Manta Point

Manta Point sits within Baa Atoll, part of the Maldives archipelago in the central Indian Ocean, an atoll designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve partly for its manta ray aggregations at cleaning and feeding stations. Sites carrying this name in Baa Atoll, particularly around Hanifaru Bay, are known for seasonal gatherings of manta rays and whale sharks that feed on plankton concentrations driven by monsoon currents. Diving and snorkeling access is typically arranged through resorts or liveaboards operating within the atoll, with visits often timed to the southwest monsoon season when plankton blooms draw the rays in.

Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.

• Tawny Hermit CrabCoenobita rugosusReported here · unconfirmed
• Spotted LinckiaLinckia multiforaReported here · unconfirmed
• Striped SurgeonfishAcanthurus lineatusReported here · unconfirmed
• Thin-shelled Rock CrabGrapsus tenuicrustatusReported here · unconfirmed
• Orangestripe TriggerfishBalistapus undulatusReported here · unconfirmed
• Redlip ParrotfishScarus rubroviolaceusReported here · unconfirmed
• Eyeline SurgeonfishAcanthurus nigricaudaReported here · unconfirmed
• Powder Blue TangAcanthurus leucosternonReported here · unconfirmed