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Apart from shopping in the capital
city or lazing on a resort beach, there are
several exciting pastimes you could choose from.
AMATEUR RADIO
If you are on a licensed radio
amateur, operating Amateur Radio during your visit to the Maldives
could be a thrilling experience. Reciprocal licensing arrangements
are available for amateur radio operation in the Maldives. The fee
for such temporary licenses, valid for a maximum of three months, is
only MRF 125. (Revenue stamp MRF 100 and License Fee MRF 25). The
prefix is 8Q7. Currently, only two letter suffixes are issued.The
prescribed application form (available from the counter of
Telecommunications Department, Postel Building, Malé Maldives)
together with a covering letter and photocopy of your original
license should be submitted sufficiently in advance to facilitate
processing of your application. The fee will have to be paid after
your application is accepted. Since it may be difficult to organise
all these if you are not in the Maldives, the best way to handle is
through your Tour Operator or Travel Agent or a friend in the
capital, Malé.
DIVING
The 73 resort islands
surrounded by clear turquoise waters introduces you to a fascinating
world of coral gardens. To have a tete-a-tete with such underwater
treasures, diving is indeed the recommended pastime. The corals
offer some of the most spectacular vistas of underwater life -
turtles, seaweed, shells, crustaceans and schools-and-schools of
brilliantly coloured fish. Apart from a few, most of the resorts are
equipped with diving schools headed by a fully-qualified diving
instructor. The waist-deep waters of a lagoon offers a perfect start
for beginners. Some of the schools also offer training up to the
level of a professional diver.
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AQUATIC ADVENTURES
With some of the finest and cleanest beaches in the world, the
Maldives is an ideal place for water sports, from swimming to
scuba diving
or from
windsurfing to parasailing.
All the resorts have facilities
for at least scuba diving and windsurfing, while others offer
much more. The larger resorts even have fresh water swimming
pools. While this may seem a little unusual to people who visit
the islands to enjoy the sea, it soon becomes obvious that a dip
in the pool after a dip in the ocean is an experience well
remembered. |
FISHING
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Fishing
is another major sport in the Maldives. With water constituting over
99 percent of the total area, it comes as no surprise that the
country flaunts some of the best fishing grounds in the world. Night
fishing is a popular tourist sport with the catch - be it groupers,
snappers, squirrel fish, skipjacks or barracuda - making a perfect
evening barbecue on the beach. Fishing also begins at dawn with
dhoanis (fishing boats) seeking tuna, dolphin fish, rainbow runners
and barracuda. The seas outside the atoll enclosure reef are meant
for big game
fishing. |
Maldivians traditionally use dhoanis
for big game such as sharks, rays, swordfish, wahoo, sailfish,
yellow-fin tuna, marlin and barracuda. An engaging sport, many of
the resort islands also have speed boats for hire equipped for
western-style game fishing. However since the Maldives follows a
strict conservation policy, the use of harpoons and hunting of
marine mammals such as whales, porpoises and dolphins and huge fish
like the whale shark are prohibited.
CRUISING
Cruising along the aquamarine waters from atoll to atoll is an
unforgettable holiday experience. Boats with bunk-beds or private
cabins can accommodate anywhere between eight to twenty passengers
for such island-hopping trips, normally lasting ten to fifteen days.
The central atolls of North and South Malé, Vaavu and Alifu are
usually the most frequented since services are readily available for
tourists. These atolls also have some of the best surfing and diving
spots Maldives has to offer. Aboard the yacht, the crew is highly
professional.
The resident cook dishes out for you
excellent seafood recipes. Dining under a clear, star-studded night
sky in the Maldives is indeed an experience in itself. An excursion
to a fishing village or an uninhabited island should make your
holiday cruise more worthwhile. Some resorts also have
glass-bottomed boats and catamarans for hire. Parasailing on multi-coloured
parachutes over the warm waters of the Indian Ocean is an incredible
experience. Water sausages and water scooters also make interesting
rides. Besides these, equipments for beach volleyball, football,
lawn tennis and indoor games such as badminton, table tennis,
billiards and chess are usually available free of charge in many of
the resort islands.
PHOTOGRAPHY
With tropical beauty abounding
in the region, photography is another rewarding pastime. If aerial
photography is in your mind, seaplanes and helicopters can be hired
for taking you on breathtaking photo flights. Normal restrictions
with regards to photographing military and security buildings and
installations exist.
Some beautiful Pictures of
Maldives |
