Underwater

Marine biologist reveals what’s underwater at Halaveli

Published

13 years ago

May 9, 2013

Here is third week’s instalment from marine biologist Robin Aiello sees her come face to face with the awe-inspiring whalesharks in the waters off Halaveli.

Whiptail Ray

It has been another amazing week full of beautiful dives, snorkels, lagoon cruises and island walks. The weather has been clear and warm, and the seas so calm that you can do an entire marine biology session from the surface without even getting wet.
I have, in fact, been spending hours on the jetty with guests looking down into the sea and spotting some fantastic animals. We have many harmless blacktip reef sharks that slowly cruise back and forth under the jetty, whiptail rays that look almost like eagles flying through the water, unicorn fish with their long horns sticking out from their foreheads, long slender coronet fish with their huge extended mouths, and bluefin trevallies (also called jacks) chasing schools of small silver fish.

Bluefin Trevallies

The trevallies (jacks) always put on an exciting show for us as they stalk and hunt the small silver fish that form massive schools in the very shallow water at the beach.

Small groups of 3 – 6 bluefin trevallies swim up and down the beach, getting closer and closer to the shore and forcing the small fish to form tighter and tighter schools – it is like cowboys rounding up the cattle on a range.

They do this for some time, then, without any warning, there is a huge commotion. The trevallies have decided it is time to strike, and change direction at full speed (which is really really fast) and dash through the school, grabbing fish as they go. The small silver fish, in response, take off in all directions like a firework display. They will even jump out of the water and land on the beach in their sheer panic to get away.

But, there is no where for the small fish to hide. Suddenly other predatory fish join the feeding frenzy, and if that is not bad enough, the seabirds and herons fly in from all directions to join the mayhem and pounce on any fish they can. The whole frenzied activity lasts only a few seconds, but what excitement! Sometimes I feel sorry for the poor little fish!

An unplanned evening snorkel

Probably the most unusual thing that I have seen in a long time was spotted one evening from the jetty. I was heading to dinner, all dressed up, and one of the guests asked me what it was – I had no idea – didn’t even know if it was manmade or natural.

So I ran back to my villa and grabbed my snorkeling gear and jumped into the water.

This thing was weird! At first, I had no idea what it was. It was in constant motion, rolling around and undulating, but I soon discovered it was the water movement that caused it to move – it was not actually alive. It was slimy and felt like thick mucous, and to add to the bafflement, there were thousands of little pink/purple balls embedded in it.

Finally it dawned on me that it had to be some sort of egg case – most likely molluscan from either a snail or a squid. After a couple of hours of research I discovered that it was, in fact, the egg case of a very large squid that reaches a size of over 1 metre called the Diamondback Squid. This squid would have laid the egg case out in the lagoon and the tides, currents and waves washed it into the shallows. Very interesting.

Diving with whalesharks

Yesterday, though, was the real highlight of my whole visit – every Sunday the Dive Center offers a day trip to find and snorkel with whalesharks. And what a day we had!

Thanks to our amazing boat crew, and of course the legendary snorkel guide Santana, we had the wonderful experience of swimming with 3 large whalesharks. Amazing! It is no easy feat to find a whaleshark – since they are fish, they do not come to the surface to breath like whales, so the only way to find them is to patrol an area – up and down along the coast. The crew stand lookouts on the roof of the boat looking for a large dark shadow in the water.

Then, if one is spotted, there is a flurry of activity as we get on our gear and jump overboard. At this point, the race begins. Although these huge animals are barely moving a fin at all, they maintain such a fast speed that we as mere human snorkellers must kick and kick and kick as fast as possible to keep up with them. They do not seem to be bothered by us at all – in fact, on several occasions they appeared to be curious and changed direction to come right up close underneath – within only a few metres of us.

When they are this close, they take your breath away. They really are special creatures!

They are so spectacular, that this creature will be the topic of my Creature Feature for this week.

Creature Feature – Whalesharks

Whalesharks are well known to frequent a spot on the southern part of the Ari Atoll – no one really knows why they ‘hangout’ in this area. But they seem to be mainly young-adult males that are about 6–8 metres in length.

Although this is considered relatively small for a whaleshark (they can reach sizes of over 12m) they are still incredibly impressive. In fact, whalesharks are the largest fish in the world.

Whalesharks are a type of shark – not a whale. They, like all sharks, have a cartilaginous skeleton rather than bone, have what are called denticles covering their skin instead of scales, do not have an air bladder, but use a liver full of oil for buoyancy, and of course they have ‘replaceable’ teeth rather than only one set like most reef fish. Sharks have hundreds of teeth and can go through as many as 30,000 teeth during their lifetime.

