Hanifaru Bay Mantas: Why It’s Snorkel Only

The short answer: Hanifaru is a tiny, protected bay where hundreds of reef mantas can feed at once, so scuba diving is banned and visitors watch from the surface. Many divers feel a little disappointed at first. Once you understand how the bay works, the rule feels less like a limit and more like good manners.

So let us look at the bay first, and then at what the mantas are doing there.

A small bay with a strong law

Hanifaru is not a big lagoon. The reef is about 700 by 200 metres, and 22 metres at its deepest. It was declared a Marine Protected Area in 2009, and today it has its own Maldivian regulation. The core area covers 467.5 hectares, with a 200 metre buffer zone around it, and the government plan calls it a “Look, See, Don’t touch” zone.

The wider Baa Atoll became a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2011. That label is about balancing protection, research and local life. The actual rules for Hanifaru come from Maldivian law, and the site is managed by the Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve Office.

A bay that catches food

Mantas do not come to Hanifaru because it is famous. They come because the bay traps their food.

From May to October, the southwest monsoon currents bring deep, nutrient-rich water towards the surface, and plankton grows. The government plan describes this plankton as “locked” between the monsoon currents going one way and the tidal currents going the other, like a funnel. Scientists describe it from the reef side. The tide draws tiny animals called zooplankton into the shallow reef, and a swirl of water made by the shape of the reef keeps them there.

Wind, moon and tide shape each day too. A long study, with 28,373 sightings of 1,835 individual rays, found mantas were more likely at Hanifaru with stronger westerly winds, after a new moon and close to a full moon, and just after high tide. On other days they are simply somewhere else in the atoll.

Season and numbers, without promises

The plan describes seasonal feeding groups of reef mantas and whale sharks from May to December, with most visitors from July to September. Up to 1,500 individual reef mantas may visit across a season, and feeding groups can peak at 200 to 250 animals. Whale sharks sometimes come for the same plankton.

These are season totals and peak moments, not a normal day. Many visits see a few mantas. Some see none. The monsoon that feeds the bay also brings wind, rain and choppy boat rides. It is all part of the same ocean.

Why is Hanifaru Bay snorkel only?

The plan is clear. Scuba diving and any motorised diving equipment, such as underwater scooters, are not allowed in the bay. The scientists who work there explain it simply: so many manta rays and other big animals come into this small inlet that diving is prohibited.

There are limits for snorkellers too. According to the 2025 plan, at most 10 boats may enter, at most 80 people may be in the water at the same time, and each visit lasts at most 45 minutes. Boats keep to 2 miles per hour, swimmers stay at least 3 metres from mantas and whale sharks, and flash photography needs special permission. Rules can change between seasons, so always check the current ones with your local guide.

Why does snorkel only make sense? This is our own reading, not a study. At the surface, people stay in one thin layer of water, while divers would fill the whole space where the mantas feed. A group at the surface is also easier for rangers to see and manage. Sometimes the more respectful experience is the less technical one.

A snorkeller can still be too much

Snorkel only does not mean no impact. Research cited in the plan found that meetings between mantas and tourists in the Maldives followed the recommended guidelines only 44% of the time.

Small reactions, like a change of direction, started when people came within 3 metres. Touching, blocking and chasing tended to make mantas flee. Coming from the front made a strong reaction more likely, and coming from above was much more likely to stop the feeding. Mantas were seen to abandon feeding when people came too close, and less food is likely to mean fewer young that survive.

Protection has helped, but it needs care. The management plan clearly reduced boat and snorkeller numbers between 2011 and 2017, yet by 2019 tourist numbers were back at 2010 levels. In 2019 surveys, 30% of reef mantas recorded in Baa Atoll had injuries, and 43% of those came from human sources. Reef mantas are listed as Vulnerable and whale sharks as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

How to float gently at Hanifaru

Choose a certified local guide who briefs you on the boat, before you are in the water. Float calmly at the surface and never dive down onto a feeding manta. Keep at least 3 metres away and stay to the side, out of its path. No touching, no chasing, no flash. If a manta turns towards you, stay still and let it choose its line.

A mask that fits well helps more than people think. I use a low-volume mask and a simple snorkel, so I am not lifting my head or fighting water while the mantas pass.

Legal and respectful are not always the same. A session can follow every rule and still feel too busy for the animals. If the bay is crowded, the kind choice can be to wait on the boat. Wildlife encounters are unpredictable. Snorkelling with mantas should always follow local regulations and experienced professional guidance.

You can meet this animal a little better on the reef manta ray page of our Ocean Atlas, and if you are still looking for your own place in the ocean, our Ocean Match is a gentle place to start.

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

Questions people ask

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.