Maldives

Day 1: 50 hours awake, climate anxiety, and instant paradise

We arrived in the Maldives today, after a long journey of 32 hours that included a car ride, two commercial jet flights, a dramatic seaplane flight, and a final boat ride. With a twelve hour time difference from Seattle, the Maldives is in the farthest time zone from our home. All told, we were awake for around 50 hours straight! We’re currently functioning on pure adrenaline and excitement.

Maldives is a country of tiny atolls scattered across a wide expanse in the Indian Ocean, like someone sprinkled islands across an enormous blue canvas. It’s the lowest lying country in the world, with an average elevation of just 1.5 meters above sea level, and therefore one of the countries that will most dramatically suffer from the effects of climate change. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), by 2100 the sea could rise by one meter, which would submerge the vast majority of these beautiful islands. In fact, the beginning of this devastating process is already disrupting the lives of the local population. We would like to believe that humans will reverse course and prevent such an outcome, but we’re honestly not too confident. In addition, scientists from the University of Hawaii predict that about 70 to 90% of coral reefs worldwide will bleach in the next two decades, which makes us want to plan nothing but snorkeling-focused vacations while we still can. These sobering facts plus the insane beauty of these tropical islands were enough reason for us to choose the Maldives for this trip. We haven’t gone on an international trip since before the COVID-19 pandemic — it’s been nearly two years — so we were extremely eager to finally do so!

Despite being so utterly exhausted from our journey, our first impressions are extremely positive and already exceeding our expectations. We’re staying at the Hurawalhi Island Resort, which occupies its own private island in the Lhaviyani atoll. We haven’t yet gone in the water, and we’ve already seen dolphins playfully jumping during the boat ride to the hotel, as well as a cowtail stingray, a few colorful parrot fish, and an eagle ray dramatically jumping out of the water, all while walking from the reception to our over-water room. The room is absolutely perfect! It sits directly over the water, which means that we can snorkel right from our back patio without walking anywhere! The small island is lush and green, filled with palm trees, orchids, and other exotic plants around every corner. The soothing sound of waves and tropical birds can be heard throughout, which is so deeply relaxing.

We can’t wait to explore tomorrow. But for now, we really, desperately need to sleep.

Day 2: Triggerfish warnings, turtle friends, and sobering beauty

Hurawalhi is known for its healthy house reef, so we were eager to get our snorkels on and explore the marine life that literally surrounds us on all sides. We first chatted with the hotel’s resident marine biologist, who taught us a little bit about the local fauna and flora, and patiently helped us learn the names of some of the local fish. We were specifically warned about the triggerfish, a friendly-looking and colorful fish that becomes surprisingly aggressive if you swim too close to its nest during breeding season. They’ve been known to bite divers. Good to know, and we’ll definitely be keeping our distance.

We snorkeled out to where the reef drops off dramatically into deeper water and followed it around part of the island, staying in the shallower areas where the light was best. We saw many of the different types of fish and coral we had just learned about, and got to swim with a friendly turtle for a while who seemed unbothered by our presence. At one magical point, we were completely surrounded by a large school of tiny white fish, which swam purposefully around us in perfect synchrony like a living, breathing organism. What an unforgettable moment!

Exploring the reef reminded us of how much we love snorkeling! We swam for hours and enjoyed every single minute of the incredible spectacle that nature put on for us. It also made us sad to think of the massive scale of coral bleaching that’s been happening around the world in the last few years due to rising ocean temperatures. The reef we explored today is wild and healthy, but while planning this vacation we considered other well-known destinations that now advertise “coral gardens,” planted by humans, since all the local wild coral has already been bleached and died. This is the legacy we’re leaving to the next generation.

