Inside Hanifaru Bay during manta season

Hanifaru Bay is a 700-metre-long V-shaped reef that traps zooplankton on certain tidal currents between May and November. When the conditions align — a strong incoming tide, a southwesterly wind, a new or full moon — hundreds of reef mantas funnel into the bay to feed in cyclones, daisy chains, and somersault patterns you will not see anywhere else. Visitor numbers are tightly controlled. You can only enter the bay on a permitted boat with a marine biologist on board, snorkel only (no scuba), one hour at a time. We work with two boats that hold the permits and we book months in advance during peak season.