Showing posts with label Maldives. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Maldives. Show all posts

Monday 20 July 2020

Vaadhoo Island Maldives Sea of Stars

You might have been seen the jaw-dropping images of the surreal beach in Vaadhoo Island, in the Maldives. Vaadhoo Island is 140 kilometers north of the country's capital, Malé. The glowing blue waves caused a natural phenomenon which has been called the “Sea of Stars”. It’s absolutely a fantasy-like experience but before you search out of a particular beach in Vaadhoo to see the “Sea of Stars”. Vaadhoo is one of the inhabited islands of Raa Atoll, Maldives.  Thus it is better to know more about the stunning little creatures that cause this incredible glowing effect and mesmerizing waters of Vaadhoo.
According to when on earth such occurrence is caused by a natural chemical reaction recognized as bioluminescence, which occurs when a microorganism in the water is disturbed by oxygen. These microorganisms of marine microbes are called phytoplankton and many different species that create bioluminescence seen in diverse parts of the world. One of the most common phytoplankton that causes marine bioluminescence is recognized as dinoflagellates, that float, movement in the surrounding water sends electrical impulses around a proton-filled compartment inside them.
The electrical pulses open the voltage-sensitive proton ion channels into scintillons (the flashing unit inside dinoflagellates). Proteins that flow into the scintillation, while the pH in the cytoplasm changes, creates a series of chemical reactions that activate a protein called luciferase, which is together with luciferin are collective in scintillons and when oxygen unite them, the stunning neon blue light is created.
Although dinoflagellates have this blue glow, it doesn’t mean that they’re friendly at all. Some dinoflagellates create toxins harmful to fish, humans, and other creatures. The blue light is supposed to be some sort of defense for these marine organisms. Also, the predators that eat the glowing dinoflagellates may be a magnet for bigger predators because the phytoplankton can still glow even when inside another creature.
Dinoflagellates aren’t the only ones that produce bioluminescence. Other marine animals like krill, deep-sea squids, and anglerfish also have their own ways and reasons for producing their own lights. The Sea of Stars is one of the incredible sites where you can see this occurrence but it can happen anywhere. Within the Maldives, you can also visit the islands of Mudhdhoo and Rangali for this stunning event. The sea of stars Maldives is believed to glitter and glows in such a manner that it reflects the stars beneath which the waves lap and the light emitted in the sea is almost mesmerizing.
Is there anywhere else in the world quite like it? Californian coast of Leucadia, had bursts of light coming from the rolling waves during red tide. Bioluminescence also occurs on the shores of Lakshadweep Islands, in India, and Mosquito Bay in Vieques, Puerto Rico. The marine experience can be best seen during moonless nights. Scuba divers can wave their arms or run their fingers on the sand while under the sea to cause a reaction on the glowing planktons.
The total population of Vaadhoo Island in the Maldives is more than 600. Vaadhoo Island, Maldives is also a hotspot for snorkeling and diving, with corals and various forms of marine life to discover. Therefore, whenever you visit the Maldives, then a sea of stars be sure to venture to the shores for a midnight stroll and look upon the glowing sea that will not only be an embossed in your brain forever but will also give you some incredible images for your social media platforms.

Wednesday 3 October 2018

Thilafushi: A Garbage Island of Maldives


In the initial thoughts, you would probably listen about the unimagined beauty of Maldives. But, what you have heard is that really Garbage Island in Maldives? Yes, millions of tourists and four hundred thousands of permanent residents dump garbage each day. They dump it into another island of course. What does an island with not a speck of land to spare do to get rid of garbage? The spectacular tropical island of Maldives is famous for its sandy beaches, luxury accommodation and turquoise waters. However, very people know the drawback of dirty side of Maldives.

As per official statistics, a single tourist produces 3.5kg of garbage a day, twice as much as someone from Malé and five times more than anyone from the rest of the Maldives archipelago. The landfill island is a sort of eerie, beautiful apocalyptic art piece. Instead of looking at this wasteland is really horrific. The west of Male’ we could clearly see the thick cloud of smoke that endlessly leaves Thilafushi and disperses ever so gently into the blue sky.

The Thilafushi, the location of Maldives’s municipal landfill few miles west of Male is the capital of Maldives and most densely populated islands on earth. Thilafushi, an artificial island 7km from the capital, is nicknamed Rubbish Island. You would be amazed to hear, that Thilafushi was not even an island and not always a garbage island. Somewhere 25 years ago, Thilafushi was a pristine lagoon called “Thilafalhu”. However in 1991 a decision was taken to reclaim the lagoon as a landfill to address the ongoing problems of waste disposal generated by tourism industry.

