Where to See Manta Rays Responsibly

A manta ray passes overhead, unhurried, wingtips barely moving, and for a moment you forget to breathe through your snorkel. It is the kind of encounter that changes how people think about the ocean. It is also easy to get wrong: crowded cleaning stations, boats idling too close, snorkellers reaching out to touch a passing wing. So where can you see manta rays responsibly? Beyond Bali's Nusa Penida, four places stand out: Isla de la Plata in Ecuador, Hanifaru Bay in the Maldives, Tofo in Mozambique and the Kona coast of Hawaiʻi.

The best of them share a few things: a population that returns to the same places, researchers who keep watching, and local rules that put the animal's behaviour ahead of the visitor's photo. Nusa Penida is the manta encounter most travellers already know, and we wrote about responsible manta diving at Nusa Penida separately. Here is the wider picture, with the parts I could confirm and the parts I could not.

Are manta rays endangered?

Good to know before anything else: there are two manta ray species, and their stories are not the same. The reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi), the smaller, more coastal species you meet at most popular dive sites, is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. The giant oceanic manta ray (Mobula birostris), bigger and more at home in the open sea, was moved up to Endangered in an IUCN assessment published in 2020. The Marine Megafauna Foundation described it as the first manta ray species to be listed as Endangered.

Both face the same main threat: fishing, both targeted and as bycatch. In a few places, unmanaged tourism adds pressure at the small number of sites where they reliably gather. That is why where and how you watch them matters.

Ecuador: the largest known oceanic manta population

Isla de la Plata, off Ecuador's Pacific coast, sits at the heart of what researchers believe is the largest known population of oceanic manta rays in the world. A study by Harty and colleagues, published in Marine Ecology Progress Series in 2022, identified 2,803 individual mantas from their belly spot patterns between 2005 and 2018 and estimated a population of 22,316 animals. The authors treat that number as a lower bound. For comparison, a co-author told the press that other oceanic manta populations are usually estimated at 1,000 to 2,000 animals.

Two details from that study stay with me. Many of the photos came from recreational divers, which is a real way for a visiting diver to contribute, not only observe. And 563 of the rays had visible injuries or scars, more than half of them linked to fishing gear. I could not find a single best month in the study itself, so ask local operators and researchers about the season before you plan.

The Maldives: Hanifaru Bay's monsoon feeding

Hanifaru Bay, a small bay in Baa Atoll, hosts one of the best-known reef manta feeding gatherings in the world. It was declared a Marine Protected Area in 2009, and the wider Baa Atoll became a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2011. The Maldivian government's 2025 management plan describes seasonal feeding groups from May to December, when monsoon currents trap plankton in the bay.

Access is tightly managed. According to that plan, scuba diving is not allowed in the bay, at most 10 boats may enter, at most 80 people may be in the water at once, and each visit lasts at most 45 minutes. Swimmers keep at least 3 metres from mantas and whale sharks, and flash photography needs special permission. Our article on why Hanifaru Bay is snorkel only explains the reasons. Rules can change between seasons, so check them with your guide.

Mozambique: a research base, and a warning

Tofo, on Mozambique's southern coast, is where the Marine Megafauna Foundation has studied mantas, whale sharks and other large animals for around two decades. Since 2021, a Mozambican fishing law protects manta rays, mobulas and whale sharks, according to the foundation.

But Tofo also shows the hard side. A peer-reviewed paper by Venables and colleagues documents persistent declines in manta and devil ray sightings in the region, and the foundation reports an 82 percent decline in reef manta sightings at Závora, linking much of it to fishing pressure. Diving with an operator connected to that research means your visit supports the people watching most closely, but it also means accepting that some days will bring no mantas at all.

Hawaiʻi: a night encounter with a resident population

Off the Kona coast of Hawaiʻi's Big Island, manta rays gather after dark where lights attract plankton. Divers usually settle on the bottom and snorkellers stay at the surface, lights pointing up, and the mantas decide how close to come. The Manta Pacific Research Foundation has catalogued the Kona mantas by their spot patterns for decades, according to local reporting and dive operators. Operators describe sightings on most nights, but no one can promise one.

