Introduction
One of the great attractions of the Maldives is the seemingly endless number of top-quality diving options. When combined with its unique islander lifestyle, it is not surprising that divers are lured back again and again to this Indian Ocean archipelago. The outside reefs have solid, stunted coral with steep dropoffs and often caves. They offer protection from strong currents and are generally easy dives. The kandus, or channels, can have strong currents which flow through their narrow openings and into jagged walls and crevices where the first filtering of nutrients takes place. In the channels, divers can find caves and overhangs full of soft coral, a wide range of invertebrates, gorgonians, and sponges. There are also canyons and on the outside corners are steep dropcoffs. At these impressive sites, vast schools of fish feed in colliding waters. Across the channels and within the atolls are the thilas. They are sentinels of rock that spring from the ocean floor to within a few meters of the surface, splitting and trapping the currents as they pass, causing surprise and confusion. These thilas act like magnets for marine life and provide a spectacular change of scenery. There are many reefs inside the atolls. They are often exposed at low tide and form the body of the atoll. They are restful sites, pretty to look at, and always available. Above the water is the vast collection of islands, reefs, and sandbars that make up this rich and historically unique nation. No diver can fail to be impressed by the formation of the islands and the way in which the people have adapted to them. Today, every resort has access to a diving center, and visiting divers are the mainstay of the Maldivian economy. Changes to the marine environment from the influx of tourists, a rapidly expanding local population and the development of new, upcmarket resorts is inevitable. Keeping those changes in context will be the challenge of the decade.