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Reefs / Shaviyani Atoll / JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa
House reef

JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa

This page scores the house reef, measured from satellite. It is not the resort page — for rooms, photos and booking, head there.

Outstanding reef Shore entry · 134m Modelled — no in-water survey
Stay here → JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa — rooms, photos & booking
Reef Conditions
9.7
Rating
Outstanding
Atoll
Shaviyani Atoll
Reef type
Private house reef

Generated 2026-07-18 · Modelled from satellite · No in-water survey yet

Reef Conditions · measured from satellite

9.7Outstanding

JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa’s house reef, measured from satellite rather than described from memory.

Reef cover (modelled)Hard-bottom cover, heat-stress adjusted
9.2
75% of the mapped reef is coral or algae (0.92 km² mapped) · reduced 0.8 for heat stress since the imagery (peak DHW 6.1)
Reef structureThe wall — slope, crest and extent
10.0
71% reef slope (0.67 km²) · reef crest present
Accessibility & easeHow far to the drop-off, and what you cross
9.9
134 m to the drop-off · 20% of the reef is shallow flat to cross
Fish diversity & abundanceNeeds in-water or first-party evidence
Pending
A satellite cannot count fish. We would rather say nothing than guess.
Big encountersNeeds in-water or first-party evidence
Pending
A satellite cannot count fish. We would rather say nothing than guess.

This is Reef Conditions — what a satellite can measure. The full Maldives Index, which adds fish life and big-animal encounters confirmed in the water, has not been awarded to any property yet.

What this is, and isn’t. Measured from the Allen Coral Atlas benthic and geomorphic maps (CC BY 4.0) and NOAA Coral Reef Watch heat-stress records (public domain). Its benthic class is “Coral/Algae” combined — a satellite cannot tell live coral from algae — so this is modelled reef cover, not verified coral health, and never a substitute for being in the water. Imagery vintage 2018-2021; heat stress since then is applied as a penalty.

When to go · Shaviyani Atoll

1species has published seasonality for this atoll — Bottlenose wedgefish. Timing is monsoon-driven and cited.

Seasonality & sources for Shaviyani Atoll →
How it compares

Against the rest of the country.

This reef
9.7
Maldives median (297 reefs measured)
6.0

The national median across 297 measured reefs is 6.

Snorkelling & marine life

Marine life

JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa · Shaviyani Atoll · a house reef

Documented in Shaviyani Atollcited

Bottlenose wedgefish

Recorded year-round at Maroshi Thila over more than a decade — a critically endangered species, with courtship possibly running August to February.

Year-roundSourceIUCN SSC 2023
Not established here honest

Turtles — no atoll-level seasonal study exists; treat them as year-round residents rather than a season

Reef sharks — no atoll-level seasonal data

Mantas and whale sharks — no assessed area in this atoll

Where to stay

One resort sits on this reef.

JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa
Vagaru · Shaviyani Atoll — its own private island
Rooms, photos & booking →

Where this reef is

6.09045, 73.20360

The pin is the island centroid from our geocoding, not the building — properties on the same island share it. Satellite imagery © Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics.

Before you get in

Pack for this reef.

Chosen from what we measured here — not a generic list.

Mask & snorkel
The one non-negotiable — a well-sealed mask makes or breaks the reef.
Reef-safe sunscreen
Oxybenzone-free — protects you and the coral, and it’s expected on these reefs.
Rash guard / UV top
Hours on the surface add up; covers you and cuts the sunscreen you need.
Dry bag
Keeps phone, room key and a towel dry on the walk out to the reef.

The Reef Code

Non-negotiable. These reefs take decades to grow and seconds to damage — the same rules apply on every reef in the index.

01
Never touch or stand on coral
It’s a living animal — a single footstep can undo decades of growth.
02
Keep your distance from wildlife
No touching, chasing, riding or cornering turtles, sharks, rays or mantas. Hover and let them come to you.
03
Reef-safe sunscreen only
Oxybenzone and octinoxate bleach coral. Cover up with a rash guard where you can.
04
Fins up, float horizontal
One careless fin-kick snaps fragile branching coral and clouds the water for everyone.
05
Never feed the fish
Feeding unbalances the reef and changes natural behaviour for good.
06
Take only photos, leave only bubbles
No collecting shells, coral or sand — living or dead, it stays on the reef.