Noonu Atoll is in the eastern Maldives and is great for diving and sailing.
Situated on the equator in the Indian Ocean, about 375 miles south west of Sri Lanka, the 1200 coral islands that make up the republic of the Maldives are perhaps the ultimate tropical paradise. The majority of the islands are uninhabited, and only 90 have been designated as holiday islands, occupied by one small resort and reached by seaplane or speedboat.
Ninety nine per cent of the country's territory is made up by sea and only 200 of the islands are inhabited, of which 90 are tourist islands. The islands are rarely more than a metre above sea level and whilst rising sea levels caused by global warming is considered a major threat by many, there are others who argue that coral regenerates and likes to grow just below the surface of the sea, and islands may grow as sea levels rise. However, of greater concern is the risk of storms caused by changing weather patterns, which threaten the islands fragile beaches and coral reefs. The islands are not normally affected by storms being in a region that does not normally experience hurricanes.
The islands may be idyllic, but the real action is in the sea: there are reefs and lagoons aplenty populated by the most stunning array of brilliantly-coloured fish, with each atoll surrounded by a coral reef, and a crystal clear lagoon surrounding each island.