I had had a pretty wonderful experience snorkelling at Kandolhu, so it should go without saying that I was very eager to get back in the water once I arrived at Soneva Fushi.

We took a boat with a marine biologist to one of the outer reefs of the Baa Atoll and jumped straight on in!

There are definitely pros and cons to being on a more guided snorkel.

On one hand, it was very cool having a marine biologist around to point out exciting species and to spot creatures that would have otherwise gone unnoticed by my untrained eyes.

But on the other hand, being guided comes with a lot more restriction, and I didn’t really like being told to stay behind the guide! I like to explore and swim around like all the fish! Floating dutifully behind a guide instead kinda makes me feel like a little kid on a school excursion.

However, despite not being able to roam free, it did end up being a pretty wonderful snorkel!

The currents were quite strong on this day, which meant that I had to take care when diving closer to the bulk of the reef.

I wouldn’t want to risk damaging any of the already fragile coral!

Hanging out on the outer reef is much safer for snorkellers on days with stronger currents, but it does mean that most of the coral and wildlife of note are a bit deeper than normal – so being able to freedive will help you massively whilst on these snorkels.

But even though most wildlife resides near the safety of the coral, every once in a while a funny little fella will pop up to say hello!

After a little while, our lovely marine biologist guide stopped us all to point out something of note…

…an adolescent green turtle!

It was at this point that I became rather happy to have had the guide as my untrained eyes would never have spotted him on their own.

Eventually the little turtle abandoned his coral and swim swiftly off into the great big blue.

I had a very strong urge to follow him, but I didn’t want to risk scaring the sweet little guy, so instead, I just watched him soar gracefully through the water.

After bidding my farewell to the turtle, it was time to head back to our base at Soneva Fushi to dry off, make ourselves look presentable and get back on a boat to enjoy a cruise into the sunset.

On this cruise we got absolutely and undeniably spoiled.

We were served free flowing champagne and delicious seafood appetizers which were freshly prepared on the boat by one of Soneva Fushi’s finest chefs.

Each of these seafood dishes was absolutely delicious, and the presentation was super gorgeous too – look at the little fish bowl!

The cruise was actually marketed as a ‘dolphin sunset cruise’. Now, we didn’t actually spot any dolphins on this particular night, but I gotta be honest, I was so undeniably sloshed from the bottomless champagne that I didn’t mind at all!

  Plus, the sunset was a very unusual shade of bright yellow, so in my inebriated state I remained very easily entertained, and it ended up being a lovely evening.

Since everything in this post has centred around water and boat trips, I think it only suitable that I finish it off with a mini photo tour of another Soneva resort – Soneva in Aqua – which to put it in a nutshell, is a resort on a boat!

It may sound like a strange concept, but when you consider that the Maldives is comprised of thousands of islands – it actually does make a lot of sense!

 

All of the boat was beautiful, but this glass bottom Jacuzzi in the master bedroom was my absolute favourite feature!

Now that we have spent all of this time on boats and in the water, stay tuned for a much more land-based exploration of the island in the next post!

As always, happy travelling! xx

 

THE  LOWDOWN 

Getting to Male: Flights arrive to Male from most major airport hubs – with most frequent flights arriving from Singapore and Colombo
Soneva Fushi: Villas start at around $1780 USD/night – click here for more info
Soneva in Aqua: Prices start at $4200/night in shoulder season on a full board basis for up to 4 pax – click here to learn more
Threads: My navy maxi dress is by Tigerlily Swimwear
Camera: Images captured with an Olympus OM-D E-M1 in conjunction with M.Zuiko 12-40mm f2/8 lens
Remember: Practice your freediving in advance – you will be so glad you did!

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Soneva Fushi, however, all thoughts and opinions expressed on this blog are honest, unbiased and in no way influenced by the Soneva brand, its management or its affiliates.