Despite the diversity of the underwater world of the Maldives, there are not many aggressive or poisonous fish and animals. Although thousands of tourists visit the Maldives every year, there are only a few incidents of marine life attacking humans in history.
There are about 26 species of sharks in the waters of the Maldives, including tiger and hammerhead, which are dangerous to humans. Great luck see these predators, since they live only in the open ocean, without swimming into the atolls. Several species of reef sharks are found in coastal waters: black- and white-tip sharks and nurse sharks, which are quite harmless and do not attack humans. From May to November, peace-loving giants - local celebrities - come to Baa Atoll, and many divers and underwater photographers from all over the world come to see them! Sharks that live in warm waters The Maldives are quite peaceful, and if you do not intentionally disturb them, they will prefer to sail away rather than attack.
However, some fish species may pose a greater danger to snorkelers and divers.
The Striped Lionfish (or lionfish), which can be found on the house reef of Kamado Island, is very beautiful because of its feathery dorsal and pectoral fins - “wings”, in which poisonous spines are hidden. Sensing danger, it can sting you, which will cause a severe attack of pain, so try to maintain a distance of ~2.5 meters from this fish.
The more dangerous stonefish (or wartfish) is not easy to spot due to its similarity to fossilized coral. The stone fish is inactive; it lies quietly on the coral, lying in wait for prey. On the back of this fish there is a row of sharp poisonous spines that extend in case of danger and can easily pierce the skin of the leg if you step on it carelessly. Such a poisonous injection causes severe pain shock and, if the victim is not treated in a timely manner, medical care, can even lead to the death of soft tissues. Although this fish is very rare, still try not to touch the corals and once again don't step on them.
When snorkeling on Kamado Island's house reef, it's easy to spot moray eels. This is a very calm fish that often hides in coral crevices, with only its head sticking out. In case of danger or when feeding, if your fingers are mistaken for food, it is capable of biting you with its sharp teeth. Like stingrays, moray eels have good eyesight: if you see it, it can probably see you too.
Triggerfish may attack if you accidentally swim too close to the nest where its eggs are stored. If it starts to swim in a horizontal position, swim away, as these fish are not afraid of people and have powerful jaws.
The surgeon fish is a popular inhabitant of Kamada's home coral reef (remember Dory, Nemo's girlfriend from the cartoon?). There are many types and colors of these fish, but they are united by the presence of razor-sharp blades on their tail fins. However, these fish are quite friendly and never attack humans.
Be careful if you see a sea urchin - its sharp spines can cause severe pain if you accidentally step on an animal. The spines are difficult to remove from under the skin, as they are very fragile and crumble into small particles. However, hedgehogs near Kamadou Island are rare!
Even though it's not full list, but remember these golden rules of snorkeling and diving: do not touch or stand on the corals, keep a distance between you and marine life, don't tease and feed them. If you notice strange behavior, it is better to slowly swim away. This guarantees you a safe and enjoyable exploration of the amazing underwater world of the Maldives!
I’ll say right away that we don’t have divers or underwater photographers in our family (as well as photographers in general, at least until my eldest daughter has learned :-)). Moreover, the fashionable word itself ‘ snorkeling’ we heard shortly before the trip.
We haven’t been to Egypt either, so my only snorkeling experience between us is something like diving for urchins in the rocks from my distant Far Eastern childhood. However, this did not stop us from raiding Decathlon and acquiring a minimum of equipment. Just a couple of days before departure, a soft waterproof camera case was also purchased and tested in the bathtub.
There was even too much ‘equipment’. Having tried the fins and snorkel already in place, Natka decided that they were only in the way, and in the future she got along just fine without them.
There is no house reef as such (in the sense of Egyptian hotels) on Kuredu. More precisely, a house reef here is a place where the bottom falls off into the abyss, but you still have to get to it by swimming across the entire sandy lagoon. In addition, it is not as fabulous as on the neighboring islands or in the Red Sea. But for dummies like us, this was quite enough.
