Candice Thila

The name honors the British marine biologist Candice G. Gunning. She grew up on her parents' farm in Somerset, England, swapped the idea of becoming a vet for marine biology after falling in love with diving, and went to work as a marine biologist at Le Méridien Maldives. In the region, as the resort's biologist, she photographed the scales on the sides of turtles' faces, which are unique to each animal, to identify and track them, and helped monitor the manta ray population. The thila has healthy, colorful hard corals, resident batfish and schools of reef fish, and stingrays may glide across the reef. In Lhaviyani, the best time to encounter sharks is usually from December to April.