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Harubee – Young Faces, Old Voices
Mohamed Shafraz Hafiz for Maldives Promotion House – A group of young men flood the stage and take their positions. There are around twenty of them. A majority of them carry with them traditional Dhivehi goatskin drums. A flourish, a sharp tap, and a song is breathed into life. It’s sleepy at first but gains momentum like a rolling boulder. The song grows louder, faster, and the crowd sways because they can’t help it.
The beat works itself into their blood. Old voices on young faces sing the bodu beru songs and by the time the crescendo arrives, frenzy inducing, the crowd is ensnared completely. A few of them leap into the space in front of the stage to express their exultation through dance. By the time their hearts slow down it’s time for the next song. This is a typical night for Harubee, Maldives’s premier bodu beru band.
Bodu beru, literally meaning “big drum”, is one of the oldest surviving aspects of Dhivehi culture. It is a form of song based on a beat hammered out on a goatskin drum of traditional design. The tempo almost invariably starts slow and builds up into a crescendo, which is sustained for a while before reaching an abrupt end.
Though they’ve earned the right to it, Harubee shuns their status as a super-band, instead choosing to celebrate their roots and the fans that make them who they are. This warmth translates into the performance as well as the energy that comes from their passion.
Not a single member of Harubee performs full-time. They all work full-time elsewhere and come together as a band only for the passion of bodu beru. Harubee’s philosophy is that performing full-time will make the music feel like a job.
Shihan (Puchu), one of the four main members of Harubee alongside Mamdhooh (Manday), Naushad (Naube), and Shamhan (Joray), explains that the four of them first came together as a band at the end of the 90’s quite circumstantially, when one of them beat a dabiya (a tin pitcher), and the others joined in with song. They soon found themselves performing free at parties purely for the love of bodu beru.
The group officially came to be known as Harubee for their performance at the 2006 Dubai Shopping Festival. Since then, Harubee has gone onto perform at tourism expos, various major events at resorts, and have appeared on National Geographic Channel and the BBC in addition to performing alongside major local artists at live events. Harubee’s first mainstream success came when they won the MNBC Bodu Beru Challenge 2010. Since then Harubee has been performing without respite. This is no small accomplishment, considering that all members work full time, and the line up always depends on who can get time off work for a performance.
Harubee cannot be talked about without mentioning the cultural relevance of the group. The art of bodu beru is one of the most representative facets of Dhivehi culture. Many of the songs circulating around the bodu beru scene are so old that their origins are lost entirely. Harubee represents a revitalising, and more importantly, a rebranding of everything bodu beru stands for. As a bodu beru group of young people who charge their performances with a new energy that somehow falls runs parallel to the timelessness of the tradition, Harubee brings a progressiveness to the art that has not only been absent but hadn’t even been conceived of before. Bodu beru is cool again precisely because it’s not the way you remember it.
The band chooses to emphasise the continuity in this progression from tradition. Harubee humbly names Hamdun Hameed as the group’s major influence. As the founding members’ school principal and prolific torchbearer of bodu beru, Hamdun heavily involved the group in Ameer Ahmed School’s bodu beru activities, coming to teach the boys who would become Harubee most of what they know.
Modernised or traditional, bodu beru is a live art, and Harubee is a live act. The group is currently recording an album, pushing the progression further with their new songs. A major challenge will be to translate their unique personality into recorded form. Unused to the restraint and the set structure of the studio environment, Harubee has to overcome these constraints and find the best way to pack their brand of improvisation and spontaneity into an aural experience.
First an explosion onto the scene, then establishing their place, now recording an album. What could possibly be next for this group of young men, who don’t practise, who don’t plan their show, yet still project an electrifying presence? “To never stop,” says Shihan. Harubee intends to overcome the fickle nature of seasonal trends. They intend to make bodu beru bigger than it already is, and to push it further than it has ever gone.
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Netflix’s ‘All the Sharks’ puts global spotlight on tiger shark paradise in Maldives’ Fuvahmulah
The first episode of Netflix’s new competition series All the Sharks is set in Fuvahmulah, Maldives — an island now confirmed by scientists as home to the largest documented aggregation of tiger sharks in the world.
The global series, which premiered Friday, follows four teams of marine experts racing to photograph the most shark species across six biodiverse marine locations. Its opening episode brings viewers into the waters of Fuvahmulah, a shark diving hotspot in the southern Maldives, where recent research has identified 239 individual tiger sharks over six years — more than any other single location globally.
A peer-reviewed study published earlier this year in Nature.com, led by Lennart Vossgaetter of the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research in Germany, used non-invasive photo identification to confirm Fuvahmulah’s ecological significance. Researchers found that adult female tiger sharks show strong site fidelity, remaining in the island’s warm, food-rich waters for extended periods during gestation.
The big picture: Science meets streaming in Fuvahmulah
Fuvahmulah, long renowned by divers for consistent encounters with tiger sharks, now features prominently in both marine research and global entertainment. The Netflix episode captures this extraordinary setting as part of a larger series spanning Japan, South Africa, the Galapagos, Australia and the Bahamas.
According to the study, Fuvahmulah’s waters — influenced by oceanic currents and lacking a surrounding atoll — provide ideal reproductive conditions for tiger sharks, particularly pregnant females. The research team documented the world’s highest number of individual tiger sharks identified in one confined marine area.
The scientists described Fuvahmulah as a “bright spot” for tiger shark conservation in the Indian Ocean, bolstered by the Maldives’ national shark sanctuary status.
Zoom in: A friendly global shark race
All the Sharks follows four two-person teams — Shark Docs, Gills Gone Wild, British Bait Off and Land Sharks — competing to photograph the most and rarest shark species at each location.