The first acquaintance with the underwater world began right in front of the ‘hut’, a couple of meters from the shore, where a micro-reef was built. The piled-up stones and fragments of some concrete slabs had long been overgrown with corals and were inhabited by some species of tropical fish.
... from the smallest ones to “bast shoes” of a couple of kilos.
Typical aquarium, unpretentious and ubiquitous fish sergeant. In the world, however, it is better known under the name “sergeant major” ( Sergeant Major) according to the number of stripes as on the patch of the same rank in the American army.
Further, already at a depth of three meters, the sandy bottom was covered with algae, on which more serious “animals” grazed. For example, yellow-faced triggerfish (Yellowmargin triggerfish) is a fairly large fish with an impressive mouth.
The fish owes its name to the sharp and durable bone spike that extends from its back. With this spike they can firmly anchor themselves in a hole, or attack an enemy. This one, for example, is floating peacefully somewhere with his “weapon” folded.
When trying to get closer, the triggerfish reluctantly moved away. Until one particularly outstanding (in size) and very toothy specimen demonstrated why these cute fish are considered a dangerous species for divers. Having put its dorsal horn in a fighting position and prepared a mouth no smaller than a human’s, this cute creature took turns attacking the camera, and then Natka, who had swum up. We waved them off with our fins and then kept our distance. It was later, already at home, that we decided to type “Triggerfish” into YouTube :-)
Titan Triggerhorn (Titan triggerfish) - in search of food, he famously grabbed multi-kilogram stones with his teeth and easily turned them over. Titanium triggerfish are especially numerous in the north of the island, on the ocean side.
Small reef predator - grouper. His task is to win back territory for himself and keep other groupers out.
In 'fas' Peacock grouper ( Peacock grouper) not as menacing as in profile,
but when trying to hand-feed, he immediately grabbed his finger, got scared of what he had done, and hid in a hole.
Representative of numerous butterfly fish, cuneiform butterfly (Threadfin butterflyfish). From the front it is almost invisible, too thin. But this allows it to hide in narrow crevices between corals at night. During the day, it confuses predators with its bright coloring and large “false eyes.”
In case of white collar bow tie (White Collared butterflyfish), the name speaks for itself.
Smallspot pompano, one of quite a commercial fish, is known to our housewives as oil.
There is no sandy lagoon suitable for swimming on the north side of the island. Only a couple of tens of meters to the open ocean muddy water two shallow “micro-lagoons”, in one of which, adjacent to the water villas, “baby sharks” and cubs frolic blacktip reef shark (blacktip reef shark).
It is impossible to photograph baby sharks underwater. Firstly, the water is cloudy, and secondly, of all the fish here, sharks are the most timid and won’t let you get close to them. Apparently, the memory of shark jaws, widely represented in souvenir shops in Male, has already become genetic.
Reef sharks in general and “kindergarten sharks” in particular come out to hunt after dark. For the first time I’m changing the rule of not posting other people’s materials, but this is a very spectacular video shot by an English couple in Kuredu Lagoon.
(c) tripleox
Here they bask in the sun stingrays
Next is the surf and the open ocean. Here the stones start right from the shore, and, in fact, the entire bottom looks like that same house reef on the southern side of the island. I had never seen anyone swimming there, but I decided to go explore, armed with a camera and another bun.
There are about as many fish here as in the stories of most anglers. Even the surf wave in the light is covered with tailed silhouettes. All you have to do is overcome the strip of coastal waves (which is not so easy, given the sharp and slippery stones) and stick your head into the water... Here, offhand, are those that did not escape. For scale, the diameter of each of the pipes in the background is at least 30 centimeters.
When trying to get a freshly stored bun, a bunch of seemingly harmless fish immediately appeared, as if from under the water, any of which would definitely not fit in the frying pan. Most of the other inhabitants immediately retreated to a safe distance.
This is one of the many varieties surgeon fish. Actually, the fish itself is a herbivore, and got its name because of the sharpest bone spikes-blades extending from the sides of the caudal fin.
The surgeon skillfully uses them in fights for territory, or to drive away a bothersome diver from his territory. In this case, the “stilettos” were removed; apparently, he was not considered a worthy opponent, and for some reason I didn’t want to make sudden movements surrounded by a pack of these “hippos.”
