Hanifaru Lagoon (Whale shark & Manta Ray feeding site)

• This is a thrilling area and famous for the large numbers of mantas and whalesharks that can be seen here during the southwest monsoon months of June through to November. Mantas and whalesharks can be found frequently in Baa Atoll during these months and at certain times in huge numbers; especially after high tides and in particular the equinox. The tides sweep the plankton into the atolls which gets stuck in places like Hanifaru Lagoon and others we know like it, and the mantas and whale sharks simply follow it in and gorge themselves on masse. Like all things in nature there are no guarantees, but we have been observing this behavior over many years and understand the patterns so we are pretty sure if you join the Sea Queen or Sea Spirit during the southwest months you have a very good chance of seeing some incredible action.

The Baa Atoll Project has issued guidelines to help preserve this area and to minimising any disturbance to mantas and whalesharks and we fully support this mode of conservation. We have been monitoring and recording the movements of mantas in the Maldives for 20 years and are very much a part of this ID programme. You can see a copy of the guidelines by clicking on the following link: Baa Atoll Project