Hence within few months the garbage started to thrive here. Massive pits were dug into the sand and waste received from Male and other inhabited islands of Maldives were deposited into the pits. Then topped off with a layer of construction debris and then uniformly leveled with white sand. Much of the rubbish comes from the luxury resorts which, reportedly, do not follow the rules on crushing their waste. In a BBC report in May 2012, the island of waste was described as "apocalyptic" A local environmental organization “Bluepeace”, charges that used batteries, asbestos, lead and other possibly hazardous waste, mixed with the municipal solid waste from Malé, is seeping into the water and creating severe ecological and health problems in the Maldives.

Thilafushi,  obvious that this island isn’t like any other island in Maldives. There were NO white sandy beaches, swaying palm trees, grass huts or crystal clear turquoise water. As Thilafushi’s landmass started to grow, the Maldives government started leasing out land to industries such as boat manufacturing, cement packing, methane gas bottling and many large scale warehousing. So these days more than three dozen factories at Thilafushi, and homes of 200 Bangladeshi migrants who sift through the 330 hundred tons of waste that arrive on the island each day.

The routine is for mainly Bangladeshi workers to sift through the trash to look for materials their employers can sell. Therefore, much is being deposited that the island is developing by a square meter each day. One of drastic effect is, some of the waste is now drifting into the ocean and getting washed at Male’s beaches and polluting many dive sites around the region. Environmentalists also accuse impatient boatmen of dumping waste directly into the lagoon because proper unloading could take up to seven hours. Further waste became such a big problem that the government once banned dumping garbage on the island in 2011.

A little chunk of the waste is now getting exported to India to be recycled. However, these images show the darker side to the Maldives - with huge amounts of rubbish washed up on the island’s pristine sands. It saddens that islands are being trashed all over the place. Some of beaches are magnets for the world’s trash. The currents bring in debris literally from all over the world. It needs to stop because Thilafushi islands and the sea life are paying a heavy toll.

Presently this is a big problem but the country relies on bottled water for health and hygiene. The Garbage Island to take care of the rubbish and it's plume of smoke as you fly into Male. Many local islands have a garbage problem at the high tide line too. The culture is not educated in the ways of proper rubbish disposal and dropping litter is widespread. Just like the rest of the world, they all have to learn.

A plastic recycling company needs to create an agreement with the government to collect the plastic, educate the people and create a "greener" environment. The Maldives may claim to be the first carbon neutral Country but in reality they have isolation and bad infrastructure for waste management. They need help! Let's not forget the waters really are that clear, the sea life really it's that amazing, tourism is their life blood- let's not ruin that!








 

Thursday 19 April 2018

First Ever Undersea Villa of Maldives

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island will soon offer the dream comes into reality by sleep with the fishes but there's nothing at all sinister about it. The incredible images show that it’s potentially going to be one of the most sought-after hotel rooms in the world. The swanky resort is opening what is believed to be the world’s first-ever undersea villa. The suite, named the Muraka, has cost $15million to build and will give guests unparalleled views of the Indian Ocean.  The Muraka undersea suite is set to open at the end of 2018.

It's a two-deck affair, with the lower deck sitting 16 feet beneath the waves. The villas has a bedroom, living space and bathroom and, of course, swathes of glass so that guests can gaze at the colorful local sea life swimming past, wherever they are in the complex. The residence was designed by architects the Crown Company and is being built by New Zealand-based MJ Murphy Limited, which specializes in aquarium technology. The undersea suite is connected to the top deck by a spiral staircase.

Moreover, on the top, guests will find a twin-size bedroom, bathroom, powder room, gym, butler’s quarters, private security quarters, integrated living room, kitchen, bar and a dining room with a deck that faces the direction of the sunset. On the other side of the villa sits a relaxation deck that faces the direction of sunrise and an infinity swimming pool. Further the upper level also contains an extra king-size bedroom and bathroom, which boasts an ocean-facing bathtub, ideal for soaking in views of the endless horizon.

On the whole, Muraka can accommodate up to nine guests. Ahmed Saleem, the chief designer of the residence, driven by our inspiration to deliver innovative and transformative experiences to our global travelers, the world’s first undersea residence inspires visitors to explore the Maldives from a completely new perspective below the surface of the sea.






Sunday 15 July 2012