Hanifaru Bay, a manta feeding hotspot in Baa Atoll

Happy Hour at Hanifaru Bay! “A shrimp cocktail for all the mantas, please.”

Hanifaru bay is the biggest manta feeding hotspot in the world. However, the underwater bay is actually quite small. While the uninhibited island Hanifaru, like many other islands in the Maldives, is just a tiny sand patch. The grandness comes from the number of reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) that show up just in time for plankton happy hour and have a lavish feast together with some fellow filter-feeding whale sharks.

The site is a protected marine park and the whole Baa Atoll, where Hanifaru bay lies, has been declared a UNESCO biosphere reserve. This remote atoll is known for having some of the richest coral reef systems in the world.

But what makes it the largest manta feeding station on earth? And how big is large?

 

Why are hundreds of mantas from all over the Maldives attracted to Hanifaru Bay?

The answer lies in a very unique combination of factors. The rare shape of the bay and its geographical position are the first things that play a key role. Hanifaru bay is a long and narrow (channel-like) bay with a dead-end. It serves as a scoop for all the plankton being carried up from the deep sea. The second factor is the southwest monsoon current in the Indian Ocean. It pushes nutrient-rich water into the western opening of the bay from May through November. The third and crucial factor is the lunar tide, which pushes against the oceanic current.

So much for the facts, now to understand what exactly is going on. If there is no counter-tide, the mixture of zooplankton is simply washed over the bay into the outside of the atoll. Logically, at high tide, the plankton should simply be carried to the inside of the atoll, but instead it stays trapped in the bay! Why? Plankton is swept up from the deepest sea and once at the surface, it shies away from daylight and instinctively dives back down. The combination of oceanic and tidal currents encapsulates a huge amount of zooplankton. One brings it up and the other caps it on top, thus creating a thick soup, on which the filter-feeding giants come to feast.

When all factors are right there are up to 200 manta rays coming together from all over the Maldives for a magnificent feeding performance at the tiny Hanifaru Bay.

Video credit: Liquid Salt Divers & Aveyla Manta Village

 

What is unique about the manta behaviour during happy hour?

Manta rays have very peculiar feeding tactics. They feed on the tiniest organisms by filtering tons of water and capturing tropical krill, shrimp, tiny fish, jellyfish and other plankton with their gill rakers. When they hit nutrient-rich waters they perform a backward somersault to stay in the spot for more. This is also called a barrel roll – a strategy that maximises their food intake and saves them energy.

When mantas feed together they form a chain and swim in a row with maws wide-open. The jaw-dropping phenomena that can be observed at Hanifaru Bay is called cyclone feeding. It occurs when more than 50 mantas chain feed and the head of the chain catches the tail. This results is a manta whirlpool. As a massive concentration of plankton builds up in the bay more mantas join the party. This is when things start getting out of control. When numbers reach 100+, mantas start breaking out of the circle and spiralling in all directions. They seem to lose all sense of coordination, resulting in chaos feeding. Needless to say, the shrimp cocktail happy hour only lasts for a few short hours. After that the mantas slowly retreat.

 

Photography tips

• Leave your flash at home – strobes and lights are not allowed in the marine park so set your camera to daylight.
• Use a wide-angle or fisheye lens – as the water is very murky, you will want to get as close as possible to compensate for the poor visibility. With a wide-angle lens you will be able to capture the whole scene.
• Stay shallow – even if you are an excellent freediver, allow for enough ambient light in the plankton soup.
• Take videos – the feeding spectacle is captured much better in motion than in still images!
• Try the outer-bay – the water is deeper and visibility is improved by the current.
• NB: If you are doing commercial photography or videography you will require a license.

Our top tip for capturing this phenomenal experience is to simply take your smartphone! As the action is all around, you will appreciate having a bigger screen than that of an action camera so you can see what you are capturing in the frame. Our favorite travel companion is the DIVEVOLK SeaTouch 4 Max. It comes with a bunch of accessories like trays, lights and lenses, but what you will want to have for Hanifaru Bay and any other snorkelling and freediving trips is the dedicated dome port. It allows you to not only take amazing split shots, but also serves as an extra wide angle and improves the quality of your footage around the edges, removing any distortion caused by the refraction of light in water.

The SeaTouch 4 Max is an award-winning waterproof phone case, which has revolutionised the market through its full-touchscreen membrane. It is waterproof up to 60m/200ft and comes in variations and inlets, which fit virtually any smartphone model on the market. For more details, read the full product review of the DIVEVOLK smartphone housing!

