The Maldives Myth

Nina captured this stunning Hiby’s Lamellarid during a Similan liveaboard dive at Koh Bon, one of the most reliable locations in the Similan Islands National Park for encountering these elusive molluscs. Despite older field guides claiming this species is endemic to the Maldives, Nina and our dive team have been documenting these velvet-smooth gastropods at Koh Bon and neighbouring sites for over two decades. This particular individual was found doing what these specialist predators do best – hunting its preferred prey amongst the sponge-covered rocks that make Koh Bon’s underwater landscape so distinctive.