Velaa Private Island: The Maldives’ Largest Coral Regeneration Project

Arguably the most exclusive and luxurious resort in the world, Velaa Private Island goes above and beyond to conserve the beautiful sea life that surrounds it. The Maldives is renowned for its abundance of colourful marine life and biodiversity, and Velaa has made significant contributions to this thriving underwater ecosystem through its unique coral regeneration project, one of the largest in the Indian Ocean.

Situated in the untouched Noonu atoll, Velaa is surrounded by numerous exotic dive sites featuring shark cleaning stations, dramatic swim-throughs, and elusive Eagle Rays that require protection from human activities. Over the past eight years, Velaa has transplanted over 11,000 nursery-grown corals, covering 25% of the house reef. This has led to an increase in tropical fish populations in both the transplant areas and the surrounding endangered sites. In 2023, Velaa’s team of in-house coral biologists, in collaboration with renowned scientist Tom Goreau and his team, implemented the Biorock™ project to accelerate coral growth in damaged areas and restore authentic reef habitat. Additionally, the marine team organises memorable coral adoption experiences for Velaa’s guests, creating personalised frames that serve as new shelters for fish in beautiful snorkelling areas, where guests can admire the beauty of Maldivian biodiversity.

Velaa’s project aims to raise awareness of the devastation caused to coral reefs by the severe global bleaching events of 1998 and 2016, which destroyed 60% of the Maldives’ reefs. Guests visiting one of the Maldives’ most secluded private islands can witness firsthand the remarkable results of restoration efforts and contribute to the creation of a diverse, self-sustaining ecosystem by adopting and attaching corals to the nurseries themselves, following an educational presentation with Velaa’s coral biologists. Velaa’s well-equipped dive shop offers PADI certification from beginner through to dive master levels, along with a range of Scubapro equipment to facilitate these experiences. Those seeking deeper immersion into the marine world can also sign up to shadow coral biologists for the day, collecting research data as they snorkel or scuba dive through the flourishing underwater environment.

For guests interested in learning more about ocean conservation without getting wet, Velaa Private Island offers awareness workshops focusing on topics such as sea turtle nesting and shark populations, aiming to inspire and educate both current and future generations on the importance of protecting our oceans.

With an average survival rate of 80% for transplanted corals and a capacity of nursing over 1,200 corals within the six nurseries of Velaa Private Island, the resort continues to create a thriving environment for the island’s spectacular marine life – including black and white tip reef sharks, nurse sharks, manta rays, black-spotted stingrays, and the graceful eagle ray – and will continue their outstanding efforts on this project in 2024 and beyond.