BLOG

It’s THE time of the year again! We’ve been very fortunate to have numerous manta ray sightings over the past few weeks, so it seems like the manta madness around Kuredu is kicking off.

The joy of diving or snorkelling with mantas is ineffable and we’re extremely happy every time we can share our excitement with guests by taking them to sites where manta rays frequently go to feed or have their bodies spotlessly cleaned.

Fushivaru Thila, one of the two marine protected areas in the Lhaviyani Atoll, serves as a cleaning station at which these gentle giants let cleaner wrasses remove small parasites from their skin and gill cavities. We’ve been taking divers to Fushivaru repeatedly, and with the right currents, saw one of those awe-inspiring sights that everyone wishes for.

Since feeding occurs near or at the surface where plankton accumulates, snorkelling is often the best way to get really close to the mantas. They have inquisitively approached us on several occasions, with the highlight being about 20 of these noble creatures a week ago at Dhanifaru.

Our Manta Search diving boats are up and running, and the Manta Ray Specialty Course has again proven to be very popular with snorkellers. We’ve been doing our sums and we have seen approximately 100 mantas around Lhaviyani in September and October, an average of about 3 each time.

We must say, not bad for a season kickoff at all!