Manta Rays and Stingrays in Maldives

Manta rays and stingrays are rather popular sea creatures in Maldives. Thousands of tourists travel long miles from their hometowns just to experience these marine wonders themselves. These two exotic species of rays not only occur in this tropical paradise, but are also surprisingly common.

Maldivian Manta Ray

Maldives Manta Rays are fascinating sea creatures, attracting scuba diving and marine enthusiasts worldwide in this tropical paradise. There are numerous dive sites in Maldives  that feature sightings of these spectacular creatures. This largest species of rays can grow up to 20 feet and weigh 4,000 pounds heavy but is very friendly and harmless to scuba divers despite their frightening  size.

Maldives Diving with Manta Rays

Manta Rays in Maldives are very popular attractions to scuba divers because of their majestic appearance and unique habitat. These creatures migrate across the 26 atolls of Maldives with the changing monsoons, following seasonal shifts in their planktonic food source.

Maldives Manta Ray Project

The Maldives Manta Ray Project (MMRP) is an organization dedicated to data collection and marine research of mantas in Maldives with the purpose of caring and preserving for the population of these precious creatures. With only 3 years of existence, the project has already gathered data that identifies over 1,500 manta rays in Maldives and counting.

Sharks and Rays

This non-profit research organization also aims to promote greater awareness and understanding of manta rays in Maldives. MMRP conducts education initiatives and other marine conservation activities as part of their responsibility towards a better and safer marine life in Maldives.

Stingray Feeding

Stingrays often dwell on shallow waters in search of their prey. This is the perfect opportunity for you to feed these tooth-less and velvet-like creatures with pilchards and other small fish.

Maldives Stingray Feeding

There are numerous resorts in Maldives that holds nightly stingray feeding events. Before allowing their guests to feed these graceful and gentle sea creatures themselves, a resort professional will give a short orientation about stingrays and their habitat.

Want to know more about Scuba Diving in Maldives? Visit www.maldivesdivetravel.com for special deals, liveaboard information, and other tourist concerns.

Wreck Diving in Maldives

It doesn’t come as a surprise when we say that the Maldives features a tremendous amount of wreck dive sites, given the vast majority of its huge bodies of water. Most tourists actually embark on a holiday in this captivating paradise to experience an unforgettable scuba diving trip.

Wreck Diving Maldives

Some holiday packages in Maldives offer scuba-diving-specific itineraries via liveaboard lodging, which is probably the best way to experience wreck diving. Although, there are also numerous resorts that organizes wreck diving trips as part of service to their guests.

Maldives Victory Wreck

The Maldives Victory Wreck is probably the most popular shipwreck open for commercial diving in the country. This 110 meter long vessel sank on the western side of Hulhule Island back in 1981, and has gradually turned into a natural habitat for a colorful and exotic variety of marine life.

Maldives Victory Wreck

The ship’s main deck is to be found at a depth of 12 meters, where you’ll be greeted by turtles, large groupers and tuna. The Maldives Victory Wreck is classified as an advanced dive, mainly because of strong currents and the many sharp objects surrounding the site.

The British Loyalty Wreck

Another interesting dive in Maldives is the British Loyalty Wreck. This 140 meter long ship was neutralized by Japanese torpedoes during the Second World War back in 1946.

Maldives Wreck - The British Loyalty

The British Loyalty is a very popular wreck site in the Maldives’ Addu Atoll. With its upper portion at a depth range of 17 meters, the ship’s vertical orientation basically allows beginner-friendly diving. More experienced divers can easily explore the British Loyalty’s propellers at 29 meters deep, and could also swim through its torpedo hole in the hull.

British Loyalty Wreck Diving

Aside from the usual reef fishes, some of the other marine features of the British Loyalty Wreck include large sea turtles, omnipresent wrasse, parrotfish, clownfish, angelfish, and bannerfish.

Planning your dream holiday in Maldives? Visit www.maldivesdivetravel.com for special deals and tourist/diving information. You may also go to www.scubadivemaldives.com for additional Maldives/general scuba diving articles.