The Maldives is known for its pristine shorelines and clear waters with travellers holidaying in the archipelago often able to spot sharks, turtles, manta rays more.
With thriving coral reefs, turquoise ocean and colourful marine life, not to mention having the word dive in its name, the destination is one of the world’s best scuba diving locations.
But until now, no one really knows what’s happening deep beneath the surface.
The Nekton Maldives Mission is about to change that via an ocean discovery mission on September 4 that will send a team of international divers on the first systematic survey and sampling of the Maldives from the surface to depths of up to 1,000 meters.
The 35-day operation will try to find out the status of the ocean below depths of 30 metres. It’s being carried out by UK marine research institute Nekton and the Government of the Maldives.
An all-female descent team
The first descent will be carried out by an all-female team, led by two Maldivian divers. Shafiya Naeem, director general of Maldives Marine Research Institute, who is leading the 10 Maldives scientists on the mission, and Farah Amjad, research assistant to the Nekton Maldives Mission, are part of the crew of the Nekton mission’s first descent.
Four of the 10 Maldivian scientists taking part in the mission are women.
Below the waves, divers will carry out health checks to establish the status of life in the Indian Ocean waters. The team will use two high-tech submersibles — one of which can go as deep as 1,000 meters — to help conduct their research.
With the ocean making up about 99 per cent of the Maldives, the country is threatened by rising ocean levels. At depths of about 120 metres, the dive team will locate the old beach line from 20,000 years ago. This should help in investigating how ocean life has adapted to rising sea levels.
Data collected during the dives will also be used to establish the health of the ocean, create new protected marine areas and act as a basis for other conservation projects.
Tracking the health of the island’s coral atolls and reefs and conducting the first survey and sampling of the Maldives's deep reefs is also on the agenda.
Divers will also investigate the country's shark and ray population — a critical indicator for ocean health. The archipelago is home to at least 40 shark and 18 ray species.
Results from the operation are expected in early 2023 and will help support sustainable tourism development in the Maldives.
“The health of the reefs is fundamental to the two largest sectors of the Maldivian economy, tourism and fisheries. Apart from the economic benefit its coral reefs provide, they are the first line of defence against waves and storms, which are becoming more frequent and intense,” says a Nekton briefing on the mission.
The Maldives manta ray tourism industry alone generates about US$15 million annually in revenue, according to Nekton.
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Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
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On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
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The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
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On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
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