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Updated by Joanna James on Mar 16, 2024
Headline for Why you should spend a snorkelling holiday in picturesque Hanifaru Bay – See the unseen
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Joanna James Joanna James
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Why you should spend a snorkelling holiday in picturesque Hanifaru Bay – See the unseen

Situated on the Baa Atoll, Hanifaru Bay is a desolate island in the Maldives that is home to some of the most magical and mystical sea creatures that you'll ever see as a diver.

1

What is Hanifaru Bay

Hanifaru used to be a fishing spot that the local fisherman would visit to catch whale shark which lived side by side with manta rays. News of this area which was abundantly blessed with sea life got out around the 1900s and people from all over the world started flocking to this island to get a piece of the action. With more and more tourists arriving at the islands, fragile natural resources in this region started to deplete and the government of the Maldives had to intervene. After working with many international bodies in 2011 it was recognized as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.

2

Why is it so special?

The island of Hanifaru Bay is one of the desolated islands in the Maldives. Referred to as Vandhumaafaru Adi amongst the locals, the Bay area's underwater seabed is said to be as big as an American Football. The area is highly protected and requires you to purchase a token worth $30 that will enable you to visit the region for 45 minutes. You also have to be accompanied by a snorkel guide approved by Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve. The reason for such high security is because it is the only place in the world where you can see a large number of manta ray gathered in one place during peak season.

3

The Ray Mantas

Being the largest gathering place for manta rays during peak season, Hanifaru Bay attracts marine biologists and nature lovers from all over the world. Cyclone feeding, the ray manta's unique feeding method consists of the mantas doing barrels rolls and floating near the surface to channel their minuscule food inside their mouth through their cephalic lobes, where it is filtered; only the water is then released through their gills. Large groups of ray mantras feed together and during the feeding process, you'll see about 50 ray mantas create a vortex by the first mantra in the line grabbing tail of the last mantra in the ring and then spinning in a circle. If the ring exceeds 100 mantra's you'll see chaos erupt when there is a breakage in the ring and the mantas bumping into each other as they try to continue feeding.

4

How to visit the Hanifaru Bay

As mentioned earlier since the area is highly protected you have to purchase a token and be accompanied by an approved snorkel guide to visit Hanifaru Bay. Most of the Maldives beach resort and hotel properties similar to Milaidhoo Island Maldives purchase the tokens from the Hanifaru Visitor Centre on Dharavandhoo Island and resell it to their visitors while also providing them with approved divers. Visitors are requested to maintain a distance of 3 metres from ray mantas and 4 metres from whale sharks and refrain from disturbing the daily routines of the animals. Photography is allowed but you can't use flashlights or anything that will startle the fish.

5

What's the best time to visit?

The South Western monsoon that occurs between the months of May-December is the best time to visit Hanifaru Bay. There will be a large plankton build up on the reef as well due to the lunar tide that occurs with the monsoon. The build-up of plankton is what attracts large groups of ray mantas... sometimes even up to 200 at once!