Baa Atoll

The only UNESCO Biosphere Reserve atoll, and the only place in the world where 200 reef mantas can occupy a single square kilometre on a single rising tide.

Baa sits in the central group of atolls, about a 40-minute seaplane flight from Velana. Of the 26 administrative atolls, it is the one where the strongest argument can be made for going specifically — not because the resorts are better than elsewhere, although several are, but because the marine event in Hanifaru Bay during August to November is genuinely unique in the world.

The atoll designation matters operationally. Hanifaru Bay is a protected zone; access requires a permit issued through licensed operators (every Baa resort holds them), is capped at 45 minutes per boat, and is snorkel-only — no fins, no diving. The rules are enforced by rangers who sit in a tower at the bay entrance, and the rules are why the manta aggregation keeps coming back. The shape of a great visit here is: book a Baa resort in late September, plan three permit windows across the stay, and accept that on the fourth attempt the wind may shut Hanifaru down.

Outside the Hanifaru event, the atoll's diving is the upper end of average — competent, with regular reef manta sightings, occasional whale shark, and the standard cast of tropical reef species. The resorts are the better reason to be here in the rest of the calendar.

— Horizon. Verified 8 May 2026. Next refresh: 8 May 2027.