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Divers and snorkellers visit the Maldives with dreams of being able to spend time in the water with manta rays and for many of those visiting recently their dreams came true!

The traditional manta hot spot of the Lhaviyani Atoll, Fushivaru Thila, has lived up to expectations so far in the 2018 manta season with reliable manta sightings since the end of August. Some days Fushivaru has been absolutely full of these majestic creatures putting on amazing shows for divers and snorkellers.

Snorkellers from our Manta Search Boats were treated to the sight of more than 30 mantas feeding at the surface, huge mouths open wide for funneling in the nutrient-rich water containing their feast of tiny krill and other plankton. Swooping and whirling in a feeding train, one behind the other, the manta rays kept the snorkellers bewitched for ages – it was certainly a sight to remember and a tick for many bucket lists.

On a separate occasion, divers had their own special highlight – viewing from close to the big coral blocks that form the cleaning stations they saw at least 7 male mantas gliding in and then hovering over the blocks to be cleaned. As if this wasn’t a spectacle enough, all of a sudden the mantas started chasing a female for mating. The female hadn’t chosen her male by the time the divers had to surface and sometimes the courtship behaviour can last for several days. After successful mating, the young develop in eggs which then hatch inside the mother before being born. None of the divers wanted the dive to end – one of those situations where you wish for a never-ending tank!

The Lhaviyani manta season has been spectacular so far and we wish all our guests many more magical manta moments!