 

Visitor quick facts:

Where is Hanifaru Bay?

Hanifaru bay is on the east side of the distant Baa Atoll. It is approximately 115 km north of Male and the Velana International Airport (MLE).

 

How to get to Baa Atoll?

Depending on where you are staying, you can either take a sea plane directly to your resort or a domestic flight to the Dharavandhoo Airport (DRV) followed by a boat transfer. The flight time is approximately 30 min.

 

How to go to Hanifaru bay?

Being a marine park, access to the Hanifaru Bay is regulated and happens by means of taxi vessels. These depart every hour from the Dharavandhoo island. This is the main local island in Baa Atoll, where the domestic airport is situated. It lays just 2 km away from Hanifaru. You will need to obtain a visitors token at the Hanifaru Visitor Center. With it you will have a 45-min access to the biosphere reserve. The current price is 30$ and all the profits go to the Baa Atoll Conservation Fund.

Direct access to the Hanifaru Bay is not permitted. Resorts, guest houses and liveaboards, however, can arrange for the visitor tokens and transfers. You can either be dropped off at a designated area outside the bay and then swim to it. Alternatively, you can go to Dharavandhoo and catch the water taxi that will take you to the heart of the action. All visitors need to be accompanied by a certified Hanifaru bay guide.

 

When is the manta season at Hanifaru bay?

The manta season is considered to be between May and November, during the southwest monsoon current in the Indian Ocean. The best time to visit Hanifaru Bay is between June and early October.

Insider tip: If you want to increase your chances of witnessing the manta madness try to book your stay over a full or new moon. During that time the tides are higher, capturing more plankton in the bay.

Insider tip 2: There are many manta cleaning stations in the Baa Atoll. There you can put your strobe back on and head out for some spectacular diving.

 

Can you scuba dive at Hanifaru bay?

Scuba diving is no longer permitted at Hanifaru bay, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have an amazing experience swimming with the mantas and whale sharks. As most of the action happens close to the surface you will be amidst the giants and have incredibly close encounters simply by snorkeling.

 

Discover places to stay in Baa Atoll

Just a 15-minute boat ride from Hanifaru Bay lays the splendid island of Amilla Fushi. The authentic Maldivian Amilla Resort & Residences is one of the most spacious private islands in the Maldives. Combining stylish contemporary design with powder sugar beaches, lush jungle, and crystalline waters, it provides the perfect setting to indulge yourself on an unforgettable vacation.

And when you are not swimming with mantas and whale sharks in the bay, you will love exploring the remarkable biodiversity of Baa atoll and the dozens of spectacular dive and snorkelling sites around the island.

 

 

 

Conservation & Regulations

The Hanifaru bay used to be a very popular place amongst the local fishermen who used to hunt the whale sharks that also frequently visit the area. In the mid 90s the first dive centers opened up in the Baa Atoll and the tiny bay got quickly crammed with more scuba divers and boats than filter-feeding giants. This disrupted the local ecosystem and resulted in a sharp drop in the numbers of animals that returned to the bay.

Recognising the threat of displacement of manta rays and whale sharks from this unique foraging ground, in 2009 the Maldivian government declared Hanifaru Bay a Marine Protected Site. Together with the Manta Trust organisation it started taking proactive measures towards the sea life conservation. In 2011 the entire Baa Atoll was declared a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in recognition of its importance to the marine ecosyste. Not surprisingly, Hanifaru Bay is one of the core protected zones.

Subsequently, fishing and diving have been banned in the area. The local government is working towards building a sustainable tourism around the biological crown of the Baa Atoll. Current regulations restrict the number of boats to five and the total number of people to 80 at any given time. All visitors get a thorough briefing on the minimum distance and adequate behaviour when approaching the giants. Using flashes, motorized vehicles or touching the animals is strictly prohibited. Marine rangers patrol the water and use drones to oversee that all snorkelers adhere to the strict guidelines for interactions with the marine life. Boats are not allowed to go into or moore next to the bay and need to maintain a speed limit as not to cause any disturbance.

 

Check out liveaboards in Baa Atoll

 

 

Acknowledgements

* All photos are courtesy of our friend Sidey from Liquid Salt Divers & Aveyla Manta Village. Thank you so much for sharing these amazing pictures!

* And a special thanks to our friend Azim from Maldivers, who is a Marine Scientist based in Baa Atoll and contributed to the correctness of this article.

Check out also where you can see oceanic mantas in the Maldives and where the best shark diving in the Maldives is!