Maldives Captured-Maldives Times

Douglas David Seifert visited the Maldives to research his article on the impact extensive development is having on the archipelago compounded by global warming and coral bleaching –Is Paradise Lost? Here is a portfolio of some of the images he took documenting the stunning marine environment facing serious challenges…

The reefs are peppered with soft-coral covered overhangs

A giant frogfish waits to ambush unwary fish passing too close to its cavernous mouth

More than 1,100 species of fish are known to live in the Maldives

Bluestripe snapper are ubiquitous on the reefs of the Maldives

A pufferfish feeding on the coral substrate

Honeycomb moray eel

Moray eels extend their jaws for breathing purposes – mouthfuls of oxygen-rich water are pumped across their gills

Manta rays on mass

As many as 10,000 manta rays are thought to be resident in the archipelago

Without question, the Maldives is still one of the best places in the world to see manta rays

Vast school of golden sweepers

The more remote reefs of the Maldives are awash in fish

A large titan triggerfish out on the reef

Bluestriped snappers take refuge out of the current beneath a wall of soft coral

A clown triggerfish and a soft-coral covered outcrop

Schooling Oriental sweetlips

Moray eels rely on their sense of smell to locate prey

Smaller fish feed on the plankton in the nutrient-rich currents and larger fish feed on them

A small shoal of Oriental sweetlips sheltering behind a soft-coral covered outcrop

Profusion of gorgonia

A large gorgonian braced against the current

Full details are available at the link below: