Maldives My Islands - Enlightening and inspiring tales...

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SeaGear

The Giant Trevally is a symbol of a healthy ecosystem

The Giant Trevally is a symbol of a healthy ecosystem

Scales of the shallows

Scales of the shallows

How Fish See Underwater: The Fascinating Science of Marine Vision

How Fish See Underwater: The Fascinating Science of Marine Vision

The Blue Arteries of the Maldives Protecting the Ocean’s Hidden Highways

The Blue Arteries of the Maldives Protecting the Ocean’s Hidden Highways

Moray Eels: Fear, Fascination, and Familiarity Beneath the Reef

Moray Eels: Fear, Fascination, and Familiarity Beneath the Reef

Tiger shark

Tiger sharks gain weight faster than their length

I’ve decided to write a series of articles

A juvenile Emperor red snapper (Lutjanus sebae) showing its distinctive three bold dark bands against a pinkish body, swimming near a reef ledge.

Emperor Red Snapper of the Maldives

Across the coral ramparts and shadowed drop-offs of

Island trevally

Island Trevally of the Maldives

A reef fish shaped by distance and depth Along the outer edges of Maldivian reefs, where lagoons give way to deeper blue and land feels far away, the Island Trevally (Carangoides orthogrammus) moves with quiet authority. Known locally as Thumba

Hudhuhelakanfai: Fuvahmulah’s Most Formidable Giant Trevally

Hudhuhelakanfai: Fuvahmulah’s Most Formidable Giant Trevally

Beyond the Beaches: Eid Al-Adha in the Maldives

LIFESTYLE AND CULTURE

Beyond the Beaches: Eid Al-Adha in the Maldives

Fish That Make Maldives Snorkeling Unforgettable

Fish That Make Maldives Snorkeling Unforgettable

Into the world of underwater caves

Into the world of underwater caves

Bodies of 4 Missing Divers Found in Maldives

Bodies of 4 Missing Divers Found in Maldives

Inside the Reef Cave That Nearly Took My Life

LIFESTYLE AND CULTURE

Inside the Reef Cave That Nearly Took My Life

BIODIVERSITY

Illustration of a Fuvahmulah fisherman using a bent bamboo pole to battle a powerful giant trevally in rough surf. Below water, the large silver fish resists aggressively, showing its uniquely long, curved pectoral fin.

Hudhuhelakanfai: Fuvahmulah’s Most Formidable Giant Trevally

Yasir Salih

The Fish Fishermen Fear Most Along the storm-beaten reef edges of Fuvahmulah,

Colorful tropical reef fish swimming above coral and sea anemones in clear blue waters.

Fish That Make Maldives Snorkeling Unforgettable

Yasir Salih

The Maldives does not require deep diving certification to reveal its beauty.

A scuba diver explores a large underwater cave illuminated by blue ocean light filtering through the entrance.

Into the world of underwater caves

Yasir Salih

As islanders surrounded by the Indian Ocean, we grow up closely connected

Collage showing the five Italian divers who died during a cave diving incident in Vaavu Atoll, Maldives.

Bodies of 4 Missing Divers Found in Maldives

Yasir Salih

The bodies of the remaining four Italian divers missing after last week’s

Collage of marine life and monsoon scenes from Fuvahmulah during the Hulhangu season, featuring flying fish, frigate birds, giant trevally, sharks, manta rays, and rough ocean conditions along the island’s reef edge.

Hulhangu: Flying Fish, Frigate Birds and the Wild Sea of Fuvahmulah

Yasir Salih

Every year, when the southwest monsoon arrives in the Maldives, the sea

Collage featuring a tiger shark and a titan triggerfish in the reefs of Fuvahmulah, Maldives, illustrating the unexpected encounters between apex predators and territorial reef fish.

Tiny Reef Guardians That Dare Challenge Tiger Sharks

Yasir Salih

In the blue waters off Fuvahmulah in the southern Maldives, tiger sharks

A Stonefish (Synanceia verrucosa) camouflaged against a dark, rocky reef background, highlighting its warty texture and sedentary posture.

The Deadliest Rock in the Maldives: Why You Should Never Step on a Gaa Viha Mas

Yasir Salih

In the shimmering, sun-drenched shallows of the Maldivian lagoons, where the water

The Maldives’ Deadly Glow

Yasir Salih

In the crystalline expanse of the Maldivian atolls, beauty often serves as

A collage of rare land birds and residents of the southern Maldives, featuring a White Tern (Gygis alba) perched on a branch and a Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) in the freshwater wetlands.

The Rare Birds of the Southern Maldives and the Equatorial Frontier

Yasir Salih

A biological lighthouse in the deep Indian Ocean, the southern atolls serve

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FISHING

Collage of a fisherman landing a giant trevally on the rocky shoreline of Fuvahmulah, Maldives, with rough surf and dramatic storm clouds in the background

Young Anglers vs. Fuvahmulah’s Giant Trevally

Yasir Salih

Giant trevally — or maamudu, as we call it in our dialect

Aerial view of a traditional Maldivian dhoni boat floating on the turquoise coral reef edge where the shallow water meets the deep blue ocean.

