Very popular disciplines
Football is the most popular sport in the Maldives. Every local island has its own football field. But the national team has never gone beyond the stage of qualifying for the World Cup
Carrom is a popular game in the Maldives. It is a kind of Indian billiards, played in all the streets of Malé, which is played with a puck, counters and with the hands. Unlike football, the Maldivians are clearly distinguished on the international stage in carrom competitions.
Bashi is a traditional sport played exclusively by women. Originally, the "ball" was a small cube woven from coconut leaves and the game was played with bare hands. Modernized by Amin Didi, it has been enhanced with balls, rackets and a tennis net. The hexagonal court is divided into two distinct areas on either side of the net. Each team consists of 11 players. One team throws and the other receives. If the ball is caught, the waitress goes out. If the ball hits the court, the throwing team wins a point. The bashi is a great moment of socialization for these women who, all day long, take care of their home. It is possible to attend a match of this extremely popular game during a visit to the inhabited islands or to Hulumalé, every afternoon.
A diving paradise
The Maldives is a real paradise for divers, with some of the most beautiful seabeds in the world. While the most experienced divers will enjoy discovering exceptional sites, the others will have the opportunity to learn the joys of this sport in a magnificent setting, while being supervised by Padi certified professionals. Diving in the Maldives is possible all year round. Nearly 3,000 divers dive every day in the Maldives. In these conditions, it is useless to say that the sites closest to the tourist islands are extremely busy in high season. However, the dive cruise can offer privileged conditions to avoid the crowd. In general, there are more than a hundred diving spots in the Maldives. Some, more famous than others, attract the largest number of divers. There are three types of diving, directly related to the geological formation: diving inside the atoll in the lagoon, diving outside the atoll along the drop off and diving in the passes between the islands or between the long farus (reefs) that make up the atolls' reef barrier
Snorkeling. In the English-speaking Maldives, snorkeling is the term used to describe the practice of free diving with fins, mask and snorkel. In each island, it is possible to rent or borrow fins, mask and snorkel. But if you can, bring your own equipment that will allow you to admire the seabed of the lagoons and reefs comfortably and in complete freedom. Most of the islands with reefs far from the beach have organized dhoni trips, often free of charge, once to four times a day to take you to the best sites.
Cruises and relaxation
A cruise will mainly satisfy diving fans, who will have the opportunity to go to spots that are much less frequented and where the underwater life has remained sheltered from humans. The islands are a few hours by boat from each other, and the navigation is done on the calm waters of the atolls or in the open sea, but always under the shelter of the coral reef. The cruises combine the varied pleasures of diving, windsurfing, paddling, fishing and lazing around with the contemplation of schools of flying fish and groups of dolphins that come to play with the bow of the boat.
A large choice of water sports
Lovers of water sports will be served and will be able to slide at will on the turquoise waters. Almost all the lagoons offer optimal conditions for a very safe practice of aquatic activities, which can be practiced all year round with equal happiness. Apart from snorkeling, you can practice non-motorized sports such as canoeing, kayaking, windsurfing, catamaran and motorized sports such as water-skiing, jet-skiing, or banana boat. Kitesurfing and wakeboarding enthusiasts will also find happiness in the Maldives, thanks to constant breaks in some exceptional sites.
A surfing destination
Keeping up with the times, the Maldivians have managed to find surfing spots in a part of the world where the sea is generally calm. In fact, surfing only arrived in the Maldives in the mid-1970s. The discovery was initially very confidential, but since then, Australians have flocked to the few islets that offer the sport. It is now possible to embark on safari boats for cruises specifically reserved for surfing. For the North Malé Atoll in general, the surfing season runs from April to October. In the south, surf trips are organized to Laamu or Gaafu Dhaalu atoll aka Huvadhoo. As these two atolls are separated by the "one and a half Dregree Channel" - a channel of 1.5 degrees latitude - and there is a very small land mass south of it, a swell generated by the roaring forties (the regular winds of the Indian Ocean at low latitudes) comes crashing over the islets of these two atolls with vigour, creating some of the best waves in the country. The best times to go there are from February to April and from September to November. Surfers seem to appreciate the Maldives for the quality of the waves and the variety of spots accessible from the same island. The waves are particularly long and there are spots for both right and left handed surfers.
Lots of spots. The best surfing spots are located in the atolls of North Male, South Male, the Central Atolls and the less frequented Huvadhoo. It is still possible today in the Maldives to surf on virgin waves. Some spots are not yet crowded, except for the Malé spots where the large number of surfers in the water can be a problem for some. But the atmosphere is often friendly!
