Turning a Year Older? Here’s 7 Reasons Why Maldives Should Be Where You Celebrate Your Birthday!

How often do you catch someone talking about Maldives without mentioning the word "honeymoon"? Probably never. It's often glamourized for its secluded beaches and private resorts where couples can spend time getting to know each other over candlelit dinners, blue waters and enormous villas where pretty much every celebrity seems to have a photograph taken at. But Maldives is so much more than that. And after spending my birthday week there recently, here's why I think it's great to explore for reasons other than holy matrimony.

1. A dream destination for scuba divers

Maldives is 90,000 square kilometers spread across the Indian Ocean. Formed of 26 Atolls or a ring-shaped coral reef, island, or series of islets visible from the sky as you fly in, it's got plenty of dive sites to explore for both beginners and advanced divers.

2. One of the few places where you can explore a ship wreck

Definitely worth being added to your bucket list, snorkel over a ship wreck or free dive to deeper waters as playful fish flaunt their colourful fins at you and lure you in to explore the life that's grown over this jaw-droppingly beautiful site.

3. Get nautical with the life underwater

Maldives is blessed with incredible life underwater. Whether you'd like to spend time observing sting rays as the gentle creatures drift past you as they feed or swimming with sea turtles, there's much to explore at this nautical getaway. The Padi dive calendar outlines all the possible sightings through the year. So plan ahead so you can catch one, if not all sea creatures waving at you as you scuba dive.

4. Swim with sharks and live to tell the tale

One of the few destinations in the world where you can share space with sharks, it's quite the experience! Be prepared to be surrounded by hundreds of curious nurse sharks staring you down with their white eyes. A rush of adrenaline will hit you but you'll be careful to move your arms around so you don't get mistaken to be prey! Don't worry, all safety precautions are taken by the dive instructors who watch over you as you participate in a staring contest like no other.

5. Picnic at a sandbank

Take a walk through the local islands with a little picnic basket of goodies. It's likely you'll find an empty sandbank where you can lounge on as you watch the tides rise to drown the sandbank as the sunsets on a charming day.

6. Island hop to experience the local culture

The tempo on the island is relaxed with many locals cheerily chatting you up, playing football in the streets and serving up yummy local dishes at restaurants. Explore on foot and soak in the culture that's slow paced and easy going. You'll definitely feel time stopping as you savour each moment on a local island.

7. Catch one of the best sunsets of your life here

Maldives is known for its majestic, tangerine sunsets. No two sun sets are alike and they each promise to make your jaw drop as they change their brilliant hues reminding you that paradise does exist and it's probably at this destination.

Maldives has so much to offer besides romance for honeymooners. It's a great place for singles and couples alike, especially if you have an appetite for adventure. So the next time you're wondering what your birthday plans should be, how about 'taking the plunge' in Maldives? It promises to spoil you with incredible memories as you turn a year older.

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