What happens is that teeth that form the ‘front-row’ periodically fall out, and within only a few days another tooth that behind in the ‘second-row’ will rotate into position. It is kind of like a conveyor belt of teeth. In this manner the shark always has fresh, sharp teeth! Whalesharks, although they do not use them, actually have about 300 very small teeth.

How whalesharks feed

So how does a whaleshark feed if it does not use teeth? Well, these giants of the sea, feed on some of the smallest animals in the ocean, plankton, by a method called filtering feeding.

Inside their mouths they have an unique system of filter-pads that trap all the small plankton – a lot like a sieve.

Whalesharks feed in two ways – ‘gulping’ and ‘ram feeding’. If there is plenty of concentrated plankton in the water, these sharks will stay in one place and take in huge gulps of water full of plankton.
If, however, the plankton is spread out in the water, then the sharks will swim at an average of 4km per hour with their mouths open – when they have enough food, they will swallow, then resume feeding – this is ‘ram-feeding’.

To watch them feed is incredible. They have huge mouths – up to 1.5 metres wide and they can filter over 300,000 litres of seawater per hour.

Identifying whalesharks by their spots

Other than the sheer immense size of these fish, the other really noticeable feature is the patterning. They are fully covered with spots and dots, and some lines – really beautiful.

They almost look like a bright starry night sky. In fact, a few years ago a couple of scientists came up with the interesting idea to use a computer program designed for tracking stars to document the spots on individual whalesharks.

Since the patterning on each whaleshark is unique for that individual (much like our human fingerprints are unique to each person), scientists have been able to compile a global database of whalesharks from photographs of their spots.

So, when you visit Halaveli Resort, be sure to take the trip out looking for whalesharks – it is fantastic!

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St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort marks coral conservation milestone with 300 frames installed

Published

20 hours ago

January 29, 2026

m@ldives

The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort has announced a significant milestone in its marine conservation programme, reaching 300 coral frames installed around Vommuli Island. The achievement marks a major step forward in the resort’s long-term commitment to reef restoration and marine biodiversity preservation in the Dhaalu Atoll.

Led by resident marine biologist Hazel Araujo, the coral restoration initiative has expanded steadily since its launch in 2023. As of 2025, the programme supports more than 16,800 coral fragments across four active restoration sites, representing over 13 coral species. Collectively, these frames have contributed to the restoration of more than 70 square metres of reef habitat surrounding the island.

The milestone also reflects the programme’s progression from active restoration to natural regeneration. For the first time, coral colonies grown on the resort’s earliest frames—now approaching three years in age—have reached sufficient maturity to serve as donor colonies. This development allows new coral fragments to be sourced directly from existing frames, strengthening the resilience and self-sufficiency of the restoration programme.

Further validating these efforts, the resort recorded its first coral spawning event during the most recent spawning season. Colonies of Acropora digitifera released gametes from the very first coral frame deployed at the resort, confirming that the cultivated corals have reached full reproductive maturity and are now capable of contributing to natural reef renewal.

Despite the impacts of the 2024 global coral bleaching event, the restoration sites demonstrated strong recovery within one year, maintaining an average coral survival rate of 91 percent. Monitoring data has also shown notable increases in marine life activity, including higher sightings of sharks, rays, octopus and sea turtles, underscoring the role of coral frames in enhancing habitat complexity and ecosystem health.

Each of the 300 coral frames has been supported through adoption by resort guests, online sponsors or resort teams, positioning the programme as a shared conservation effort. Complementary community outreach initiatives have engaged students from neighbouring islands through marine education, workshops and creative conservation projects.

The installation of the 300th coral frame represents a key milestone in The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort’s sustainability journey, reinforcing its commitment to long-term reef protection, scientific monitoring and collaborative environmental stewardship in the Maldives.

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Ataraxis Grand & Spa hosts integrated work-and-dive corporate retreat in Fuvahmulah

Published

23 hours ago

January 29, 2026

m@ldives

Ataraxis Grand & Spa recently hosted a week-long, closed corporate offsite in Fuvahmulah for a US-based artificial intelligence company, highlighting the island’s growing suitability for integrated work-and-experience retreats. The retreat brought a group of 36 international professionals to the property, which was reserved exclusively for the programme.

Designed as a private company offsite, the stay combined structured daily work sessions with guided diving and beginner-friendly surf experiences, creating a balanced format that blended focused collaboration with physical reset.

A notable component of the programme was dive training and certification. During the retreat, 17 participants completed their Open Water certification, while a further six undertook the Advanced Open Water course, with training and dives scheduled alongside work sessions as part of the integrated itinerary.

