Manta Ray Season
The Maldives has the largest known population of reef manta rays (Mobula alfredi) in the world, estimated at over 10,000 individuals, and the manta season is one of the most important natural events in the country. From May to November (the southwest monsoon), mantas gather at "cleaning stations" on the eastern side of the atolls : specific coral bommies where small cleaner wrasse remove parasites from the mantas' skin. The most famous cleaning stations are at Hanifaru Bay in Baa Atoll (a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve), where hundreds of mantas and sometimes whale sharks feed together in a cyclonic feeding frenzy during the plankton blooms. The sight of 50-100 mantas spiraling in a column of plankton-rich water is one of the most extraordinary wildlife spectacles on Earth, and Hanifaru Bay is strictly regulated to protect the animals : only a limited number of snorkelers are allowed in the water at one time, and scuba diving is prohibited during manta season. Manta tourism generates an estimated $8.5 million annually for the Maldives, and a single live manta is worth an estimated $100,000 in tourism revenue over its lifetime (compared to $500 for a dead manta's gill plates). . 2026: Apr 5. 2027: Mar 28.
