What the Maldives seemed like earlier than mass tourism

(CNN) – The Maldives: turquoise water, sparkling white sand, beautiful colorful sunsets and of course luxury.

But believe it or not, there was a time when the Maldives weren’t among the most glamorous getaways in the world.

When Mohamed Umar “MU” Maniku and three friends opened Kurumba, the country’s first resort, in 1972, there wasn’t even a dock. Visitors had to wade in waist-high water to get from the boat to the beach.

The first visitors were mainly journalists and photographers from Italy.

Although there were no overwater villas and glass-bottomed seaplanes yet, it was clear that the Maldives was already working its magic. Today there are more than 100 resorts on more than 1,200 islands.

Meet the island pioneer behind the country’s first tourist paradise in the Indian Ocean.

Kurumba, which means “coconut” in the local Dhihevi language of the Maldives, was originally an uninhabited coconut farm. Now it has all the expected bells and whistles of a luxury resort in the Maldives.

Still, it’s nice to think about what it was like here in the early days of the tourism industry. Some people call MU “the man who built paradise,” and it’s a nickname he deserves.

The first guest rooms were made of coral and limestone. Anything that did not grow on site had to be brought by ship and it could take up to three months to arrive.

The newspapers were months late and the phone services were inconsistent. Forget about packing toothpaste and you were alone as there were no shops on the island.

Before tourism, there were only about two residents on the island where Kurumba is located today.

And you can forget about a stand-up paddleboard class or a speedboat ride to a secluded island for a romantic dinner under the stars.

There wasn’t much to do for travelers other than fishing and sunbathing, which they enjoyed – maybe a little too much.

“They were very happy,” recalls MU. “Some of them, you know, were basking so much they were like lobsters.”

A traditional fishing trip will take you to the heart of the country even if you don’t catch a fish.

While Kurumba is more about upscale villas and upscale restaurants these days, MU’s description of the early days sounds more like a hippie escape.

“We used to have this open pit grill. And then we had … someone who played the guitar.”

The taps in the guest rooms poured out brackish water. The toilets at that time could politely be described as “weird”.

It could have been a risky endeavor – getting people to a remote, distant island in the Indian Ocean. But for MU it was the most logical decision in the world. “I never doubted it,” he says.

Fortunately, some things haven’t changed. They still harvest coconuts the old fashioned way and shimmer up the side of a tree, which is harder than it looks.

The breathtaking views that first brought people to paradise are just as awesome now as they were when MU was a boy. And as an older man past normal retirement age, he still can’t bear to tear himself away.

“If I can’t come here (every) day and then walk around here … I’m missing something in my life,” he says.

MU is far from the only person so fascinated by the beauty of the Maldivian islands that they don’t want to live anywhere else.

Denise Schmidt originally came to the Maldives from her native Germany to work as an intern in a hotel. Now she lives there full time with her husband Ali Amir. You work as the manager of the Reethi Beach Resort on the peaceful Baa Atoll and you have a young daughter who can grow up in paradise.

Schmidt’s original six-month stay has now turned into years, and it’s not difficult to understand how someone would like to be fascinated by the landscape here and stay forever.

“I think there is an island that everyone likes and dislikes,” says Schmidt diplomatically – although it is difficult to imagine an island here that someone might not like.

Isolation could be one of the disadvantages of living on a remote island, but during the pandemic, the Maldives used this to their advantage.

Coral garden in the Maldives

Even before Covid-19 straightened its head, there were problems in the paradise of the Maldives. The threat of climate change and the rising seas is an existential threat to these low-lying islands, leading to the radical suggestion that the entire country should move.

The delicate environmental balance is visible here under the waves on a snorkel safari of the many coral banks damaged by pollution, erosion and climate change.

Hussain “Sendi” Rasheed is widely considered to be the father of the Maldivian diving industry. He became the country’s first PADI licensed instructor trainer and received his certification in 1986. When the then still young tourism industry in the country was on the rise, he began to take on more and more students. Now he reports that more than 1,600 people have followed his pinball steps.

A look through a snorkel mask reveals more than just colorful fish – it is a window into the DNA of this tropical paradise.

“You come up happy, another person,” he says of the underwater experience. And given the warm, happy smile on his face, it is clear that Sendi knows what he is talking about.

But teaching people to scuba dive is only a fraction of Rasheed’s true calling to care for Maldivian waters.

He has worked to ban recreational shark kills and to sell their teeth as souvenirs. That hard work paid off in 2010 when the Maldives became one of only a few countries in the world to completely ban shark fishing. His 2019 induction into the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame further cemented his legacy as Guardian of the Ocean.

“Every single species that lives here is important to us,” he says, looking out over the aquamarine water. Sure, sharks may seem scary, but they’re an important part of the underwater ecosystem. Coral is a home for fish. Fish is food for sharks. The life cycle just a few centimeters below the surface.

Enjoy a luxury beach vacation while helping to preserve the ocean for future generations – what’s more calming than that?