Throughout the week, participants worked on-site using dedicated shared spaces supported by reliable high-speed internet, allowing meetings, informal collaboration and scheduled activities to take place within a single, uninterrupted environment. This setup enabled teams to move seamlessly between work periods and organised ocean activities without leaving the property.

Fuvahmulah’s natural and operational advantages formed a key part of the retreat’s appeal. As one of the Maldives’ largest inhabited islands, it offers immediate access to pelagic dive sites, internationally recognised shark diving and surf breaks suitable for instruction, alongside the infrastructure required to support extended group stays.

The offsite reflects a growing preference among technology and knowledge-sector teams for small-scale retreats that prioritise concentrated work environments and team cohesion over traditional conference formats. Such programmes typically involve longer stays and higher per-capita spend, aligning with sustainable, quality-driven tourism models.

The retreat also demonstrates how locally operated properties such as Ataraxis Grand & Spa are supporting this shift by delivering unified environments where accommodation, workspaces, connectivity and curated experiences operate as a single programme rather than separate services.

As organisations continue to explore alternative formats for strategy sessions, team resets and creative offsites, Ataraxis Grand & Spa’s experience positions Fuvahmulah as an increasingly viable destination for integrated corporate retreats.

Ataraxis Grand & Spa offers work-and-dive retreat programmes in Fuvahmulah that combine accommodation, dedicated workspaces, high-speed connectivity and organised diving and surfing.

Further information on retreat formats and dive-inclusive stays is available via the Ataraxis Grand & Spa website.

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Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru shares manta sightings forecast for 2026 and 2027

Published

2 days ago

January 28, 2026

m@ldives

The ocean’s gentle giants are calling once again. Drawing on two decades of meticulous research, the resident Manta Trust experts at Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru have revealed the prime manta encounter dates for 2026 and 2027. Located in the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, home to the largest-known manta population, the Resort offers an unparalleled opportunity to swim alongside these majestic marine creatures.

Mantas on Speed Dial

To help guests maximise their chance of a manta meet-up, the Manta Trust analyse decades of data on manta ray movements and environmental factors. The resulting “hot dates” are peak periods when mass aggregations are most likely to occur close to the Resort.

The Manta On Call experience alerts guests the moment mantas are spotted, whisking them by speedboat for a thrilling snorkelling adventure. Along the way, they can learn from the globally renowned Manta Trust team, featured on CNN’s Call to Earth series, about manta ray biology and conservation.

A Manta Haven

The 2025 manta season, which ended in November, brought sightings of an estimated 4,265 reef manta rays, as well as 28 whale sharks, 16 devil rays and 10 oceanic mantas. The Manta Trust conducted 1282 manta surveys over 143 research days, adding to the ongoing database.

This season also brought exciting conservation news. Through the Manta Trust’s dedicated work, all 10 manta and devil ray species have been uplisted to CITES Appendix I – meaning they have the highest level of protection. International commercial trade of these species is now prohibited, helping to safeguard their future.

Education is key to the Trust’s vision. Over the 2025 season, six interns and apprentices immersed in marine biology by collecting data on the research boat, identifying mantas, and running guest trips. The team also work closely with local schools to inspire the next generation of conservationists. 2025 saw them engage with 969 community members, while 19 students graduated from their Moodhu Madharusa (Ocean School).

“Watching people interact with mantas reminds us why we do this work,” says Armando Kraenzlin, Regional Vice President and General Manager of Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru. “These encounters go beyond awe; they create a real connection to the ocean and its inhabitants. Since 2005, the Maldives Manta Conservation Programme at Landaa Giraavaru has been dedicated to protecting these remarkable creatures, and every snorkel, survey or moment spent alongside them helps build a community committed to their survival.”

Hot dates for manta sightings in 2026 and 2027:

2026

May 14–18
May 29 – June 2
June 13–17
June 27 – July 1
July 12–16
July 27–31
August 10–14
August 26–30
September 9–13
September 24–28
October 8–12
October 24–28
November 7–11
November 24

2027

May 4–8
May 18–22
June 2–6
June 16–20
July 2–6
July 16–20
July 31 – August 4
August 15–19
September 28 – October 2
October 13–17
October 27–31
November 12–16
November 26–30

Please note: Manta ray sightings are subject to weather conditions and the temperament of these gentle oceanic giants.

To book a Maldives manta experience, click here, email: reservations.mal@fourseasons.com or call the central reservations department of Four Seasons Resorts Maldives at tel: (960) 66 00 888.