Oman to the Maldives

This stage of Simon Reeve's journey around the spectacular Indian Ocean takes him from Oman to the Maldives. He starts in the remote and otherworldly Mussandam Peninsular on the Strait of Hormuz, the most strategically important waterway in the world where oil from the gulf is shipped through the narrow channel out into the Indian Ocean. The journey takes him on to Mumbai, the Indian Ocean's biggest port, and the seething festival of Ganesh, and on to the Maldives - perhaps the most beautiful collection of tropical coral islands in the world. The fragile underwater environment is a barometer for the changing nature of the ocean, and Simon witnesses the impact of coral bleaching which has damaged the beautiful coral reefs. But nothing can prepare him for the sight of the Maldives's rubbish island - a stinking landfill where the rubbish from the thriving tourist industry ends up.