One of the world’s most popular diving destinations the Maldives offer warm waters, great visibility to unimaginabledepths and an abundance of marine life. Located on the North Male Atoll Banana Reef is one of the country premier dive spots attracting 100s of enthusiastic divers annually. Many of Maldives hotels are scattered around the beautiful atolls offering sun sand and surf and if you wish to relax in total luxury encompassing land and sea consider the Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas.
A beautiful resort stretching across the powdery beaches and coral reefs of the Baa Atoll, this hotel is just a 35 minute seaplane ride from the UNESCO Marine Biosphere Reserve – Hanifaru Bay. The amazing restaurants offer over and under water dining options while the over-water spa is a haven of indulgence. Choose to stay at any one of the 79 pool villas boasting loads of space and light. The over-the-water or beachfront villas offer modern amenities surrounded by sun, sea and surf. Indulge in marine expeditions, snorkelling over the coral beds and enjoying the stunning beaches on offer at this luxury resort.
Banana Reef was one of the first scuba diving sites to become popular in the Maldives. Swift currents here ensure there’s plenty of marine life to enjoy, the coral beds are a mess of vivid colours while the site offers scuba diving depths of 5 to 30metres. Enjoy the pinnacle and overhangs which may sometime attract some turbulence, play it safe by taking along a surface balloon.
Diving off Banana Reef offers you sights of squirrelfish, bannerfish and oriental sweetlips amongst a few, while the clear warm waters of this part of the Indian Ocean are well known for sightings of reef sharks, rays, eels and hammerheads.
Intrigued by history, art and food, Shazzana Hamid is a writer who is passionate about the extraordinary. Disguised as Lavinia Woolf she writes of the exhilarating and enchanting.