At its best, this set-up leaves the choice about distance with the animal, which is close to the ideal manta encounter. At its worst, it gets crowded. Ask how many boats share the site and how many people each guide looks after.

The ethical layer: what responsible means at any manta site

Across all these places, the same few rules hold: no touching, no chasing a manta that is moving away, no flash near feeding or cleaning sites, and never blocking a manta's path or its cleaning station. A good operator explains all of this before anyone gets in, keeps groups small, and ends an encounter instead of crowding an animal that shows signs of avoidance.

For photos, an underwater or action camera on natural light is enough, and our piece on why we leave the flash off around marine wildlife explains why. A long-sleeved rash guard means less sunscreen in the water during a long wait at the surface, and a well-fitting low-volume mask means fewer distractions when the moment comes. And honestly, flying to any of these places has a real environmental cost; staying longer and choosing fewer, better encounters is one way to respect that.

Patience over promises

Manta rays do not owe anyone an encounter. The privilege of watching one, wherever you find it, deserves protecting on the same terms the researchers and rangers at these sites already use: no touching, no chasing, no crowding a wild animal for a closer view or a photo. Wildlife encounters are unpredictable. Manta ray encounters should always follow local regulations and experienced professional guidance.

If this made you curious about experiencing the ocean this way, you can explore our upcoming retreats.

Questions people ask

Are manta rays endangered?

The giant oceanic manta ray was assessed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List in 2020. The reef manta ray is listed as Vulnerable. Fishing, targeted and as bycatch, is the main threat to both.

Where is the largest known manta ray population?

Off coastal Ecuador, around Isla de la Plata. A 2022 study in Marine Ecology Progress Series estimated 22,316 oceanic manta rays, which the authors describe as a lower bound.

Can you scuba dive at Hanifaru Bay?

No. The Maldivian management plan does not allow scuba or motorised diving equipment in the bay. Snorkellers are limited too: at most 80 people in the water, 10 boats and 45 minutes per visit, according to the 2025 plan.

When is manta season at Hanifaru Bay?

The government plan describes seasonal feeding groups from May to December, linked to the southwest monsoon. Even in season, some visits see few mantas or none.

Are manta sightings guaranteed on the Kona night dive?

No. Operators report sightings on most nights, but they are wild animals. A responsible operator will say so clearly.

How close can I get to a manta ray?

At Hanifaru Bay the plan asks swimmers to stay at least 3 metres away. Everywhere, let the manta choose the distance: no touching, no chasing and no blocking its path.

Wildlife encounters are never guaranteed and never forced. Ocean Calling works only with vetted, ethical local operators, and every animal is free to approach, or not, entirely on its own terms.

Sources & further reading

1. Ministry of Tourism and Environment, Maldives, 2025. Hanifaru Marine Protected Area Conservation Action Plan, Baa Atoll, 2025-2030.
2. UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme. Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve.
3. Marine Megafauna Foundation. Manta rays and whale sharks now protected in Mozambique.
4. Harty, K. et al., 2022. Demographics and dynamics of the world's largest known population of oceanic manta rays Mobula birostris in coastal Ecuador. Marine Ecology Progress Series 700: 145-159.
5. Venables, S. et al., 2024. Persistent declines in sightings of manta and devil rays (Mobulidae) at a global hotspot in southern Mozambique. Environmental Biology of Fishes.
6. Marine Megafauna Foundation, 2020. Giant manta becomes the first manta ray to be listed as an endangered species.
7. Manta Trust. World's largest oceanic manta ray population.
8. Yale Environment 360, 2022. Scientists discover more than 22,000 endangered manta rays off coast of Ecuador.
9. West Hawaii Today. Reporting on Kona manta rays and the Manta Pacific Research Foundation.
10. Scuba Diver Life. Record-breaking 46 manta rays on Kona night dive (secondary).

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