The ocean's gentle giants, on a private snorkelling charter — whale sharks in South Ari, mantas in Baa Atoll's Hanifaru Bay. We arrange it honestly: the right vessel, the right atoll, the rules done properly.
South Ari Atoll, around the Maamigili area, hosts juvenile whale sharks year-round, making it the Maldives' most reliable place to swim alongside them. It sits roughly 100 km from Malé — reachable by fast speedboat, but best run from a charter based in the atoll.
Hanifaru Bay, in the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, draws some of the planet's largest manta gatherings — sometimes over a hundred at once — when the plankton blooms, roughly June to November. It lies about 120 km north-west of Malé, inside a strictly protected zone.
The distances are real, and we'd rather tell you up front than sell you a day that doesn't work.
Hanifaru Bay has been a Marine Protected Area since 2009 and part of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 2011. The rules exist to protect the mantas — and we follow them to the letter.
Tell us your dates, group size and what you'd like to do, and we'll reply personally with the right vessel and a tailored quote — usually within hours.
Your request is with us. We'll reply personally, very soon, with the right vessel and a tailored quotation.
Not realistically. Whale sharks are in South Ari Atoll (~100 km from Malé) and mantas at Hanifaru Bay in Baa Atoll (~120 km). A slow luxury yacht cannot cover that in a day — these need a fast speedboat, or are best run from a charter based in those atolls.
South Ari Atoll, around Maamigili, hosts juvenile whale sharks year-round and is the main site. We arrange private snorkelling charters there.
It's a Marine Protected Area in the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve: snorkelling only (no scuba), a 45-minute permit once per day, a $20 conservation fee, strict daily and simultaneous visitor and boat limits, and no touching or flash photography.
Whale sharks are seen year-round in South Ari. Manta aggregations at Hanifaru peak roughly June to November, with the biggest gatherings often around the full and new moon.
No. Liveaboards cannot enter directly; guests transfer in from Dharavandhoo by local taxi boat, under the bay's access rules.