Scales of the shallows

Yasir Salih

Beyond the deep-sea tuna chase, the Maldives’ true culinary treasures hide within

A close-up shot of several fresh Maldivian goatfish on white sand, showing their distinctive yellow stripes and barbels.

Goatfish of the Maldives and the Legend of the Whispered Sands

Yasir Salih

In the vast, turquoise expanse of the Maldivian atolls, a unique group

A two-pane collage featuring young fishermen in Fuvahmulah with their Yellowfin Tuna catch. The left image shows a fisherman on a blue boat at sea, holding a massive tuna upright. The right image shows a fisherman standing on a stone pier at the harbor, holding another large tuna.

From the Author’s Lens: A Morning with the Giants of Fuvahmulah

Yasir Salih

The Unique Frontier of Fuvahmulah Fuvahmulah is an anomaly in the Maldivian

A Kawakawa fish with its silver-patterned skin expertly removed to reveal the deep red muscle beneath, and the gut cavity cleaned with surgical precision. The fish is prepared according to the Maldivian 'Art of the Cut,' emphasizing clean lines and minimal waste.

From the Author’s Lens: The Art of the Maldivian Cut

Yasir Salih

In the Maldives, fishing is only the first half of the art;

Close-up of a black marlin

Deep Sea Giants: Tracking the Black Marlin at the Edge of Maldivian Atolls

Yasir Salih

WHERE THE CRYSTALLINE turquoise of the Maldivian lagoons meets the abrupt, bottomless

A fisherman on a small boat lifts a tuna from the ocean using a pole-and-line, with waves breaking behind the boat.

Fishing One Tuna at a Time: A Thousand-Year Tradition in the Maldives

Yasir Salih

At first light, the sea around the Maldives is calm enough to

Eel bait

The Blue Frontier: Decoding the Ancestral Rhythms of the Maldives

Yasir Salih

The air in the southern atoll of Fuvahmulah is thick with the

Photo collage showing five different Maldives reef fish species.

The Reef’s Bounty: Five Maldivian Fish Loved by Locals

Yasir Salih

The Reef’s Bounty: Five Maldivian Fish Loved by Locals The Maldives—a nation

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HISTORY AND CULTURE

“Collage-style editorial image showing Maldivian island cultural celebrations, featuring traditional dancing, a ceremonial floral procession, and children playing on a tropical beach.”

Beyond the Beaches: Eid Al-Adha in the Maldives

Yasir Salih

For a few days each year, the Maldives shifts from resort paradise

Aerial view of the rugged reef front in Fuvahmulah, where powerful ocean waves crash over sharp coral rock formations and turquoise water surges through narrow reef channels near hidden cave-like openings.

Inside the Reef Cave That Nearly Took My Life

Yasir Salih

Saving the Shark Pups During the 27th day of Ramadan in the

Illustration of a traditional Maldivian vedi sailing through a violent storm beneath towering waves and lightning-filled skies.

Against the Wind: A Vedi Voyage Remembered

Yasir Salih

For centuries, the Indian Ocean shaped life in the Maldives. It provided

Midjourney illustration of Maldivian fishermen in a dhoni battling a large tiger shark in a stormy sea.

Guardians of the Deep and the Shark Myths of the Maldives

Yasir Salih

In the crystalline turquoise of the Maldivian lagoons, the world feels bounded

A close-up shot of a Pandanus tree (screw pine) featuring several segments of fruit. One prominent fruit is a vibrant, ripe orange, while others remain green and unripe. Long, slender green leaves surround the fruit, creating a dense, tropical texture.

The Whispering Keyvai and the Spirit Landscapes of the Maldives

Yasir Salih

Along the salt-sprayed fringes of the Maldivian atolls, where the white sand

The Maldives’ Deadly Glow

Yasir Salih

In the crystalline expanse of the Maldivian atolls, beauty often serves as

Dramatic illustration of a Maldivian Maalimee (navigator) steering a wooden wheel through the Phantom Sea (Kandumathi Elhun) on a dark, moonless night.

Unmasking the Science Behind the Maldives’ Most Feared Maritime Myth

Yasir Salih

On a moonless night in the remote Maldivian islands, the boundary between

An ancient Maldivian Banyan tree (Nika) with sprawling aerial roots, traditionally considered a sacred dwelling for spirits in island mythology.

Mystical Flora of the Atolls

Yasir Salih

The Sentinels of the Spirit World In Maldivian folklore, the forest is

A vast starlit night sky over the Maldivian ocean horizon, illustrating the traditional Nakaiy celestial navigation system.

The Nakaiy System and Maldivian Luck in the Year of the Fire Horse

Yasir Salih

In the velvet-black nights of the Maldivian atolls, long before the arrival

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