How to get your thrill on in the Maldives

Consider yourself a thrill seeker? Not to worry, the Maldives has many exhilarating outdoor activities to quell your adrenaline-seeking urges. When you think of a sunny vacation in the Maldives, the first thing you might picture is luxuriously lazy days spent lounging on the beach, getting the tan of a lifetime. However, don't fear if your idea of a good holiday is an action-packed itinerary; the Maldives can provide that too, thanks to the myriad of aquatic experiences it has on offer.

Image Credit: Anantara Dhigu Maldives Resort

Zip Across the Waves

As a thrill-seeker, there's one sure-fire way to get your blood pumping almost as soon as you're in the Maldives. Start your adventure of excitement off on the right foot with an exhilarating jet ski ride. Classified as a motorised sport, this activity will incur additional charges unlike non-motorised activities such as snorkelling. However, it is worth the price if you like adventure sports. Whether you're an experienced jet-skier or a newbie rising with a trainer, this is one of the best ways to race across the water in a hair-raising ride of a lifetime. Just make sure to rev that engine and maintain a good speed, you'll be zipping across the sea in no time. Just make sure to have a firm grip on the handlebars!

Snorkelling with the Fish

While not a high-speed aquatic sport by any means, snorkelling still offers plenty of thrill when it's done right in the Maldives. You're sure to feel the rush as you swim by shoals of fish and other exotic marine life that populate the rich waters here such as turtles, stingrays and reef sharks. One tip to ensure that you enjoy an excellent and biodiverse snorkelling experience is to make sure that you visit your resort's house reef. Many resorts in the Maldives offer something called a house reef, which is essentially an easily accessible and rich cluster of colourful coral reefs teeming with marine life.

Another tip for you as a person who prefers a more activity-based vacation is to consider booking yourself into a Maldives water suite rather than a traditional room. This would enable you to have easy access to the water at all times and keep busy with swims in the sea even as others travelling with you might have retired for their afternoon nap. Many resorts such as Anantara Dhigu Maldives Resort offer overwater suites in addition to the more conventional land-based suites.

Conquer the Heaven & Seas

If you want to get a real rush out of your Maldives vacation and push yourself to the limit, there's one activity out there for you that's a must-try, and that's kitesurfing. Compared to kitesurfing, jet skiing could seem like a bit of a breeze. This sport is an amalgamation of paragliding, wakeboarding and windsurfing and if you want to do it justice, requires a great sense of balance and coordination as well as a good deal of upper body strength.

To properly enjoy the sport, it would be advantageous if you were already a somewhat proficient surfer or wakeboarder so that you can remain balanced on your board. You also need to have good arm and core strength to hand on to the handlebar as the kite pulls you across the water. If you're a real acrobat in the water, this is a thrilling activity that'll enable you to incorporate flips in the air while you skim the sea's surface. The best part? Although it can be practised with other people, it's a great solitary activity, as it's quite intense and will most certainly take up most of your focus while you're doing it – a true 'live in the moment' activity when done right. This is great if you're on vacation with family or a group of friends who aren't quite as thrill-seeking as you are!