Day 3: Tropical tranquility

We started the day early, energized by yesterday’s incredible snorkeling, and took a boat to a nearby snorkel site, together with another couple and two knowledgeable local guides. We saw a lobster with super long stalks that were almost comical, a turtle gracefully gliding past, and many interesting fish we’d never seen before. After returning to Hurawalhi, we explored some more of the house reef on our own. One great thing about snorkeling is that we can go to the exact same place twice and have completely different experiences each time. Today we were able to identify anemone fish (the famous “Nemo” fish), schooling bannerfish moving in coordinated groups, and powder blue surgeonfish. We’re getting better at this!

In the late afternoon, we had what might be the best massages of our lives. Not just the massages themselves, but the whole immersive experience around them. We were first served a cool and refreshing herbal tea to prepare us, then led to the massage room, which is suspended dramatically over the water. The side facing the ocean was completely wide open, letting in a warm breeze, the salty smell of the sea, and the soothing rhythmic sound of the waves. Lying on the massage tables, we looked down through glass panes in the floor, through which we saw the mesmerizing movement of the water and the occasional colorful fish swimming by below us. The massages themselves were absolutely incredible, and by the time they finished, we had let go of any worries we’d been carrying from home. Afterwards, we were offered warm ginger tea. As we walked back to our room feeling completely relaxed, we wondered wistfully how we can possibly replicate something so soothing on a regular basis at home in rainy Seattle.

We ended our perfect day eating dinner on our patio and watching the spectacular sunset paint the sky in shades of orange and pink. What a great day!

Day 4: Honeycomb honey, zucchini bacon, and zero plastic

Now that we’ve been here 4 days, we can confidently say that the food is absolutely incredible! We’re generally not big fans of buffets because we strongly prefer quality over quantity, but this breakfast buffet is definitely not lacking in quality! Instead of a boring jar of honey, they provide an actual honeycomb where we can take our own honey straight from the source, which feels both fancy and primal. The creativity of their straight-out-of-the-oven breads is nothing short of impressive — different varieties every day. We’ve been enthusiastically enjoying plenty of our favorite tropical fruits such as mangosteen (our favorite), rambutan, and dragon fruit (occasionally available in Seattle, but extremely expensive and never very fresh). We also tried some delicious Maldivian specialties, such as mas huni (a tuna salad that’s surprisingly addictive) and mas riha (a fish curry with the perfect level of spice). Highlights from lunch include fish carpaccio tacos, and our absolute favorite, their “vegan mac” sandwich. Since we’ve given up meat, we’ve been searching relentlessly for the perfect plant-based burger in Seattle, and have eaten plenty of dry, disappointing, tasteless patties along the way. But the “vegan mac” is not your typical mediocre veggie burger — it comes complete with caramelized onions, creamy guacamole, zucchini “bacon” (which sounds fake but tastes real), a super tasty sauce we couldn’t identify, and a funky green spinach-infused bun! It’s amazing.

All of the food on the island is provided without a single disposable plastic in sight. Straws are made of paper, and water is provided in reusable glass bottles that get refilled. The focus on sustainability is apparent in every single detail, and it’s refreshing to see a resort take it seriously.

In addition to experiencing the great food, we did more snorkeling and swimming today, and couldn’t resist another amazing massage. It’s a good life!

Day 5: Underwater cabinet meetings, artificial islands, and the first climate refugees

We’ve been noticing a strong focus on sustainability at the hotel, which is not surprising to us given the circumstances. For Maldivians, managing the large-scale negative effects of climate change isn’t some abstract future problem — it’s already a part of their daily life. Beach erosion, for example, is a huge and urgent issue on every single island. As the coral reefs die from warming oceans, the beaches suffer a devastating double blow: the supply of new sand decreases significantly, and the shores become more directly exposed to the full strength of the waves. Even our small island in paradise has concrete blocks strategically placed to prevent beach erosion.

Dealing with the existential effects of climate change has been the Maldivian government’s first priority, and they’ve tackled it with an impressive multi-pronged approach. To raise global awareness of the very real threat that rising sea levels pose to the Maldivian islands, in 2009, President Nasheed held the first-ever underwater cabinet meeting. Fourteen ministers used scuba equipment to attend the meeting, using hand signals to communicate, and underwater slates to sign a document asking for countries to cut their carbon dioxide emissions. It was dramatic, it was symbolic, and it definitely got attention.

