Forget the beach: How you can experience the real Maldives

I was on a boat in the middle of the Indian Ocean, about to taste real life in the Maldives.

A crew of fishermen from Sun Siyam Iru Veli, located in the Dhaalu Atoll, set up the fishing lines. We were anchored off the shores of the nearby local island Bandidhoo, where people fish tuna for money and smaller reef fish for their tables. 

The task seemed simple enough: bait attached to a hook tied to the end of a fishing line, which I was to hold by hand. As the line dropped to the reef, I was to wait for the feel of a fish nibbling on the bait. Then I’d just pull the line by hand, and voilà: a catch. No poles or spears required. 

Long-line fishing is a generations-old tradition in the Maldives, a way of life for its people. Living in an island nation where not much grows, Maldivians sustain themselves off of fish and coconuts. Not only is it an ancient practice, but long-line fishing is sustainable, taking just a few fish at a time with minimal damage to coral reefs or bycatch. 

I quickly learned that I was not a natural long-line fisher. For the next hour, I mistook the moving current for a gullible fish when I was actually the gullible one. Other times, the fish was stealthy enough to take the bait without me feeling anything at all. 

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Instead, I watched the fishermen work their magic. The line danced in their hands, flying up and down. Sensitive to the slightest movement going on 65 feet underwater, they knew the exact moment to start pulling the line up and win the battle against the fish. 

As the sun set over the water, we caught a total of nine fish, including emperor fish, batfish and humpback snapper. 

Although the rest of the fish went to the fishermen to enjoy at home, one snapper would make a reappearance the following day. For lunch, I enjoyed the red snapper, grilled to perfection and sliced raw into sashimi. 

While the Maldives is renowned as a romantic, luxurious destination where people can enjoy the sunshine, soft white sand and gentle lapping turquoise waters, it’s also packed with history and culture. While everyone should spend some time relaxing at the beach, the atoll nation offers way more for travelers to do – and learn more about life in the Maldives. 

Like most things in the Maldives, most activities are unfortunately pricey, especially since booking through a resort is pretty much your only option.

Long-line fishing is just the beginning. Here are eight other activities in the Maldives beyond simply lounging on the beach.

Go fish, Maldivian-style

Sunset fishing was hands-down my favorite excursion in the Maldives. Watching the fishermen in action was exhilarating, even though I couldn’t get the long line fishing down myself. Partaking in the ancient fishing tradition was a peek into real Maldivian life – and against the most gorgeous of backdrops: the sun setting over the ocean. To pick which fish to eat the next day and how it would be prepared made the experience extra rewarding.  

Check out the marine life

The Maldives is rich in marine biodiversity. Guests can snorkel and dive with whale sharks in southern waters and alongside manta rays in the north. At Sun Siyam Iru Veli, I went on an afternoon snorkeling tour, a 20-minute boat ride from the resort, and swam along the reef, an uninhabited island. Dropping about 100 feet, the reef was overflowing with marine life. I spotted a plethora of tropical reef fish along with three Hawksbill turtles – the most common type in the Maldives – and a white-tip reef shark. 

Even on resort grounds, travelers have plenty of opportunities to easily witness marine life – I spotted a pod of dolphins swim past me on my sunset fishing excursion and baby reef sharks around the shoreline by my villa at Sun Siyam Iru Veli in the mornings. 

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Explore the ocean … at night

Most resorts in the Maldives also have a house reef, where colorful clownfish and triggerfish swim around anemones and soft coral. At Sun Siyam Iru Fushi, guests can request a nighttime snorkeling activity, where they dive in after the sun sets to see the reef in another light, literally. 

The gear was simple. I slipped an orange filter over my snorkel mask, secured with a band, to eliminate the fluorescence caused by my blue light flashlight. This light source would make all the difference, as the soft coral and anemones absorbed the blue light, casting neon greens and reds back. The bright red anemones swayed in the dark and soft coral glowed, showcasing intricate brain-like textures and patterns not noticeable in daylight. 

Help restore some coral

Coral reefs play a critical role in the very existence of the Maldives; without them, the islands would be damaged by strong waves. Maldivians also rely on the fish from reefs for their livelihoods. Guests can participate in coral restoration alongside on-staff marine biologists at multiple Sun Siyam Resorts with coral planting. In this activity, I fastened coral fragments to a metal frame that’s later placed in the ocean to hopefully regrow and thrive. 

Visit a local island 

Sun Siyam Resorts offers travelers the chance to get off the resort island and witness everyday life for Maldivians. Guests can sign up for a local island tour, which takes them to a local fishing village to meet community members and see the school and local shops. I went on a local farm tour, where I got to see how some of the produce, such as papaya, that’s served in the resorts are grown. 

Watersports galore

In the Maldives, the ocean is the main attraction. Siyam World Maldives way offers more than the typical jet skis, paddleboards and kayaks. Guests of all ages can clamber around on the Indian Ocean’s biggest floating waterpark, made up of inflatable obstacles. There are also electric surfboards, kite surfing, banana boats and underwater jetpacks. I rented a seabob, a diving scooter that let me glide up and down underwater like a dolphin at up to 13 miles per hour. It was a strange sensation, but definitely took snorkeling to the next level. 

Visit an uninhabited private island

Over 83% of the Maldives’ 1,192 islands are uninhabited, allowing travelers to bask in unspoiled tropical landscapes. At Sun Siyam Iru Fushi, I was able to enjoy untouched nature and be the only present human there. Sun Siyam Iru Fushi and its sister resort, Siyam World, also share a small private island where only palm trees exist (and a restroom facility, so don’t worry about that). Guests can book the private island for picnics and photoshoots, which willand it’ll be exclusively theirs for the entire time. During the picnic, staff set up a tent for respite from the afternoon sun and served lunch and even champagne. No roughing it here.

Learn more about Maldivian culture

Every Friday night at Sun Siyam Iru Fushi, Maldivian staff share a piece of their culture with guests through traditional song and dance – of course, guests are invited to learn the dance, too. In Boduberu, dancers move energetically to the beat of coconut drums and folk singing. The dancing style is said to have come from African sailors who reached the Maldives many centuries ago, and is typically performed at special occasions and celebrations. The resort also offers cooking classes, where guests can learn how to make traditional Maldivian dishes, and free workshops such as making your own coconut oil, a staple product for cooking in the country. 

Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at kwong@usatoday.com.