Baa Atoll Liveaboard: Hanifaru Bay Manta Trips

Late July to early October. Mantas gather to feed at Hanifaru Bay during the southwest monsoon, roughly May to November, but the biggest gatherings usually come between August and September, on days with strong tides around the full and new moon. That is why every Baa liveaboard departure in our table falls between 11 July and 22 October.

No. Hanifaru became a Marine Protected Area in 2009 and scuba diving inside the bay has been banned since 2012. Everyone snorkels it, with a licensed guide, in short timed sessions. Divers on a Baa liveaboard spend their other dives on the thilas and cleaning stations around the atoll, where mantas are also seen.

Operators charge between about US$20 and US$30 per person for each entry, and it is usually paid on board. On Top Class Cruising boats it is a US$20 park fee and on Duke of York and Conte Max US$30; Pearl Fleet lists US$50 on White Pearl; on Emperor Serenity it is built into the price; Amba and Solitude Gaia add it separately. Ask us and we put the exact figure in your quote.

Eleven boats we book: Princess Haseena and Princess Maani on Manta Madness and Northern Highlights, Emperor Serenity on Hanifaru & North, Amba on an 8-night tour from Dharavandhoo, the new Solitude Gaia on Baa Manta Madness weeks, Conte Max on Baa weeks in late August and September, and Duke of York on a September Baa week and two October Manta Expedition weeks with a manta biologist on board, and White Pearl, the largest dive liveaboard in the Maldives, on Hanifaru Bay Manta Encounter weeks from August to October, and Maldives Aggressor II on a 10-night Lhaviyani, Noonu and Baa trip in October, plus Maldives Blue Force One and Maldives Blue Force 3 on Hanifaru and Central Atolls weeks from July to October, with Blue Force 3 also running 10 and 11-night Hanifaru and Extended North trips in late September. The dates table lists every departure.

Yes, more than most routes, because the highlight is a snorkel. Non-diving partners often join at a lower rate. Check that the boat runs snorkel trips on the other days too; our snorkelling liveaboards guide lists the boats that do.

Most operators ask for Open Water plus about 30 logged dives, and Amba asks for Advanced Open Water with nitrox and at least 10 logged dives. The Baa thilas have current, though usually less than the Vaavu and Ari channels.

No. The mantas follow the plankton, and the plankton follows the tide, the moon and the wind. Most weeks in season see good numbers, some sessions are quiet. Boats keep the visit flexible and dive the Baa cleaning stations instead when the bay is empty.

Most Baa trips start and end in Malé, 15 minutes from the airport, and cross to Baa on the boat. Amba’s Hanifaru tour starts at Dharavandhoo, Baa’s domestic airport, which is a 30 to 40 minute flight from Malé that is not in the price; we can book it.