenses and two Sea & Sea YS-250 strobes.

Click on the small image to see it full-size.           Click here for slideshow.           Google Maps
Location of the Maldives Male's skyline Crowded Male - thousands of scooters The Carpe Vita The dhoni (dive tender) before a dive
Anenomefish at home Dive buddy Sharon on the reef Maldives sunset An unusual Halimeda Ghost Pipefish Trio of Pennantfish
Dives near the mast of a wreck Tiny Wire Coral Shrimp Colorful Blenny peeks out Blue-Faced Angelfish Art & Sara on the reef
Dive buddy Art on the reef Art photographing a Batfish Batfish with a Black Durgeon background A herd of Pennantfish A wider shot of the herd of Pennantfish
A trio of Gray Reef Sharks passing by Longnose Filefish Maldives sunset Sharon in a soft-coral cave Sharon in a soft-coral cave
Juvenile Whale Shark Juvenile Whale Shark A Pinnacle Of Happiness Divers drifting on a safety stop A Blenny peeks out of his hole
Dive buddy Georgia and a turtle Honeycomb Moray Maldives sunset Wire Coral Goby Colorful Dartfish
Pipehorse closeup Wire Coral shrimp Ornate nudibranch Double-vison Reef Sharks Pregnant Gray Reef Shark
Pregnant Gray Reef Shark Sharon and a Soft Coral cave Sharon and a Soft Coral cave Georgia and soft corals The dhoni at the end of the day
Maldives sunrise Sweepers in a cave Sweepers in a cave Sweepers in a cave Colorful starfish
A Moray Eel being cleaned

The Maldives are known for manta rays. These large animals are seen most often at cleaning
stations. These station are spots on the reef that the mantas (and other fish) come to be
cleaned. The manta arrives at the station and hovers over it. Small wrasses then swim all
over the manta and eat the parasites they find on the manta. The wrasses even swim into
the manta's mouth and gills looking for parasites.

Manta Manta Manta hovering at the cleaning station Manta hovering at the cleaning station Manta hovering at the cleaning station
Manta hovering at the cleaning station Manta hovering at the cleaning station Manta hovering at the cleaning station Manta Manta
Manta Manta Manta Two Mantas Two Mantas
Manta


Return to the main page.