Hanifaru Bay, the small horseshoe-shaped inlet inside the UNESCO Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve, recorded one of its strongest manta ray seasons in years through 2025 — culminating in a single afternoon on 5 November when researchers and snorkellers counted more than 100 mantas inside the bay, joined intermittently by five whale sharks.
It is the kind of aggregation that earned Hanifaru its global reputation in the first place, and a reminder of why the bay remains the single most important manta site in the Indian Ocean.
More than a hundred mantas in a single afternoon is the kind of number that puts Hanifaru Bay back on the bucket-list of every serious snorkeller and underwater photographer.
What was recorded
Through the southwest monsoon season, marine biologists working with the Maldives Manta Conservation Programme tracked manta numbers above the long-term average. The 5 November count was the season's standout day, but the broader pattern through October and November showed consistent aggregations of 30 to 60 mantas at a time — the kind of density that turns a routine snorkel into a once-in-a-lifetime encounter.
Why Hanifaru Bay aggregates manta rays
The bay sits at a tidal pinch point that funnels plankton-rich water into a confined area on incoming tides. When the southwest monsoon drives plankton blooms across the atoll, the geography of Hanifaru effectively concentrates the food source — and the mantas know it. They arrive in formations to feed in tight loops, cyclones and chains, all visible from the surface.
Best months and how to visit responsibly
Manta season at Hanifaru runs from June to November, peaking from August to October. Whale sharks can join the feeding events from August onwards, particularly when plankton concentration is at its highest.
Hanifaru is a strict marine protected area: snorkelling only (no scuba diving), a daily visitor cap, mandatory permits, and an on-site ranger system. Most resorts in Baa Atoll run permit-included excursions, and a number of liveaboard operators include Hanifaru in their monsoon-season Baa itineraries.
If you are planning a 2026 trip primarily for the manta season, book your dates before resort inventory tightens — Baa Atoll operators historically sell out for August through October by early in the year.
