Hanifaru Bay

A small protected cove that becomes one of the world's largest manta feeding sites in the southwest monsoon, when tidal currents trap plankton against the dead-end reef and reef mantas gather to feed, sometimes cyclone-feeding in stacked columns with whale sharks alongside. It is snorkel-only — scuba is not permitted — and access is ranger-controlled, with roughly 45-minute sessions and limited numbers in the water. Mantas feed in as little as 1-2m.

Depth

1–15m

Current

Moderate

Diver level

Open water

Entry

Boat

Unique features

Snorkel-only manta feeding aggregation, up to 247 mantas documented in one event
Cyclone and chain feeding behaviour, with whale sharks joining
Ranger-enforced 45-minute sessions and capped numbers

Sources & last checked

Checked July 2026

This is a researched draft, not yet human-verified. The seasonality and logistics are drawn from the sources below — confirm specifics (permits, fees, closures) with an operator before you book.

Snorkeling Hanifaru Bay, Baa Atoll — Snorkeling Report
Protected Areas — Hanifaru Bay — Manta Trust / Maldivian Manta Ray Project

Note on the data: Schema gap: this is a snorkel-only site, but diverLevelSchema has no 'snorkel' value, so diverLevelMin is set to the lowest cert (open_water). The description makes the snorkel-only status explicit. Coordinates are the one published Baa site location.