Day 2 of my Maldives vacation showed me the beauty that was the Indian Ocean. Clear blue water, with so much marine life, the diversity might put pristine dive spots like Bali to shame. There’s definitely something for everyone on the beaches of Maldives.

Picture courtesy : Bhushan Bagadia

The day began with Anup and Bhushan arriving at the place I was staying by a fishing boat. Breakfast was a simple English affair with eggs, toast and sausages. We had to waste time till lunch when we could set off to a deserted island. The idea was to shoot some models playing on the beaches of Maldives, to give that feel of a fun vacation.

The island chosen was what the locals call 3 palm island. Because there are just 3 palm trees and a few bushes. Nothing else. Something akin to the island where Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean was stranded by his crew.

We shot for 4 straight hours before calling it a day. Lots of bikinis, sun, sand and underwater photography. These will take some time to be put up though. We went for a short snorkel before the sunset, and boy, what a sight! Water about 3-5mts deep about 100-200 mts into the sea, with a diverse marine life, as well as the most intriguing corals I’ve ever seen till date!

Kamila, our host managed to sneak in some champagne. And that’s when the party began. We set camp on the side where the sun was setting, sent our boat back, and managed to order 2 more bottles of Bacardi somehow. We ever tried gate crashing a private barbecue party that was happening simultaneously on the beach.

And if there’s ever one sight to behold on a deserted island, past the sunset, it’s the glorious night sky. Think about it, no lights for miles and barely any clouds. The sky was peppered with start and galaxies. Almost close to the images we see from deep space telescopes.

That’s when we also saw a rare phenomenon, phosphorescence on the beach. Right at the shore, where the water met the sand. They also lit up the trail the speed boat was leaving as we left back home wards.

A long tiring day, especially for the eyes! Never visit Maldives without a good pair of shades.

Photographer tip – Maldives is a hot tropical nation, with tiny islands scattered all over. While light is not usually an issue, the sun can be really heavy on you. Don’t forget to carry sunscreen and shades.