Striped Tang In general, he somehow got lost against the background of his more massive classmates.
And here are representatives of a large family parrot fish (Parrotfish), the main builders of the Maldives.
They got their name not because of their crazy colors, but because of their densely growing and protruding teeth, reminiscent of a parrot's beak.
These 'rodents' feed on coral polyps, thereby wearing down continuously growing teeth. Undigested corals come out, sorry, from behind, in the form of the world-famous Maldivian sand. Considering Stakhanov’s productivity, up to a hundredweight of sand per year per beak-tail, we can say that most of any island once passed through the stomach of this creature.
The blue fish to the right of the enthusiastically snacking triggerfish is a male ruby parrot, a color that in no way evokes an association with ruby. In fact, the name of the species was given by the females - here they are, on the left in the photo.
There are no scows in the Maldives, but mullet complete. Same as the Black Sea, only with blue “plumage” ( Bluespot mullet).
Surgeon-prisoner almost never uses his “sharpenings”. Why, if he has already been convicted ( convict surgeonfish).
Short-nosed unicorn (Short-nose unicornfish) is also a surgeon, but he already has two bright blue scalpels on the sides of his tail.
His 'companion' on the horn - humpback unicorn (Humpback unicornfish)
Igloo fish almost impossible to notice against the grass
Just like these ‘ghosts’. The photo had to be processed in order to somehow “develop” the fish. ‘Live’ their presence was revealed only by shadows crawling across the sand.
Wherever there is at least some hint of coral, an insane amount of “aquarium” small fish graze.
Of course, these are not all the fish encountered, but only those that were caught in the lens had at least the minimum size worthy of attention, and were at least somehow identified using the Internet. These, for example, were not identified.
We met giant turtles a couple of times, but, according to the law of meanness, we didn’t have a camera with us. These creatures are quite shy and try not to let them get close to them. Since our compatriots began to frequent the Maldives, the local turtles know for sure that these ones with flippers will almost certainly try to ride it.
Holidays in the Maldives are not only about relaxation in spa complexes, dinners in gourmet restaurants and a serene pastime on deserted beaches with dazzling white sand. The coastal island waters are no less interesting, because more than 1000 species of fish and 3 times more shellfish live here. In addition, each island is surrounded by sea coral gardens, which can be seen even without diving - the water here is so clean and the underwater fauna is rich. Since snorkeling and diving are an integral part of traveling to the fabulous islands, many are interested in the question of whether there is dangerous fish in the Maldives. In this article we will tell you what awaits you when you meet sea life Indian Ocean.
There are no aggressive predatory fish in the Maldives
Dangerous sharks - myth or reality?
One of the main fears of all travelers is the possibility of meeting a shark. We hasten to please you: there are sharks in the Maldives, but they do not attack people. Despite the fact that in coastal waters you can find giant whale sharks, the length of which reaches 12 m, harmless reef sharks and considered aggressive hammerheads, cases of these fish attacking people in the waters near the Maldives have never been recorded. Therefore, feel free to take fins and a mask to fully enjoy the underwater beauty and take spectacular photos with the world’s most dangerous predators.
Not far from the beach you can meet reef sharks, the length of which usually does not exceed 1 m. Sometimes other fish swim to the shore, which, however, prefer to live in blue waters, far from civilization. If you are lucky enough to see a shark, you should watch it from afar, without swimming too close, and especially without trying to touch it, even if you really want to. Although the local fish are not known for their aggressive behavior, if you anger them, you can run into a retaliatory attack from a living creature: of course, it’s not fatal for you, but it’s not pleasant.
Reef shark does not attack humans
Dangerous inhabitants of the Indian Ocean
As with any habitat, the coastal waters of the Maldives have predators and creatures that can fend for themselves, so remember, if you swim close to any fish, they may perceive this as a violation of their personal boundaries. Any Living being demands to himself careful attitude and respect. However, for the most part, the local fish are harmless and extremely interesting. Even in the coastal reefs you will be surrounded by bright schools of colorful butterfly fish, parrotfish and angelfish, orange “clowns” and bright red soldier fish: all of them are absolutely safe for humans.