The series is hosted by Tom “The Blowfish” Hird, a marine biologist known for his dramatic delivery and braided pirate-style beard.
Points are awarded based on species rarity, with the season’s top team winning US$50,000 for a marine conservation charity of their choice.
Though the show leans on reality TV conventions, its content remains grounded in ocean science and conservation. Fuvahmulah’s inclusion in the series serves as both a dramatic setting and an educational entry point into the world of shark biology and environmental protection.
Details: Unregulated tourism meets scientific concern
The Nature.com study also raised concerns about the rapid growth of shark tourism in Fuvahmulah, particularly at the island’s famed “Tiger Harbour.” While tourism provides a major economic boost for the island, shark provisioning and diving currently remain unregulated, with no official national guidelines.
The researchers warned that the absence of regulation — including standardised safety measures and environmental practices — could jeopardise both shark welfare and the long-term viability of the tourism industry.
They pointed to successful models in countries like Fiji, where community-managed marine protected areas (MPAs) have been implemented to balance economic activity with ecological sustainability. The study recommended similar frameworks for the Maldives, calling for inclusive stakeholder management plans to ensure responsible ecotourism in one of the world’s most important shark sanctuaries.
Why it matters: Maldives in the global spotlight
The series premiere and the scientific findings together shine a global spotlight on the Maldives’ critical role in shark conservation. As the world celebrates 50 years since Jaws and enters another summer of shark-themed content, All the Sharks provides a rare blend of adventure, education and scientific relevance.
The show includes conservation graphics detailing the biology and threatened status of each shark species, shifting the narrative from fear to appreciation. For viewers — and for the Maldives — the message is clear: these apex predators are essential to ocean health and worthy of protection.
The bottom line: Fuvahmulah is both spectacle and sanctuary
As All the Sharks captures the thrill of underwater discovery, Fuvahmulah emerges not only as a top-tier dive destination but as one of the most ecologically important shark habitats in the world. With Netflix bringing its waters to millions of viewers and science affirming its global conservation value, the moment calls for action — to protect, to regulate and to preserve this unique corner of the Maldives for generations to come.
Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives has been crowned ‘Maldives Leading Dive Resort 2025’ at the prestigious World Travel Awards, marking a major milestone as the inaugural winner of this newly introduced category.
The announcement was made at a glittering gala ceremony held on 29 June in Tanzania, attended by tourism and hospitality leaders from across Africa and the Indian Ocean. The accolade honours Kandooma’s commitment to exceptional diving experiences and innovation in accessible underwater tourism.
“We’re surrounded by some of the most awe-inspiring marine life in the Maldives – it’s truly like diving in a living aquarium,” said Mark Eletr, General Manager of Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives. “From graceful manta rays and reef sharks to turtles, moray eels, and vast schools of tropical fish, our waters are teeming with life.”
Just minutes from the resort are world-class dive sites including Kandooma Thila, a renowned cleaning station for grey reef sharks; Guraidhoo Corner, famous for its strong currents and pelagic encounters; and Medhu Faru, where divers drift alongside vibrant coral walls. The close proximity of these sites allows for up to three dives a day – ideal for enthusiasts chasing underwater thrills.
Central to Kandooma’s diving success is its bold ‘Dive Free’ initiative – a game-changer for the scuba community. Guests who stay three nights or more and are certified divers receive two complimentary boat dives per day, including equipment and professional guidance.
“Diving can be an expensive pursuit, so we decided to flip the script,” Eletr added. “Our ‘Dive Free’ program removes the barriers and makes the underwater magic of the Maldives accessible to more people than ever.”
Kandooma’s on-site 5-star PADI dive centre offers courses for beginners through to advanced, specialty certifications and refreshers, as well as private excursions for underwater photography, night dives, and wreck explorations.
With its commitment to sustainability, marine preservation, and guest experience, Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives has proven that world-class diving doesn’t have to come with a luxury price tag – just a sense of adventure.
For more information or to book a diving escape, visit: www.maldives.holidayinnresorts.com
No shoes, no stress, just goals! This August, Siyam World Maldives is turning up the heat with not one, not two, but three football legends taking over the island for exclusive five-day Football Residence Camps – Wayne Bridge, Kean Bryan, Andrew Johnson.
Wayne Bridge | August 1–5
A former England international and Premier League left-back with over 300 top-flight appearances, Wayne is best known for his time at Chelsea, Manchester City, and Southampton. His elite-level experience, from Champions League nights to FA Cup triumphs, makes him the ultimate coach for young players looking to level up.
Kean Bryan | August 11–15
A midfield dynamo with a Premier League pedigree, Kean’s career includes spells at Manchester City, Sheffield United, and West Brom. Known for his technical skill and tactical brain, he brings a youth-focused approach packed with energy, precision, and motivation.
Andrew Johnson (AJ) | August 17–21
A former England striker and Crystal Palace legend, AJ lit up the Premier League with his pace and goal-scoring flair. His sessions will bring fast-paced drills, goal-scoring tips, and a whole lot of fun to the pitch.
Each 5-day camp for kids between 5 and 12 years, takes place on the resort’s own World Sports Arena, as part of their exclusive Football Residences programme, designed to inspire the next generation of football stars while having the time of their lives in paradise. Spots are limited, and trust us, they’ll go fast. Give your child the chance to train with football legends, make lifelong friends, and experience the magic of the Maldives—because this is one match they won’t want to miss.
Siyam World has already hosted some of the biggest names in football, with past camps featuring stars like: Francesco Totti, Alessandro Del Piero, Rio Ferdinand, Owen Hargreaves, Daniel Agger or Esteban Cambiasso. Joining this incredible lineup, those football legends in August are making Siyam World the go-to destination for football-obsessed kids and their families.
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