I agree with the other post. WA Maldives is hands down better for swimmable area. The challenge there is that you probably don't have your own beach, unless you pay to upgrade to it. Even then, it is not a natural beach, which Platte Island excels at. Most villas at the WA Maldives have a reef directly under or near their overwater villa that is easily swimmable or good for snorkeling. Platte Island is a very different experience. You will probably need to go to the sandbar areas to have larger areas of clear water and no seagrass, and you absolutely will be approached by rays and small sharks to within three feet of you. The sharks are harmless, but you don't want to step on a ray. I view that as a positive, but it might make some people uncomfortable. You can walk out a great distance during low tide. You can also snorkel out and swim offshore during high tide, but that will largely be over, in and around seagrass and you do have to go quite a bit offshore to do it. This was a large reason why I really wanted to have the guided snorkeling tour, which we were never able to schedule due to high winds.