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Originally Posted by Beverly
Sam,
They might have been able to repair the resorts, but I think the big questions are what happened under water when the tsunami hit and how long will nature take to restore what was lost?
Great series of pics  |
The good news is that the impact of the tsunami on the Maldives reefs was minimal.
http://www.ausaid.gov.au/media/relea..._8527_5608_440
"'The report is good news for the Maldives, indicating the tsunami had minimal impact on the country's coral reefs and baitfish populations.
'According to the report, there has been surprisingly little change to reef flats, beaches and islands.
'There is also good news for the Maldivian fishing industry, with the tsunami causing little change in fishing conditions.'"
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/travel_t...ves5update.pdf
"DIVING & SNORKELLING CONDITIONS
As the floodwaters receded, the Maldives scuba diving industry was expecting the worst, but when dive schools made their first tentative dives following the disaster they found few signs of damage. Some coral heads had been turned over by the waves and several sandbars were shifted by the surge, but overall, the reef was remarkably unaffected.
It seems that the unique geography of the Maldives protected the reefs to a significant degree. The main bulk of the tidal wave passed along deep water channels between the atolls, and most islands experienced elevated tides rather than massive breaking waves, protecting the reefs from serious harm. This is backed up by evidence from divers who were underwater when the tsunami struck. Most of the waves that hit the islands were under 4m, but one dive team recorded an 18m increase in depth on their dive computers in one of the deepwater channels as the tsunami passed overhead."
"In partnership with Australian marine biologists from the Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organisation (Cisro), the United Nations Environment Programme and the Marine Research Centre in Male' has carried out a broad-ranging study of damage to reefs and fisheries across the islands, surveying 124 reefs in seven atolls and examining 170km of reef margin. The primary conclusion of the report was that the Maldives' coral reefs suffered very little physical damage during the tsunami."
"From a visitors' perspective, the Maldives remains one of the world's premiere diving destinations and divers and snorkellers are unlikely to notice any serious damage at the main dive sites. The coral appears healthy and fish (including sharks and other pelagics) are plentiful. In fact, most local dive schools have reported little difference in the diving experience before and after the tsunami."