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.
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.
Keeping the option to come back open...
It rains frequently - usually only for an hour or so until the sun comes out again. Makes for frequent rainbows.
Not a bad way to see the reef without getting (too) wet.
I feel much wiser.
Result on the next image.
Wish we had more of those colors in the skies of Dubai.
Exterior shot of the aforemented restaurant.
Loved the architecture of the main restaurant "Samsara".
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.
A flying fox. Definitely on the weirder side of the animal spectrum.
A layer of haze just above the horizon meant I didn't get to capture a real sunset. Second best thing.
From what I gather, this is a male, indicated by the bright red throat during breeding season.
I wish.
Not really what it's made out to be, a few % larger and brighter than normal.
Testing the new Olympus Zuiko 8mm F1.8 Fisheye. Gorgeous sense for this setting.
They should up every afternoon for their daily feeding.
These guys actually look quite mean, notice the eyes.
Neither seemed particularly bothered.
For dolphins!
Just a bright moon. Supermoon, as they call it...
The water villas on the western tip of the island.
The full moon allowed for interesting shots in the middle of the night.
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.
Red one actually. And semi-sub only.
The tip of one of the many reefs surrounding the island, adorned by an heroine (?) and some kind of ship wreck.
Not a bad location though.
Had to get up at sunrise to spot these guys so close to the shore.
Incredibly elegant creatures.
These 7 villas can only be accessed by boat.
...were these Blacktip Sharks, but only if you got up early enough.
Parrot and Butterfly fish.
Guy on the right seems shocked by my presence.
Yep, that's their name. Shot with iPhone.
View over the water villas on the west side.
Swimming over the reef and arriving at the steep decline into the dark blue sea is fascinating.
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.
The dive centre on the left, MU restaurant on the right and the jetty in the middle.
The island of Jumeirah Vittaveli seen from the east side shortly after sunrise.
This time of the year wasn't great for sunsets or sunrises for that matter - still a great place for a drone.