Watersports

Most holidaymakers visiting the Maldives see little of life in the Maldives, as resorts are exclusive and are on islands by themselves. Excursions offer you the possibility of venturing out for a change of scenery. You may visit resorts close by or catch a glimpse of the daily life of Maldivians in one of the fishing villages. For those who wish to test their skills at fishing, a variety of fishing expeditions is organised.

Excursion Programmes
All resorts offer an excursion programme, often a weekly programme in which a range of different excursions are organised once a week, and the more popular ones, twice. However, in almost all the resorts, these are subject to weather conditions and a minimum level of participation by the guests.

What is offered in the programme often depends on what is accessible from the resort. While resorts in Male’ Atoll may offer regular Male’ excursions, resorts in other atolls organise these on request only. If there are many fishing villages in the vicinity, they are included in the excursion programme. A more exciting option could be to simply hire a ‘dhoni’ or speedboat with crew or for that matter request for a seaplane and organise your own excursion with a guide.

Island Hopping
Most resorts feature island hopping in their programmes. This involves a full or half-day trip to a number of islands, the variety of which depending on what is available close by. Often, these combine visits to a fishing village or two and an uninhabited island, where you get an opportunity to snorkel or swim or simply laze on the beach. Often a barbecue lunch is served on the beach. The trip is rounded off with a visit to a resort. In addition to this, there are specific excursions to uninhabited islands, fishing villages and resorts. Some excursions are unique; a day and night alone on a private island, or a two-day cruise for two on a luxury live-aboard are just a few of the possibilities at some of the resorts.

Aerial Excursions
Aerial excursions are organised by seaplane operators. You may request to participate in one organised by your resort. You could also contact the seaplane operator directly to participate in one of their excursions or even to organise one of your own. A full day aerial excursion could be arranged to visit islands far from each other, to combine a variety of islands.

Aerial excursions could also take you to famous dive sites far away from your resort. On these fly & dive excursions, all flights are conducted at low altitude as a precaution for divers. Many feel that the best of the Maldives is seen from the air and underwater. A fly & dive excursion would give you the best of both worlds. For a fly & dive excursion you may rent dive equipment yourself from the resort or let the seaplane operator arrange it for you.

Taking part in a photo flight is one way of creating some indelible memories and getting some incredible shots of the reefs and islands of the Maldives. Excursions or photo flights start either from the airport or your resort island.