Maldives My Islands - Enlightening and inspiring tales...

SeaGear

The Maldives Below the Surface: Discover Sharks and the Meanings of Their Local Names

The Maldives Below the Surface: Discover Sharks and the Meanings of Their Local Names

Boxfish have an iconic body shape

Boxfish have an iconic body shape

Masters’ fearless battle with sea brutes

Masters’ fearless battle with sea brutes

Big Eyes in the Black: The Luminous Hunt for Bigeye Trevally on the Maldivian Reef

Big Eyes in the Black: The Luminous Hunt for Bigeye Trevally on the Maldivian Reef

Maldivian Folklore and Rituals: Understanding ‘Fanditha’ Magic

LIFESTYLE AND CULTURE

Maldivian Folklore and Rituals: Understanding ‘Fanditha’ Magic

Maldivian master lure maker

I remember in the early 90s, while we

Honeycomb moray eel

The graceful honeycomb moray eel

This is a series of articles that I’ve

Eel bait

The Blue Frontier: Decoding the Ancestral Rhythms of the Maldives

The air in the southern atoll of Fuvahmulah is thick with the scent of brine and sun-baked coral. Here, the geography is an anomaly—a lone emerald island rising vertically from the deep sea without the protective embrace of a lagoon.

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

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

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

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

Mystical Flora of the Atolls

LIFESTYLE AND CULTURE

Mystical Flora of the Atolls

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

LIFESTYLE AND CULTURE

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

Faru: The Living Threshold of the Maldives

Faru: The Living Threshold of the Maldives

Fuvahmulah Reaffirms Global Dominance with Double Victory at Asia’s Largest Diving Expo

Fuvahmulah Reaffirms Global Dominance with Double Victory at Asia’s Largest Diving Expo

BIODIVERSITY

Aerial view of powerful white waves crashing against the sharp coral reef edge of Fuvahmulah, transitioning into the deep blue ocean.

Faru: The Living Threshold of the Maldives

Yasir Salih

We were born on small islands where the vast ocean seems to

A diver approaching a large Tiger Shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) at the famous Tiger Zoo dive site in Fuvahmulah, Maldives.

Fuvahmulah Reaffirms Global Dominance with Double Victory at Asia’s Largest Diving Expo

Yasir Salih

Fuvahmulah City has once again cemented its status as a premier global

Wave-Eroded Surge Channels on the Northwest Coast of Fuvahmulah

Fuvahmulah’s Horongo and the Power of the Open Sea

Yasir Salih

Far south of the familiar rings of the Maldivian atolls, a solitary

A Green sea turtle floating in a turquoise lagoon pool at Maafushivaru Resort, Maldives, showing its beautifully patterned shell and flippers through clear water.

Where to See Sea Turtles in the Maldives: A Guide to Sanctuaries

Yasir Salih

Across the vast, crystalline expanse of the Maldivian atolls, a timeless ritual

A Greasy Grouper (Londhi faana) swimming over a dark coral reef. The fish has a robust, mottled body with a distinct white and brown patterned head and a white tail, set against a deep blue ocean background.

The Greasy Grouper Is a Resilient Titan of Maldivian Reefs

Yasir Salih

Deep within the intricate coral architecture of the Indo-Pacific resides a predator

Whale shark Rhincodon typus feeding at the ocean surface, photographed by Simon Pierce.

Titans of the blue Ancient Giants of the Maldives

Yasir Salih

In the vast, sun-drenched expanse of the Indian Ocean, the Maldives serves

Short-finned pilot whale swimming just below the ocean surface in deep blue water

The Secret Migration of Maldivian Pilot Whales

Yasir Salih

In the sapphire depths beyond the sun-drenched atolls of the Maldives, a

Panoramic aerial view of Dhadimagi Kilhi, a large freshwater lake surrounded by dense tropical vegetation and wetlands in Fuvahmulah, Maldives.

The Living Bio-Shields — A Journey Through Maldivian Mangroves

Yasir Salih

In the Maldives, land is a precious and fleeting resource. While the

Two adult Mangrove Red Snappers swimming near a reef overhang, showing their deep reddish bodies and horizontal scale rows.

The Crimson Wanderer of the Mangrove Roots

Yasir Salih

The Crimson Wanderer of the Mangrove Roots In the tangled, brackish labyrinths

ADVERTISEMENT

FISHING

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 diverse collection of Maldivian reef fish filleted and cleaned, showcasing the consistent removal of fins and gills across different species.

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

Kawakawa and trevally catch

Does Luck Matter? Traditional Angling Wisdom from the Maldives Islands

Yasir Salih

It was three years ago. As usual, I woke up early in

ai-illustration-slow-pitch-jigging

Slow-Pitch Jigging for Beginners: A Masterclass for Maldivian Anglers

Yasir Salih

Inspired by the teachings of Toru “Totos” Ogasawara & Norihiro Sato Slow-Pitch

An angler in slow pitch jigging action

Slow Pitch Jigging: The Artful Revolution Redefining Modern Sport Fishing

Yasir Salih

Slow Pitch Jigging: The Artful Revolution Redefining Modern Sport Fishing Why travelers

ADVERTISEMENT

HISTORY AND CULTURE

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

Aerial view of a pristine white sand beach and turquoise lagoon in the Maldives, showcasing the clear underwater world.

Why 2026 Could Be the Luckiest Year to Discover the Maldives

Yasir Salih

In the heart of the Indian Ocean, where the turquoise waters of

Group photograph from the official launch of the Maldives My Islands website at Gnaviyani Atoll School, showing students, educators, contributors, and community members gathered for the event.

Preserving Maldivian History: A Digital Archive of Island Traditions

Yasir Salih

In 1984, beneath the salt spray and sun of Fuvahmulah, a journey

Close-up detail of a Tiger Shark (Femunu miyaru) showing its unique patterns at the Tiger Zoo in Fuvahmulah.

Fuvahmulah’s Tiger Zoo Where the Ocean Revealed Its Guardians

Yasir Salih

The stories of the Maldives are rich in every sense. Though its

A historical black and white illustration of a traditional Maldivian island village with thatched-roof houses and coconut palms.

How the Maldivian Island House Became a Blueprint for Survival

Yasir Salih

By the time the afternoon light softens across a Maldivian island, shadows

Black-and-white photograph of a street in Malé showing residents walking between walled homes and trees in the early twentieth century.

Recording a Living Culture

Yasir Salih

Early Encounters That Documented Maldivian Society When the first scientific expeditions reached

Aerial view of Addu Atoll in the Maldives, showing the dense tropical greenery, white sandbanks, and the transition from shallow reef flats to deep lagoon water.

The Dhivehi Language: How Local Names Reveal Maldivian Sea Secrets

Yasir Salih

How Maldivian words shaped the science of coral reefs Long before scientists

Historical map of Indian Ocean trade routes showing monsoon wind patterns connecting Arabia, India, East Africa, and Southeast Asia.

The Maldives at the Crossroads of the Indian Ocean

Yasir Salih

For centuries, the Maldives have been portrayed as remote—tiny islands scattered across

ADVERTISEMENT