If we talk about dangerous inhabitants, it is worth noting that they are not found often, and they are never the first to attack.
Here is a list of fish that it is better not to disturb again and be attentive to them.
Lionfish. Graceful and elegant, they stand out with their seemingly translucent motley needles and fins. They use them to drive their smaller brethren into the reefs. If a person touches them, the sensations will not be pleasant.
Be careful when diving so as not to accidentally touch the lionfish
Surgeons and rhinoceroses. These fish have become dangerous due to their ability to defend themselves well. Their dorsal fins are sharp, like blades, so swimming up to a school of these sea creatures can result in accidental cuts.
Do not swim close to the surgeon fish on the reef, its fins are like blades
Triggerfish. If you see big fish, resembling a three-dimensional bubble of a triangular shape, with a horn protruding from above, it is better to swim away. During the egg-laying period, triggerfish show aggression: if you find yourself near their nest, they can attack and bite quite painfully, thanks to their sharp and large teeth.
Moray eels. You can see these unattractive-looking inhabitants of the seabed in the crevices of reefs. If you don't touch them, they are absolutely safe, like most other fish. To avoid aggression, do not put your hands under stones: a bite from two rows of teeth can result in a fairly large wound, which increases the risk of infection.
And don’t stick your fingers into crevices in the corals, there may be toothy moray eels hiding there
Stingrays. If you dream of seeing a stingray, in the Maldives it is quite possible. If a sea creature infected with electricity swims by, have time to take a stunning photo without thinking about the danger: they will not attack you. Danger can arise if a stingray is accidentally stepped on, as they like to spend their time buried in the sand. The same applies to sea urchins - if you step on them through carelessness, you will have to suffer for a long time: their spines are poisonous, so your foot will swell for several days.
How to avoid becoming a victim of dangerous fish in the Maldives?
As they say: forewarned is forearmed. Despite the fact that you now know what dangerous fish live in coastal waters, there is an extremely high probability that you will not see them during your entire vacation, and even if you do see them, you will not get hurt. Follow the simple rules for interacting with marine life and be completely confident in their safety and yours:
As mentioned above - don't touch anything! This, by the way, is the basic law of all divers. You can watch the fish even from a close distance, but you don’t need to touch them again. This is dangerous not only for you, but also for them. Here, for example, is a bubble fish: if you pull its tail, it instantly inflates 5-10 times, but it can only do this 15 times in its entire life. We are sure that you do not want to shorten the life of a harmless and pretty ocean resident.
. Don't touch the coral. This not only risks accidentally touching a moray eel or other dangerous fish hiding in the sea garden, but also causing injury. The edges of corals are very sharp, and even an accidental touch can leave a mark. Under no circumstances do we recommend that you break off corals as a souvenir: their restoration will take many years, and you may face $500 fine. Let's take care of our planet.
When snorkeling, swimming and walking along the beach, wear special rubberized swim shoes. As mentioned above, stingrays and sea urchins can hide in the sand, and corals can cause injury even if accidentally touched. Also try not to step on rocks: they may hide in them. warty fish and stone fish, capable of attacking.
During any vacation, including underwater, it is necessary respect someone else's territory and rules of life, then no dangerous fish will threaten you in the Maldives. Colorful and funny creatures await you in the Maldives at any time of the year: do not intrude too much into their world, and they will give you an unforgettable and only pleasant experience.
One of the main natural dangers that await tourists while holidaying in the Maldives is the scorching tropical sun. You should not be in the open sun for more than 20 minutes on the very first day, otherwise by the evening your body may become covered with red spots and burns. Be sure to take advantage sunscreens, and choose ones with a protection level of at least 30.
And remember that in the first days, especially, it is best to swim and snorkel in a T-shirt or some light shirt with long sleeves. Don't forget that the places that get burned most often are the ones that we forget to lubricate - these are the ears, ankles and the delicate skin under the knees. If you have already been unable to avoid a burn, then be sure to use panthenol or a medicinal ointment like a “rescuer” in such cases.
