Fish in the Maldives – Fascinating Marine Life in a Stunning Habitat

One of the biggest attractions of the Maldives to scuba divers and other holdiaymakers is the sheer quantity of fish found in the Maldives. There are thousands of types of fish in Maldives, from large pelagic species to small, reef-dwelling fish and everything in between. Indeed, the largest species of fish in the world, the whale shark, can be found living in the Maldives throughout the year, attracted by the immense amount of plankton that also inhabits the stunning waters of the Maldives. Of all the fish found in Maldives, the whale shark is probably the species that attracts the most visitors to the island nation.

Fish in the Maldives

Common Fish of the Maldives

It would be impossible to mention all the Maldives fish species in this article, so we’ll focus on the most common fish of the Maldives. To the scuba diver, the most frequently-spotted fish are the parrotfish, triggerfish, clownfish, sweetlips, wrasse and sharks.

Parrotfish in the Maldives

The parrotfish is a brightly coloured fish that is drawn to the Maldives’ coral reefs. The parrotfish is a common inhabitant of coral reefs throughout the tropical oceans and is one of the most popular fish in the Maldives thanks to its bright attractive colours and interesting markings.

Check out this breathtaking clip of a scuba diver amongst a huge wall of fish.

Triggerfish in the Maldives

The triggerfish is another of the most frequently seen marine fish in the Maldives and, just like the parrotfish, the Maldives trigger fish is colourful and fascinating to look at. There are several species of triggerfish in the Maldives, including the Titan triggerfish, which is commonly seen around the Madives islands. However, unlike the parrotfish, triggerfish are not the friendliest of marine life and can be extremely territorial, especially when guarding their eggs.

The Titan Triggerfish would seem to be the most aggressive variety of triggerfish and when feeling threatened by intruding scuba divers, they will respond by ramming the diver and sometimes even resorting to biting. They have powerful jaws and can reportedly bite chunks out of a diver’s suit or fins. If you see a triggerfish in the Maldives while scuba diving and the fish begins to approach you quickly, the best advice is to move away calmly and quickly in a horizontal line. In most cases, divers inadvertedly come too close to a Titan triggerfish’s nest and they stop their aggressive behaviour as soon as they are left alone.

Clownfish in the Maldives

Clown Fish

The colourful clownfish, made famous by the movie Finding Nemo, is another favourite Maldives fish among scuba divers and is one of the most common types of fish in Maldives. The bright orange and white fish is also known as an anemone fish because of its symbiotic relationships with sea anemones and there are plenty of varieties of this fish in the Maldives.

Generally speaking, the clownfish is a friendly, harmless fish, but can become quite protective around sea anemones, even occasionally biting people. This is most likely to happen to people who are trying to capture the clownfish for their aquariums – the only real threat to the clownfish population.

Sweetlips in the Maldives

At many dive sites in the Maldives, you are likely to come across massive schools of sweetlips fish around the Maldives reef. The most common variety of sweetlips in the Maldives are the oriental sweetlips, characterised by blue/black and white stripes along its body and yellow facial markings. When swimming in a school, these Maldives marine fish make a simply breathtaking sight. One of the best dive sites in the Maldives for spotting oriental sweetlips is the Manta Point in North Male Atoll where divers are also likely to enccounter bullseye fish, napoleon wrasse and manta rays.

Wrasse in the Maldives

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Napoleon Wrasse

There are many different species of wrasse in the world, and several species are present in the Maldives. The most common pelagic fish in the Maldives is the napoleon wrasse which can be found at many different Maldives dive sites and is quite an impressive looking Maldives fish. The napoleon wrasse, which is also known as the humphead or maori wrasse, can reach the enormous size of 2.5 metres (6 feet) and is generally blue/green in colour with some spots and interesting markings.

The size of the napoleon wrasse is often under-appreciated and until you see one of these impressive Maldives marine fish in person, or see a photo or video of a napoleon wrasse alongside a human, it is difficult to appreciate how large they actually are.

Sharks in the Maldives

There are many different types of sharks in the Maldives which make it a very attractive scuba diving destination, especially since the types of sharks in the Maldives are generally considered to be non-agressive. For scuba divers, the most commonly sighted sharks in the Maldives are the grey reef shark and white tip reef shark.

The whale shark, the largest fish in the world, is another special fish found in Maldives and is seen on the surface, making it a popular sight among both scuba divers and snorkelers. You can find out more about sharks in the Maldives at www.maldivesdivetravel.com.

List of Fish in Maldives

It’s difficult to find a comprehensive list of fish in Maldives because there are simply so many. Nevertheless, there are books available and you will find key information about the most common types of fish in the Maldives on the many scuba diving and Maldives-related websites. The best way to get a feel for the varieties of Maldives marine fish is to look at pictures and information about reef fish in Maldives.

By watching plenty of videos before you book your diving holiday in the Maldives, you’ll begin to get excited about the kind of things you can expect to see underwater here and if its a diving destination that interests you. For most scuba divers, the Maldives represents the ultimate diving destination thanks to the stunning coral reef formations, and seemingly endless types of fish in the Maldives.

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Busy Fish Life in Maldives

Conserving the Fish of the Maldives

All the types of fish in Maldives are in some way threatened. While most of them are not on any endangered species list, with the exception of the sharks, there are significant threats to their habitat and subsequent existence. Growing concerns over climate change and increasing water temperatures, the Maldives’ coral reefs, home to many of the fish of the Maldives are under more pressures every day. There are many conservation projects underway in the Maldives to protect not only different Maldives marine life species, but also the coral reef itself.

When in the Maldives, you will most likely come into contact with people working on initiatives to protect the coral reef and keep the Maldives fish’ habitat clean and safe. Clean-up dives are often offered to tourists and there are always plenty of opportunities to get involved and volunteer. So, why not make you next trip to the Maldives a truly unforgettable experience by giving something back to the ocean and the many fish around the Maldives.

Fish in the Maldives – Fascinating Marine Life in a Stunning Habitat is a post from: Maldives Blog

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