More recently, the Maldivian government has begun to import sand from Bangladesh to aid in the construction of artificial islands. For example, Hulhumalé, built 2 meters above sea level near the capital Malé, already has a population of 50,000 and could accommodate up to 200,000 in the future. They’re also planning the Maldives Floating City (MFC), an ambitious floating island city also near Malé, in the shape of honeycomb hexagons that resemble coral. But they know these heroic efforts may not be enough to hang on to their land, so they’re simultaneously preparing for the worst-case scenario: Maldivians becoming among the first climate refugees in the history of our planet. They’re buying land in Australia, so that people can make the transition with dignity when the time comes. It’s both pragmatic and heartbreaking.

Another day of snorkeling and swimming reminded us of the urgency of all of these issues. The marine life here is incredible and vibrant, and absolutely not to be taken for granted. We thought about all of this as we watched another beautiful sunset from our porch and listened to the sound of the waves.

Day 6: Turtle overload

We’ve been lucky enough to find a sea turtle during several of our snorkeling sessions, but today we decided to take a boat to an area that is known for its high concentration of turtles. Bea had a pet turtle growing up and is very fond of these gentle animals, so she absolutely can’t pass up an opportunity to spend even more time with them. It’s basically her dream activity.

Turtles like to feed on sea grass, and the lagoon we went to has an extra-tasty grassy bottom that attracts many turtles. It’s like a turtle restaurant, if you will. Sure enough, as soon as we got in the water, we spotted one. And then another one, and another one. We saw juvenile turtles still learning to navigate, a humongous adult that had to be at least 50 years old, and everything in between. Five of the seven species of sea turtles can be seen in the Maldives, and we saw several different species today. We were specifically advised by our guide to keep a respectful distance and to avoid touching or disturbing the turtles in any way. But at one particularly special point, a turtle showed no fear whatsoever, coming up for air right next to Bea and then playfully ducking under her to come up again on her other side. Bea just floated there and grinned widely, enjoying every second of the whole experience. Her inner child was very happy.

The rest of the day was amazing as usual: another excellent massage (we’re going to be so spoiled when we get home), more snorkeling along the house reef, and a fabulous dinner. We’re getting used to the pleasant rhythm of our life here, and we’re definitely not ready for this to end!

Day 7: Dining 5.8 meters below the sea (yes, really)

The Maldives has no shortage of amazing hotels competing for attention. We chose the Hurawalhi hotel over many others for several important reasons: it has a very healthy house reef, it has over-the-water bungalows, it’s an all-adult resort (which we appreciate), and it has an underwater restaurant. That’s right — the hotel has a restaurant that is truly underwater, named “5.8” because the dining room sits 5.8 meters below sea level. There are only a handful of restaurants like this in the entire world, and we were thrilled to give it a try today!

As we were led down the spiral stairs to the restaurant, our host explained that the walls and ceiling are made of five inch (13 cm) thick acrylic to withstand the water pressure. We learned that local scuba diving instructors clean the outer surface of this transparent shell daily to ensure that each of the 8 tables offers an amazing, unobstructed view of the surrounding sea life. Arriving in the dining room, we had to admit that the view was truly stunning and almost surreal. Once we were seated at our table, we were given a helpful one-page guide to help us identify the fish that were swimming among the coral just outside. It was like watching an aquarium from the inside.

The five-course meal was an absolute gastronomic delight. We selected a carefully considered combination of dishes from the seafood menu and the vegetarian menu, and each item was beautifully presented like a work of art. Our favorite was the pan-seared red mullet, cooked perfectly in a fragrant saffron, turmeric, and coconut broth, served atop a delicate dashi bean puree, and garnished with a sweet potato crisp cleverly cut in the shape of a fish skeleton. That made us chuckle! The entire meal was equally creative and skillfully executed by talented chefs. Though the dishes were not large in portion size, we came away satisfied and very happy with the magical experience of dining underwater. It’s not something we’ll forget anytime soon.