But perhaps the greatest natural dangers await vacationers in the very place that draws them here like a magnet, that is, in the sea. Be extremely careful when swimming not only near coral reefs, but even in lagoons. The fact is that very dangerous stingrays often like to soak up the shallows in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean.
They have a discreet color and when still sprinkled with sand on top, they are practically invisible in the water. If you suddenly accidentally step on the poisonous thorn of such a stingray, which is located closer to its tail, then you can get a very sensitive wound and it will still long time will bother you greatly.
Perhaps the most dangerous for tourists who love long swims and snorkeling with a mask and fins are not sharks, octopuses and manta rays. You should be more wary of them when you travel to New Zealand. For many years, not a single case of shark attack on a person has been recorded in the coastal waters of the Maldives. But danger here may lie in wait from the smallest, seemingly completely harmless marine inhabitants.
Jellyfish are considered the most dangerous. There are varieties of them, from touching the tentacles of which you can feel sharp pain, get burns or redness. In no case should you not only touch with your hands, but especially not break off any bright and unusual corals you come across. In general, you should remember that in the southern seas you should not take or grab anything with your hands. After all, here even the smallest fish can be poisonous. By themselves, neither scorpion fish nor stone fish are dangerous unless you approach them and try to grab them with your hands.
I must say that Coral reefs The Maldives are incredibly rich in fish belonging to the scorpionfish class. This includes the infamous lionfish and warts. All of them are excellent at camouflage and all of them practically have poisonous spines in their dorsal fins.
Therefore, be extremely careful - if you accidentally step on such a “fish” while walking along the reef, or carelessly touch it with your hand, you may feel a sharp and sudden pain, which can cause you to lose consciousness, and in the worst case, death. The poison of such a fish must be neutralized as quickly as possible by immersing the body in hot water(the temperature should be above +42 degrees), then relief can come very quickly.
There is another dangerous species found in these waters - the trigger fish or triggerfish, which is often seen in unmotivated attacks on vacationers. During spawning, she carefully guards her nest and therefore can completely freely attack any swimmer who comes into her range. Most often they try to bite the arms or legs, but there are cases that they can grab onto the flippers and pull them like a furious dog.
The bites that the trigger inflicts are essentially not fatal, but the bruises after them will take a very long time to disappear. Moray eels hiding in crevices and caves of coral reefs also pose a certain danger in these waters. Therefore, under no circumstances should you put your hands into such crevices. The bite of a moray eel is very, very painful, because their teeth are arranged in several rows and they can simply tear out meat. Moreover, it is quite likely that such a wound will become infected.
Why go to the Maldives? Everyone has their own answer. From “prestigious and cool” to say “I was in the Maldives” to “oh, sea, SPA, sand, good and I’ll be in a new swimsuit against the backdrop of a palm tree.” Well, or Volochkova’s laurels are disturbing... But there is a category of people who love the underwater world south seas. The first time I visited Egypt many years ago, I just got sick." fish soup"When you go into the water, there are fish, fish, fish all around you.
When planning all my trips to the sea, I now look all the time - where could the fish be? In Thailand I was looking for sharks. I was not lucky. In the UAE, I wanted to meet sharks (in Fujairah) - I was too lazy to swim to the reef where they were found - it was hot. I came to the Maldives to communicate with fish, listen to how they gnaw at corals (and you can hear them! There is a serious crackling sound), and see how they live. My top priorities in the Maldives are: moray eels, sharks, octopuses and turtles. For snorkeling lovers, I tell you in detail about the Fihalhohi reef and its inhabitants
| Turtle. My! |
So, on the island of Fihalhohi, which I carefully selected based on its parameters: close to the shore, there is a house reef with a decent set of inhabitants, it has 2 reefs - northern and southern.
