Coral reefs are certainly one of our planet’s greatest natural attractions. Due to their abundance of species and their great ecological complexity they are frequently compared to tropical rain forests. But in terms of sheer abundance of readily observable animal life, even the mighty rain forest takes a back seat. In the rain forest one must be either lucky or a trained observer to watch many of the animal inhabitants involved in their daily activities. But even the first time snorkeller will be absolutely overwhelmed by the parade of exotic life forms on a coral reef. 

Millions upon millions of tiny coral polyps are the lifeblood of the reef. The skeletons they secrete impart an obvious aesthetic quality, but this beauty is far more than skin deep. Skeletons deposited by countless generations of coral polyps form the solid limestone foundation or platform on which the reef flourishes and lastly also on which the thousands of Maldivian islands have grown. That limestone foundation here in Maldives is thicker than 2000 metres. 

Seashells and their relatives comprise one of the largest divisions of the animal kingdom with species totaling in excess of 100,000. 

Fish are the coral reef’s most conspicuous inhabitants. In essence they are its personality and their presence makes it easy to assess the richness of a particular dive site more quickly. When there is a multitude of rainbow hued fishes, a favourable impression is immediately conveyed.   

Butterfly fish are among the most brilliantly coloured reef dwellers. When juvenile they look completely different in colouring and pattern in order to avoid the constant attacks of their mature family members eager to chase trespassers out from their territory. 

Moray eels are nocturnal hunters. During the day you normally see them resting under rocks or in caves. 

Inflatable or puffer fish swallow water in order to become bigger and to scare other fish away when they feel threatened. 

All scorpion fish live among the corals where they feed on smaller fish. The spines in their first dorsal fins are poisonous, but they are only used for defense. 

An anemone fish spends its whole life in and around the same sea anemone. It will catch plankton in the open water, withdraws into the tentacle “forest” of the anemone when threatened or at night in order to sleep. The black-foot clown fish occurs only in Maldives. 

The boxfish is a funny looking creature, which derives its shape and name from the hard scales, which gives it the appearance of a box. It feeds on sponges, algae and small invertebrates.  

While night diving you often see parrot fish asleep between rocks of coral, some of them in a sleeping bag made of mucus which protects them from predators.  

The trigger fish has small but very powerful jaws it uses to break coral and shells in order to reach and to eat smaller invertebrates. Trigger fish sleep during the night, locked between coral rocks with their trigger shaped dorsal and pelvic fins.  

In the group of cartilage fish you find sharks and rays. Their skeleton does not have bone tissue. This fascinating fish can be seen both close to the reef and out in the free water. 

It has been a few years since it was prohibited to catch turtles in the Maldives. Now it would not be unusual to see more than ten turtles during a dive outside Kani. 

Whales and dolphins are mammals living in the ocean, often seen when travelling by boat to and from our dive sites. To see them during the dive itself is of course a diver’s highest dream.