Hurawalhi Maldives has cause to celebrate with the success of their coral nursery, bringing hope for the complete regeneration of the damaged portions of the beautiful reef surrounding the resort. 

In June 2019, the Marine Biology team at Hurawalhi Maldives began work on the nursery by collecting fragments of coral around the spectacular 5.8 Underwater Restaurant.

These fragments were then further split into smaller ones and attached to nylon lines which were then placed on a frame at a depth of 8 meters below the surface.

Hurawalhi said that each piece was measured at 2.5cm when attached and that they are regularly cleaned and checked with the aim to plant them onto the reef when they are big enough.

2019: Coral nursery at Hurawalhi Maldives

Fast forward to October 2020: The corals are doing well, according to the resort, and the pictures comparing them at the start of the project to the latest check stand testament to this.

Hurwalahi Maldives said that once the corals are checked, their marine biologist Emily explored other areas of the reef around the resort and got a glimpse of the treats lying in wait for snorkellers and divers visiting Hurawalhi soon. 

October 2020: Coral nursery at Hurawalhi Maldives.

Emily noticed an extraordinary amount of fish including big schools of baitfish, large trevally and rainbow runners, and clouds of fusiliers. Numerous blacktip reef sharks were spotted and they were not at all shy, staying around for a few minutes at a time.

Sergeant Majors had also laid eggs on the reefs next to the 5.8 Underwater Restaurant resulting in lots of activity there and in front of the water villas there was a large group of blue tangs, so anyone hoping to ‘find Dory’ may be in luck!