Hanifaru Thila
Conditions & tides
Scored by DiveConnect's site-physics model
Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.
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About this site
Hanifaru Thila sits within Baa Atoll, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve on the western side of the Maldives archipelago. The site is known worldwide for seasonal aggregations of manta rays, which gather to feed on plankton concentrated by monsoon currents, typically between June and November, with eagle rays and barracuda also regular on the reef. Divers have also reported whale sharks passing through, along with fusiliers, snapper, sweetlips, trevally, parrotfish, butterflyfish, anemonefish and other reef species around the bommie. The site tops out at around 16 metres, rated a beginner dive over a reef bottom, though a narrow passage and narrow swim-through have been noted there. Because of its ecological sensitivity, diving is restricted and snorkeling is the more common way to experience the aggregations, with strict rules on numbers and behavior enforced to protect the animals. Timing a visit to the plankton blooms and current patterns that draw in the megafauna matters more here than technical skill.
Marine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
SweetlipsSweetlipsReported here · unconfirmed
Eagle rayEagle rayConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
WhaleWhaleReported here · unconfirmed
FusilierFusilierReported here · unconfirmed
BarracudaBarracudaConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
Redlip ParrotfishScarus rubroviolaceusReported here · unconfirmed
Blackfin AnemonefishAmphiprion nigripesReported here · unconfirmed
Red-tailed ButterflyfishChaetodon collareReported here · unconfirmed
Powder Blue TangAcanthurus leucosternonReported here · unconfirmed
Blacksaddle TobyCanthigaster valentiniReported here · unconfirmed
Spotted LinckiaLinckia multiforaReported here · unconfirmed
Tawny Hermit CrabCoenobita rugosusReported here · unconfirmed
Bluestriped SnapperLutjanus kasmiraReported here · unconfirmed
Midnight SnapperMacolor macularisReported here · unconfirmed
Manta rayManta rayConfirmed present · 3 independent sources
SnapperSnapperReported here · unconfirmed
TrevallyTrevallyReported here · unconfirmed
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
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