Fihalhohi reef class B, i.e. elongated in an oval around the island. You can swim along it everywhere, except for one piece, from water villas, the so-called watermen, to surf cafes. There is a very strong current in this place, carrying foolish tourists into the sea-ocean. Skulls and crossbones carefully drawn on the maps remind tourists not to go there. But, to be honest, here the reef is the farthest from the shore, and the surf is very strong. By the way, don't joke with the flow. There was one day with a strong current in normal, safe places, I couldn’t swim against the current. Believe me, it carries you like in a stormy river. Well, it was shallow - I reached the bottom with my feet and went out.
On the northern side of the island there is the widest strip of the beach, unfortified by anything, there are water villas - “water guides” - and there is a view of the neighboring island with the Adaaran Club Rannalhi hotel.
And on the southern side of the island there is a small domestic island and a narrow strip of beach, reinforced with stones. North Reef is better. Yes, and we live on the north side. That's why we never bothered to snorkel from the south; I'll describe the northern reef.
At the level of houses with numbers 20 - the closest distance from the edge of the reef to the shore. And right there there is the sharpest drop to a depth of 30 meters, no less. From here it is easy to describe the entire reef. If you swim from this place to the right, the reef at first becomes not so deep, then on the sandy bottom, instead of a reef wall, beautiful islands of coral gardens appear. If you remember, a few years ago in the Maldives from high temperature many corals died in the sea. And dead coral is nothing. Gray and nondescript.
There are a lot of moray eels on this side different types. I've seen at least 4 species. Moray eels - a lot! Every time you place your feet on a slab of coral that seems safe to you, look to see if a moray eel is hiding under it. They usually hide under old flat corals. And on a small scale. How the fish will behave when your legs are in front of its nose - I don’t know.
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| We chase the moray eel, it runs away from us. What about the portrait? |
About the equipment, by the way. It’s better to have your own mask/snorkel/fins - it will be cheaper than renting. Be sure to take coral slippers! I have already talked about corals and moray eels, of course, there are urchins. Take care of your feet. Yes and the body. Protect your body with creams. Better yet, have a T-shirt/swimming shorts with you. It's easy to burn even with cream.
Let's continue exploring the reef. Now let's sail in the other direction from the already mentioned number 20, i.e. to the left, towards the “vodnikov”. In this direction the reef goes to a significant depth and noticeably moves further from the shore. The inhabitants of this edge of the reef are still the same: ballistodes, clowns, parrots, rhinoceroses, groupers, various mollusks, funny triggerfishes, surgeonfish, butterflies.
In this part the lagoon is wide. First there is sand, then a cemetery of small broken corals begins. You can swim both at high and low tides. But at low tide the depth to the corals is only 20-50 cm, you can easily get scratched, so you have to be extremely careful not to get scratched. This is where the most desirable inhabitants for me on this trip are found - turtles and many octopuses. Incl. I recommend swimming there carefully.
They say that stingrays swim near the watermen. But I saw them not there, but near the main pier and to the right of the cliff. By the way, there is a legend that stingrays swim at depth. Pipes. If on the first swim we saw beautiful stingrays in the depths, then in subsequent days we met stingrays on the sand. I don’t know if you can step on them, but I wouldn’t recommend experimenting.
The entrance to the sea is sandy and comfortable. The current was always from the watermen along the shore to the main pier. Sometimes barely noticeable, sometimes very strong. One day some current and water came different temperatures mixed up. Moreover, the amplitude of water temperature fluctuated within 10 degrees!
Life in water is amazing. Fish have their own clear habitat. She lives on this coral - she doesn’t swim on another. Very funny parrots gnawing coral.
I saw an octopus being attacked by tuna fish. And how the moray eel drove the parrot fish away from its shelter. And some fish was chasing her like an octopus. The octopus evaded her and changed color funny.
We also chased moray eels and petted turtles and saw dolphins. But the sharks never met in the sea! We recorded them only from the shore, and only “baby”.
To my questions “Where can I catch a shark?” They answered me: “Frau, they are so timid. They are hiding from you." Now I’m thinking - where should I go to swim in the sea with sharks? I was so hoping for the Maldives!
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| Everyone is hiding from these guys. Come on! |