IT'S A COLOURFUL LIFE

Delve into the unique and complex biology of the clownfish, arguably the world's most famous fish

- KUSH PATEL

As the curtain of bubbles lifts, I find myself in the middle of coordinated chaos, as if I am standing still amidst rush hour at Waterloo Station. Yet instead of angry commuters cursing at my indecisiveness, I am met by flashes of cobalt, crimson, fuchsia, lime green… all streaming past in a three-dimensional fish ballet. The assortment of shapes and patterns is equally bewildering; these creatures seem to be plucked straight out of a child’s picture book.

Straddling the equator, the Maldives archipelago consists of more than 1,000 islands ranging from Malé, the densely populated island capital, to tiny sandbars that are drowned at high tide. Born of volcanic eruptions that have long ceased and settled as 26 atolls, the Maldives is the epitome of paradise, with flour-soft sand, aquamarine waters and palm trees whispering in the breeze. But its true magic lies hidden under the water’s surface, where gardens of coral are home to a multitude of jaw-droppingly vibrant and beautiful species.

I’m here to discover this underwater realm. Rey Gelera, resident marine biologist on Anantara Kihavah, guides me over the reef. As we dive deeper, he points out a small group of familiar, tangerine-hued fish decorated with white vertical bands. They are, of course, clownfish, immortalised in the movie Finding Nemo, which tells the story of a male ocellaris clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) who has lost his partner to a barracuda, and his son, Nemo, to the aquarium trade.