Moments of Maldives

10 years after my first trip to the world's lowest country, I was lucky enough to go back to the Maldives. It's definitely a unique place on earth and one that suffers heavily from the downsides of civilization. Go, explore and come back with a more conscious mind.

Bliss - for now.
Given that the island is close the most populated areas of the country, there is a noticeable presence of plastics and garbage in the water. Seeing this in such an environment does make you think twice about that plastic bottle.

The last sunset
Keeping the option to come back open...

Rainbow
It rains frequently - usually only for an hour or so until the sun comes out again. Makes for frequent rainbows.

Glass Kayak
Not a bad way to see the reef without getting (too) wet.

Found it
I feel much wiser.

Path to Knowledge
Result on the next image.

After sunset
Wish we had more of those colors in the skies of Dubai.

Roofs
Exterior shot of the aforemented restaurant.

Light & Lamps
Loved the architecture of the main restaurant "Samsara".

Moonrise
In the interest of full disclosure, this is a blend of two images, it's nearly impossible to get the moon and the rest of the photo evenly exposed otherwise.

Just hanging
A flying fox. Definitely on the weirder side of the animal spectrum.

Sunset
A layer of haze just above the horizon meant I didn't get to capture a real sunset. Second best thing.

Garden Lizard
From what I gather, this is a male, indicated by the bright red throat during breeding season.

Home Sweet Home
I wish.

Supermoon
Not really what it's made out to be, a few % larger and brighter than normal.

Fisheye
Testing the new Olympus Zuiko 8mm F1.8 Fisheye. Gorgeous sense for this setting.

Feeding Time
They should up every afternoon for their daily feeding.

Stingray
These guys actually look quite mean, notice the eyes.

Ray vs Murray Eel
Neither seemed particularly bothered.

On the lookout
For dolphins!

Not the sun
Just a bright moon. Supermoon, as they call it...

Waterside Living
The water villas on the western tip of the island.

Moonlight Home
The full moon allowed for interesting shots in the middle of the night.

Playful
First time I saw them in the wild (not counting the one fin I saw back in Oman). You can definitely feel their curiosity and intelligence.




Yellow Submarine
Red one actually. And semi-sub only.

Reef Tips
The tip of one of the many reefs surrounding the island, adorned by an heroine (?) and some kind of ship wreck.

Mass Housing
Not a bad location though.

Exploring
Had to get up at sunrise to spot these guys so close to the shore.

Eagle Ray
Incredibly elegant creatures.

Secluded.
These 7 villas can only be accessed by boat.

Roaming the Beaches
...were these Blacktip Sharks, but only if you got up early enough.

Underwater World
Parrot and Butterfly fish.

Reef Live
Guy on the right seems shocked by my presence.

Unicorn Fish
Yep, that's their name. Shot with iPhone.

Water Living
View over the water villas on the west side.

Reef
Swimming over the reef and arriving at the steep decline into the dark blue sea is fascinating.

The other side
The western side of the island with three more restaurants. Also notice the staff accommodation in the centre (with a football field!) and the faint rainbow on the right.

Island Features
The dive centre on the left, MU restaurant on the right and the jetty in the middle.

Bolifushi Island
The island of Jumeirah Vittaveli seen from the east side shortly after sunrise.

Sunset Flights
This time of the year wasn't great for sunsets or sunrises for that matter - still a great place for a drone.