With over 1000 beautiful tiny islands clustered around 26 ring-shaped atolls, the fascinating Maldives archipelago has a unique geography. Nearly 200 islands have luxury resorts that offer unforgettable holiday experiences for visitors. A top bucket list experience for most of them is “Swimming with Manta Rays”.
The ideal setting
Aside from the luxurious resorts surrounded by greenery and views of the vast ocean, the Maldivian Atolls are home to one of the biggest manta ray populations. This provides an ideal setting for keen underwater enthusiasts to swim with Mantas. Adaaran Club Rannalhi, on South Male Atoll, is among the award-winning Maldivian diving resorts that offer frequent encounters with these Gentle Giants.
Majestic Giants
As you plan to dive or snorkel with manta rays, be aware that you can swim with these gentle creatures. See them feeding at the surface, huge mouths wide open to funnel in the water rich with plankton and tiny krill, whirling and swooping to get the right target, akin to dancing. Visitors often feel bewitched when observing them in their serene habitat underwater, intently feeding.
Manta Spas
These underwater spots in the Maldives are frequented by mantas for a clean-up. Witness this fascinating spectacle during the season. As mantas visit these spots (seamounts or coral reefs), shoals of small fish swim over to eat the dead skin and parasites clinging to the mantas, making them clean, and the giants gracefully keep taking in nutrient-rich water into their capacious mouths.
Useful Tips
• Check the manta cleaning seasons to plan your trip
• Stay calm in water; mantas do not harm humans
• Don’t chase them, but swim along with them
