The ultimate tropical island getaway: unspoiled sandy beaches, coral reefs that light up with colourful fish and plants, warm sea breezes, mesmerising sunsets and more. This is the Maldives. Island resorts of the luxurious kind add to the experience by offering top notch accommodation by right on the beach. What more could you want? If it is a sunset cruise, pampering at a spa, diving and water sports, a tour of the islands or even a lesson in preparing local food, to complete your holiday; let the Naladhu Maldives arrange it all while you sit back and relax.
The Maldives’ greatest allure lies in the aquamarine ocean that surrounds the islands. It is home to several famous dive sites. Manta Point is one of the first spots in the country to have been discovered as a gathering place for manta rays. It is also known as Lankan Manta Point and is located on the south eastern side of the North Male Atoll.
This stretch of reef is one of the Maldives’ top dive sites and attracts diving enthusiasts from across the world. The top of the reef lies twelve meters beneath the surface on the ocean floor. Oriental sweetlips, Napoleonfish, Hawksbill turtles and White-tip reef sharks have been known to frequent the area. The manta rays themselves visit in large groups, mostly during the southwest monsoon which lasts from May to October. The rains draw out plankton that the mantas come to feed on. Manta Point’s main feature, however, is the three or more coral blocks that act as ‘cleaning stations’. The larger fish perch on them while tiny, colourful wrasses that live in the reef ‘clean’ them. Divers can observe the spectacular sight from nearby but are instructed not to approach the blocks as it may interfere with the process and drive away the larger marine visitors.
Uditha Dharmawardhane is a travel writer who writes under the pen name Roland Lefevre. He specializes in creating features on leisure as well as business travel destinations across the globe.
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