Beaches in the Maldives

Twenty-six atolls made entirely of coral, with no point of land more than a few metres above the sea. Every beach is white coral sand on a lagoon, and the differences between them are matters of access and ownership rather than geology: a resort island, a local island with a designated bikini beach, or an uninhabited sandbank reached by boat. Two Maldives exist and the difference decides the trip. Resort islands hold one hotel each, permit alcohol and swimwear anywhere, and cost accordingly. Inhabited islands, opened to visitors by a law change in 2009, have guesthouses, no alcohol, and a designated bikini beach with modest dress expected elsewhere — an arrangement that is taken seriously and works. Beyond that: everything is coral sand on a lagoon, nothing is more than a couple of metres above sea level, and the reef edge with its currents is the boundary of safe swimming.

Both are atoll and lagoon beaches. The sand is coral sand throughout, and both sit on lagoon water. Together they account for 3 km of shore. · computed from the 2 records below