Home to some of the world’s best hotels, The Maldives is synonymously known for luxury, a honeymooner’s getaway, romance and tropical bliss.

With over 1,000 islands like a long string of glistening pearls in the sea, all featuring shallow turquoise blue lagoons and private white sandy beaches, no wonder The Maldives is one of the world’s leading honeymoon destinations.

But aside from the secluded luxury resorts that tourist frequent, there’s a lot more to The Maldives than what you may believe.

Things to do: Diving

With more than 1,000 islands and over 3,000 coral reefs to explore, saying that The Maldives is one of the world’s richest diving spots is an understatement. The monsoon seasons ensure the tides are free flowing and create incredibly clear seas where if you’re lucky, you can even see a colourful school of fish fifty meters away.

Lured by the abundance of food, The Maldivian waters is the home to over a thousand species of underwater creatures and exotic fishes. If you’re traveling to The Maldives, make sure you invest in either an inexpensive disposable underwater camera or go all out with an underwater case for your digital camera. The impressive number of schools of fish to the gigantic whale sharks to the natural colour-blocking of corals will fill up your film or memory cards with ease.

Don’t have PADI Diving Certification?

So you’re not a professional diver? Not to worry. All of the resorts and sea safari boats have certified individuals that will be able to provide basic to advanced diving training.

Unlike other diving destinations, such as in Kenya, all of the locations are within 1 hour by boat making the trips less exhausting and more enjoyable.

How to get there?

With direct flights from Dubai to Maldives, your much awaited diving sanctuary is just a stone’s throw away.

Photos Courtesy: www.visitmaldives.com