Vaadhoo

Vaadhoo lies at the southern end of Raa Atoll, on one of the largest reef systems in the atoll, with a deep lagoon reaching 20 to 30 metres to its north and a wide stretch of shallow water elsewhere. The 2022 census recorded 452 residents. It sits some 162 km from Malé, making it a fairly distant island to reach.

The island is best known for its 'Sea of Stars', a bioluminescent glow on its beaches attributed to phytoplankton, dinoflagellates and ostracods, best seen on the eastern beach on dark, new-moon nights between June and October. Night-time boat tours, night snorkelling and private beach dinners built around this phenomenon form the core of local tourism, alongside diving, kayaking, snorkelling and fishing during the day. Diving is concentrated to the south of the island where the reef is deeper and more varied, snorkelling to the shallower north, and fishing to the west; conditions for diving and snorkelling are generally best from January to April, kayaking from May to October, and fishing from November to March.

Away from tourism, Vaadhoo's economy rests on fishing, which employs around 35% of workers and lands roughly 4.5 metric tons of fish a month, much of it sold on to Malé. Palm weaving, led largely by the island's women, is the second-largest activity, producing over 10,000 bundles a year for sale to tourist destinations, while agriculture - limited by poor soil to crops such as breadfruit, coconut and banana - occupies a smaller share of the workforce. As an inhabited local island rather than a resort, Vaadhoo offers guesthouse stays and day trips rather than large-scale resort infrastructure, with the community also running a solar charging station as part of a broader push towards sustainable tourism.