One of the favorite destinations for travelers looking for exotic and secluded places to relax are the Maldives. This country is a group of small islands formed by large groups of coral that are divided into a total of 26 atolls.
Think of the typical wallpaper in which you can see a beautiful paradisiacal image of the beach, white sand, large palm trees and everything surrounded by water. It is probably an image taken in some enclave of the Maldives.
Let’s learn more about this beautiful place, as well as one of its main attractions: Vaadhoo Island , whose waters glow in the dark.
- You may be interested: 12 extreme natural disasters in recent years.
Where are the Maldives Islands
? As we said at the beginning, the Maldives have a group of islands of a coral nature that are distributed in the middle of the Indian Ocean, specifically in the area located to the south of the Indian peninsula. We are facing approximately 2000 small islands, almost all uninhabited (only about 87 are intended for tourism).
What the Maldives offer its visitors are dreamlike landscapes, pleasant climates at any time of the year (between 30 and 32 degrees Celsius, ideal to go even at Christmas) and lots and lots of relaxation. In addition, Maldives is an ecosystem with great biodiversity that deserves to be known ., always from the respect towards the environment that this semi-virgin place deserves as one of the most beautiful places on the planet to which man has not yet finished throwing his paw at all. What is Vaadhoo Island?
This inhospitable island is found on the Raa atoll. Some may think “Well, what
after all, Maldives are all islands”; what happens is that Vaadhoo has something that makes it magical. One of the rarest and most beautiful phenomena of nature takes place here: the one known as the “sea of stars”, which makes the water and the sand on the shore shine with an intense blue color. The “sea of stars”, plankton’s fault
Beyond its crystal clear waters, intense sun and golden sand, the paradisiacal beaches of the Maldives are famous for the phenomenon of the “sea of stars”, which can only be seen at night. This particular spectacle, whose scientific name is “bioluminescence” , needs three ingredients to occur: high temperatures, darkness like the mouth of a wolf and a type of plankton with the name of “bioluminescent phytoplankton”.
For the magic to happen, a chemical reaction is required that takes place when the small organism rises to the surface and is dragged by the tide until it is deposited on the shore of the beach. Being stirred by hot air and rolling waves, a blinding blue glow is generatedwhich is what gives the phenomenon its name. Other living beings that are also bioluminescent
The prodigy of nature that is bioluminescence also occurs in other creatures. Many living beings in the abyssal zones have developed the ability to be bioluminescent as a mechanism of adaptation to environments that are not illuminated by the sun’s rays; while others that live on land use them as a lure for reproduction . Let’s look at some notable cases: Rainbow Jellyfish
For this invertebrate, bioluminescence serves as a distress alarm when it’s in trouble. The rainbow jellyfish uses its scintillating colors in hopes of attracting a larger predator than the free animal.who is attacking her. Flashlight
fish This small fish that lives in the deep sea where darkness is constant, has an antenna whose tip lights up in the dark. For what purpose? It is a bait to attract unsuspecting prey to its mouth and serves as a lure for potential sexual partners. Do you remember, in Finding Nemo, the fish that almost killed Marlin and Dory
? Well, it’s that fish. Firefly squid
Although they prefer the deep ocean (they are not found until 1,200 meters), thousands of these small cephalopods can occasionally be seen shimmering on the surface of Tomaya Bay, Japan. The exhibition is ephemeral,because it occurs only between the months of March and June , coinciding with its spawning season. Fireflies
The classic example that we were all taught as children in terms of creatures that emit their own light. In the case of fireflies, their characteristic twinkling (green, red or yellow) is emitted thanks to special organs located in the abdomen of the insect and is used to attract mates. More places where we can enjoy the “sea of stars”
The light show that is “the sea of stars” is not exclusive to the Maldives and can be seen in other parts of the world, equally paradisiacal. An example isMexico, specifically in the Laguna de Manialtepec or on the beaches of Campeche, in the Yucatan peninsula . On the neighboring island of Puerto Rico is the Laguna Grande or the Mosquito Bay and, even further away, specifically in Australia, the Gipssland Lakes are a good reference to see the beaches lit up at night.