Day 8: Vector fields and shark attacks

Just another day in paradise: eating excellent food, reading our books in the shade, snorkeling at the house reef, and indulging in yet another massage. We’re settling into this routine remarkably well.

We ended the day with another fabulous meal at the JFK restaurant (JFK stands for Junk Food Kitchen, which is a witty dysphemism for the food they actually serve, in our opinion — it’s anything but junk). We sat strategically by the edge of the patio where it overlooks the water, observing a massive school of baby fish that swam around in mesmerizing circles, forming a dense dark blob in the light aquamarine water. Our applied mathematician friends will understand and appreciate that to us, the neatly arranged fish appeared like a time-varying vector field (with curl but no divergence). Occasionally, a juvenile blacktip reef shark would boldly swim into this cloud of miniature fish, sending them into a complete frenzy and disrupting the choreography of their perfectly organized swim (and adding divergence to the vector field by literally gobbling up a few unfortunate fish). A ripple of silver flashes alerted us to the shark’s presence as the baby fish scattered in all directions and some even jumped desperately out of the water to escape. It was nature’s dinner theater, playing out right in front of us.

There was a nice cool breeze and it was pleasant out, so we stayed after dinner for live music at the Coco bar. The musician was talented and the atmosphere was relaxed. This was a wonderful evening, to wrap up a wonderful day.

Day 9: How to pose… awkwardly

We enjoy taking photos when we travel, but we very rarely take selfies. We’re much more interested in helping you, our readers, imagine yourselves in the places we go, than in coming home with proof that we’ve been there. In fact, when we recently needed a close-up photo of the two of us together for something, we realized that the most recent one we have is from eight years ago (thanks to our friends Simon and Justine, with whom we traveled in South Africa). Eight years! That’s embarrassing.

Clearly, this situation needed to change. So, this afternoon, we hired the hotel’s talented photographer to go on a proper photoshoot with us. We noticed that he had the exact same camera as us, and we enjoyed chatting with him about cameras, lenses, and light as we walked to various scenic points on the island. He picked out excellent spots for the photos, and gave us great instructions on how to pose naturally — something we aren’t accustomed to doing and aren’t naturally good at. We tried our best to follow his advice… but we kept getting distracted by the incredible marine life nearby. In the course of just half an hour, we saw a graceful group of six spotted eagle rays, a stingray gliding past, several dolphins jumping in the distance, and a baby shark cruising by. We really wanted to jump in the water and swim with them, but did our absolute best to keep smiling at the camera like professionals.

Toward the end of the photoshoot, the sky became increasingly dramatic, with the setting sun peeking between puffy clouds and painting the sky in happy shades of orange and pink. Such a beautiful backdrop for photos! Then, right on cue as the photo session ended — literally within seconds — a few raindrops began to fall, and within moments turned into a proper tropical downpour! We thanked the photographer enthusiastically and parted ways, running toward our villa. We were completely soaked within a minute, so we decided to just give up and stroll home slowly to enjoy the refreshing rain instead. We saw the eagle rays again, closer this time, and watched mesmerized as their diamond-shaped bodies flew gracefully through the aquamarine water. We were so enthralled by their graceful movements that the rain no longer mattered at all. We watched them for a while, then walked back to our villa, exhilarated and dripping wet from the evening’s events.

Day 10: Saam the dancer

At Hurawalhi, every couple is matched with a dedicated host, and we were very fortunate to be matched with Saam. Saam’s official duties include helping us figure out which activities we want to do, keeping us on schedule for our appointments, and giving us valuable local advice. But he’s also become a friend who helps us understand the local culture and patiently answers every single question we have — and we have many questions. We learned early on how much Saam loves to dance. He told us all about the Bodu Beru traditional Maldivian music and dance with obvious passion, how he had learned it from his parents as a child, and how growing up he never missed an opportunity to participate in dances. Today was finally our chance to see Saam perform with a Bodu Beru group at our hotel, and we were excited.

