The Journal.
Long-form writing from our own team and a rotating bench of marine biologists, guesthouse operators, and skippers. Filed monthly. No sponsored posts.
Seaplane versus speedboat — the real calculus at 120 km out.
Why the more expensive option is often the safer one, and the two routes where it isn't.
A working day on Dhangethi — the guesthouse boom, told by the people running them.
Five family operators on one local island. What changed after 2009. What they think is coming next.
The difference between a decent dive centre and a great one.
A checklist we run before recommending any operator — and the four that pass it.
The post-monsoon snorkel window — three quiet weeks in November.
By the time the SW monsoon clears in early November, plankton lingers and pelagics chase it. The reefs are emptier than they'll be in two months. Why we book th…
The islands that don't appear in the brochures.
Six inhabited islands running their own weather — the co-ops, the schools, the boats.
What $3,000 a night actually buys in 2026.
Five nights at three of the top-tier properties. What's worth it and what isn't.
Addu, on the equator — what we got right and wrong.
We sent fifteen clients south to Gan in 2025. Eight came back delighted. Three regretted it. What separates the two groups, in their own words.
What dinner costs at a Maldivian guesthouse — and why.
On Maafushi, dinner runs $14. On Dhangethi, the same plate is $9. We sat with three guesthouse cooks to understand the math.