MALDIVES


Growing gains The reef is a hot topic of conversation this year, as the ongoing programme of coral restoration hit a key miliÃÌoni° "ni ov iÌà wÀÃÌ VoÀ>l vÀ>mià q ÃÌÀÕVÌÕÀià `iÃi}ni` Ìo inVoÕÀ>}i Ài}ÀoÜÌh q ÀiVoÀ`i` iÌà wÀÃÌ spawning, meaning it has reached maturity and is now part of a natural cycle of reef renewal, contributing to a more diverse and robust coral ecosystem. More than 300 frames have been planted over the


past three years in partnership with marine conservation Vom«>nÞ ,iivÃV>«iÀð 7i hil« wÝ vÀ>}minÌà ov >VÀo«oÀ> digitifera coral onto frame number 338, under the Ü>ÌVhvÕl iÞi ov m>Àini Liolo}Þ inÌiÀn *hiLi oÜÃi q and guests can also take part, with heart-shaped frames particularly popular among honeymooners. These ongoing efforts to restore the reef, particularly since a damaging mass bleaching event in 2024, have resulted in a marked increase in sightings of sharks, rays, ÌÕÀÌlià >n` oVÌo«ÕÃià Ìh>nkà Ìo Ìhi Õ«ÌiVk in wÃh >n` other marine life feeding along the healthier reef. Phebe leads a snorkelling session to spot some of these species, including a black-tipped shark weaving its way along the seabed; a nurse shark asleep in a nook on Ìhi VoÀ>l Ü>llÆ imo-liki VloÜnwÃh in nion-LÀi}hÌ VoloÕÀà dipping in and out of the anemone fronds; and Moorish idols with their black, white and sunshine-yellow stripes. >Vk on Ìhi Li>Vh] «>ÕÃi voÀ > mominÌ] ÀiyiVÌin} on how much I now realise is going on under the diamond-studded surface of the water. I watch a pair of eagle rays chasing each other through the shallows and, >à ÌiÀnà ÃÜoo« >n` `iÛi in Ãi>ÀVh ov > wn>l mi>l LivoÀi ni}hÌ v>llÃ] > ÃVhool ov wÃh ÃÜiÀlà >n` li>«Ã oÕÌ ov Ìhi water in unison, sun glinting off their shiny scales. I might not have been a beach person before this, LÕÌ ½m ViÀÌ>inlÞ oni noÜ q >n` >ll Ìhi LiÌÌiÀ voÀ iÌ°


BOOK IT: Elegant Resorts offers a seven-night stay in a Sunset Overwater Villa with Pool from £11,300 per person, based on two sharing, including a complimentary upgrade to half-board, business-class flights with British Airways direct from Heathrow, shared seaplane transfers and UK lounge access. The price is based


on a November 6 departure, booked by September 30. ELEGANTRESORTS.CO.UK


ASK THE


Expert


Hazel Araujo,


marine biologist, Reefscapers “I have always been very passionate about marine life. I grew up in a coastal community in Guatemala and studied sea turtle nesting and mangrove ecosystems while at university, but then I started scuba diving and realised I wanted to specialise in coral. When we think about the lungs of the planet, we usually think about the rainforest – but in actual fact it’s the coral reef, because the carbon dioxide we


breathe out is absorbed by the ocean. Our coral on a restored frame has a survival rate that’s


VJTGG VQ ƂXG VKOGU JKIJGT VJCP VJCV HQWPF KP C wild colony, so we have been planting frames in order to create a ‘coral pathway’ to a site by the Whale Bar. That was never really a planned site but it turned out to have the perfect conditions – the current means there is more oxygen, so you can see coral, sharks and eagle rays leaping out of the water. It’s a whole new ecosystem. The real work comes not from guests physically planting coral, but the knowledge and experience they gain as a result – that’s why coral restoration is so meaningful.”


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