According to Saam, Bodu Beru is special to Maldivians because it’s enjoyed by all generations, bringing families together through their shared cultural heritage. In Bodu Beru, there’s a lead singer, a group of accompanying singers providing harmony and rhythm, and several drums (traditionally made of coconut wood with goat skin stretched across). The show at Hurawalhi was less like a formal, rehearsed performance, and more like a group of good friends dancing and having a genuinely great time together (locals and visitors alike). Everyone was welcome to join in. The rhythm reminded us of performances we’ve attended in Africa — in fact, according to some historians, Bodu Beru was introduced to the Maldives by African slaves in the 19th century. Now it’s become an important and beloved part of Maldivian culture.

The Bodu Beru performance was a fun and culturally enriching way to end another beautiful day of snorkeling and relaxation.

Day 11: Symbiosis, bleaching, and counting the days until the next crisis

Coral and the microscopic algae called zooxanthellae have a mutually beneficial relationship: the coral provide the algae with a safe home and protection, and the algae provide the coral with essential energy through photosynthesis. It’s a perfect symbiotic partnership that has worked for millions of years. However, as a result of warming water temperatures caused by climate change, the coral stresses out and expels the algae in a desperate response. When the algae leaves, the coral first loses its colorful appearance (it bleaches, turning ghostly white), then eventually starves and dies. Scientists predict that based on current trends, within the next 20 years, 70% to 90% of all coral reefs worldwide will die, and that by 2100 nearly all coral reefs will be gone. Take a moment to think about that sobering prediction.

Major global coral bleaching events have happened before throughout history, but according to a study in Science magazine, they’ve become particularly severe and alarmingly frequent in recent years. The devastating consequence is that coral is not capable of recovering between bleaching events anymore, which eventually leads to its death. The latest severe bleaching event in the Maldives, which happened in 2016, affected 73% of its coral reefs, with many of these reefs still slowly and painstakingly recovering. This heavy topic has come up in conversation several times with the marine biologists and water sports staff at the hotel. They recall how badly the local house reef was affected by this bleaching event, but they also optimistically point out that they’ve since noticed that the coral is recovering.

We wonder how long the coral will have to recover before the next inevitable bleaching event. It’s a race against time.

Day 12: Last snorkels, dolphin acrobatics, and finding our rhythm

Today is our last full day in the Maldives, so we made time for all our favorite things to do on the island: snorkeling repeatedly, eating great food, walking on the beach at different times of day, indulging in massages, and watching a fabulous sunset. We’re trying to soak up every last moment.

During our time in Hurawalhi, we saw countless fish in every color imaginable, sea turtles of various species, sharks patrolling the reef, and graceful rays. We often saw dolphins passing the island in one direction as we ate breakfast, and returning in the other direction at sunset like they were commuting. Today they were particularly energetic and playful, with several of them jumping high out of the water, somersaulting or spinning in the air before splashing back down. It was like watching a synchronized swimming performance, except with dolphins.

We snorkeled so much during our stay! On snorkel breaks, with the patient help of the marine biologists, we learned the names of many of the animals we saw, as well as interesting facts about their behavior and habitat. We learned where to find the healthiest coral, where to find anemones and their symbiotic anemone fish, and where to reliably find sharks. We learned to read the subtle currents and track the tides carefully, and how to pick the best snorkeling spots based on time of day and conditions. We found our rhythm on this paradise island, and now we have to leave it behind.

Day 13: Bittersweet farewells

Today is our last day. We are not ready to leave this beautiful island and its incredibly friendly staff, but our time here sadly came to an inevitable end. We’ve grown attached to this place — to the rhythm of our days, to the reef we came to know so well, to the dolphins that passed by on schedule, to the sound of waves from our patio. Leaving feels harder than we expected.

We really appreciate you following along on this journey with us, and we hope that through our posts, you got to travel a bit too and experience some of the wonder we felt.

We’ll miss the Maldives deeply!