Hanifaru Bay is within a UNESCO biosphere reserve which makes it a marine protected area. This famous bay is located within Baa Atoll, one of the 26 atolls that make up the Maldives. Baa Atoll is known for its pristine coral reefs and abundant marine life.
In addition, Hanifaru Bay is known for being home to one of the largest aggregations of manta rays in the world! It was one of the most amazing experiences that I have ever had! I highly recommend attempting to go if you’re ever in the Maldives! You may also get lucky and find a whale shark during your snorkel. Although, I didn’t see a whale shark we did see nearly 30 mantas :).
Yes, snorkel. There is no diving allowed in the bay anymore. This is for the best, as this place will get crowded with hundreds of snorkelers every day.
How to get to Baa Atoll
Baa atoll is about a 25 min seaplane or 3-hour boat ride from the international airport in Male. The times also depend on exactly which island you are going to within Baa Atoll. Most resorts or guest houses will provide excursions to Hanifaru Bay or you can also book your own with local guides (what we did).
Getting to the Mantas
To enter the marine park you must buy a token, the price for the entrance token depends on the type of visa you have. As I have been working in the Maldives I have a work visa that gets me a local price (wahoo!). If you are just visiting no worries because the entrance price is only about $20 USD or 310 Maldivian rufiyaa. This is 100% worth it for the experience to swim with mantas and see this marine park.
The next thing to do which is important is to book a licensed tour guide to take you into the marine park. We booked a tour guide with Maldivers, located on the local island, Maalhos, in Baa Atoll. The guide came along on our boat, gave us a quick briefing, and took us to see the beauties!
Since we booked a speed boat, tour guide, and entrance token on our own, the process may be a bit different than if you are booking through a guest house or resort. Make sure to double-check before you buy your own entrance token as your place of stay may have already included it in the excursion fee.
How to Swim with Manta Rays
Hopefully, your guide with go over this and more with you once you are nearly in the water.
It is extremely important to mention that if you are planning to swim with mantas that you should not expect to touch them. It is so sad that still in modern times people do not show respect to wildlife in their natural habitat.
Even here, in this protected area, so many individuals are able to get way too close. I even witnessed some manta rays getting kicked or having to change their path so that they wouldn’t run into tourists. I could only imagine having hundreds of people around you while trying to eat! It is a pretty crazy sight.
It’s important to remember to stay at least 3-4 meters away from the animal. I also recommend not swimming below any manta rays if you are not an experienced free diver. Just please, please, please respect these beautiful creatures and the rare occasion that you get to witness them! They are so unbelievably graceful and majestic.
It was an unbelievable experience & I can’t wait until my next encounter with these gorgeous creatures.
Since the manta rays are here to feed on phytoplankton, the water did not have the best visibility :/ Although the pictures look a little fuzzy due to all the microscopic animals, I still thought I would share them.
