Swimming with the whale sharks and manta rays is one of the highlights of any trip to the Maldives. The Baa Atoll is the best place to go diving as it is one of the most diverse biospheres on Earth and was even declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re planning your exciting trip. There are plenty of Baa Atoll resorts available all year round and some even offer diving excursions.
Best Time to Visit
If you’re a certified diver, it is recommended that you schedule your visit from December to May or from June to October as the seas are the calmest then. However, the weather in the Maldives is great all year round except in the wet season that lasts from May to August. The famous Manta Season is from May to November.
Best Things to See
If you’re here during Manta-Ray season, you’ll be able to witness a mesmerising feeding spectacle. The Hanifaru Bay is also home to a lot of different species of reef animals, fish, turtles, hard and soft corals and a number of shark species. Here is also one of the few places on Earth where whale sharks come to mate!
Hanifaru Bay
Although it is not allowed to scuba dive here anymore, Hanifaru Bay is still one of the best places to see Mantas. The bay is also home to a special kind of reef manta named Manta Alfredi that often roam in neat lines, hovering over each other. If you’re really lucky, you’ll be able to catch them in their spinning dances.
Anga Faru
Known more commonly as the “Aquarium” this is the birthplace of the Grey Reef Sharks. You’ll see many grey sharks swim past you while you’re diving here. There’s another dive site adjacent to this named Anga Thila which is a fascinating journey through five underwater hills 25-30m deep.
