Maldives Whale Shark Trips – Summer 2010

Is swimming with whale sharks something you’ve always wanted to do, but never had the chance?  Have you seen whale sharks in the wild before while scuba diving/snorkeling, but you’re dying for another opportunity to swim with them?  Now is your chance!  Maldives Dive  Travel is offering a wide selection of whale shark safaris this summer, so there’s bound to be one to suit your schedule and budget.  The following scuba diving safaris all depart from the city of Male, the capital of the Maldives.  Prices include accommodation, meals and diving.

Whale Shark Trips with Maldives Dive Travel in 2010

Maldives Whale Shark Dive Trips 2010

• Stingray : August 17 – 24.  7 nights. USD $1,176
  Baa Atoll / Hanifaru
• Black Pearl: August 30 – September 13.  14  nights.  USD $2,590.
  Hanifaru Whale Shark / Manta Ray safari with Marine Biologist on board
• Black Pearl: September 13 – 20.  7 nights.  USD $1,295.
  Mamingili Beyru Whale Shark Safari with Marine Biologist on board
• Stingray: September 15 – 22.  7 nights. USD  $1,176.
  Baa Atoll, Hanifaru
• Theia: August 2 – 9. 7 nights. USD  $1,344.
  Baa Atoll, Hanifaru, Ari  and North Male Atoll
• Theia: August 9-16. 7 nights. USD $1,344.
  Baa Atoll Hanifaru, Ari  and North Male Atoll
• Theia: August 16-23, 7 nights. USD $1,344
  Baa Atoll Hanifaru, Ari  and North Male Atoll
• Theia: August 23-30. 7 nights, USD $1,344
  Baa Atoll Hanifaru, Ari  and North Male Atoll
• Theia: August 30 – September 6. 7 nights. USD $1,344
  Baa Atoll Hanifaru, Ari  and North Male Atoll
• MV Orion: September 3 – 13,  10 nights USD $1,990
  Baa Atoll Hanifaru, Ari  and North Male Atoll
• Theia: September 6-13. 7 nights, USD 1.344
  Baa Atoll Hanifaru, Ari  and North Male Atoll

All cruises on Theia are subject to the following surcharges on board: USD $8 p.p./p.n. obligatory Maldivian tourism tax + USD $14.50  fuel surcharge per person per night.

Please Note (valid for all boats):
Travelling to Baa Atoll and back requires adequate weather conditions and is subject to change. Prices are per person, per cruise in a standard cabin full board accommodation inclusive all dives.  On many of the boats, upgrades to other cabins are available at a cost.

Dive Hanifaru 2010!

Summer 2010 is approaching quickly and with it come many new opportunities to dive with manta rays and whale sharks in the incredible Hanifaru Bay dive site in Baa Atoll, the Maldives.  Hanifaru Bay has sprung to fame in recent years after being featured in the National Geographic Magazine.  As shown in the documentary, Hanifaru is the setting for a spectacular natural phenomenon known as a manta ray “feeding frenzy”, during which up to 200 manta rays and up to a dozen whale sharks gather together to feed voraciously on the massive amounts of plankton found in Hanifaru Bay during the months of August and September each year.

Reserve your space on a magical dive safari of Hanifaru Bay today!

Manta Ray Feeding Frenzy at Hanifaru Bay in the Maldives

Maldives Dive Travel Hanifaru Safaris

Maldives Dive Travel is off offering several Baa Atoll dive safaris for 2010, which will include a visit to Hanifaru Bay, weather permitting.  These dive safaris are available on either Theia liveaboard or MV Orion Liveaboard.

Theia Dive Safaris to Hanifaru

Theia Dive Safaris to Hanifaru Bay

Theia, the brand new luxury liveaboard, launched in Februrary 2010, has several 7-night dive safaris of the Baa Atoll and the North Male Atoll, home to some of the Maldives’ finest dive sites including Lion’s Head, Okobe Thila and Banana Reef, to name a few.

Theia departs Male on the following dates for this amazing Hanifaru Bay scuba safari:

July 19 – 26 | August 2 – 9 | August 9 – 16 | September 6 – 13.  The price for the safari is USD $1,344 per person which includes 2 or 3 dives each day, all meals and accommodation.

MV Orion Dive Safari to Hanifaru Bay

MV Orion Cruises to Hanifaru Bay

MV Orion, another of the Maldives’ most luxurious liveaboards, is also offering safaris that will visit Hanifaru as well as sites in the Baa Atoll, Ari Atoll and North and South Male Atolls.

Space is extremely limited for this special Hanifaru Bay dive safari, which departs Male on September 3 for a 10-night trip.  The cost of the trip is USD $1,990 per person which includes all meals, accommodation and 2 or 3 dives each day.

Don’t miss out on this scuba adventure of a lifetime.  Contact Maldives Dive Travel today to find out more and reserve your space.

Theia Liveaboard Cruise Update

Theia set sail again on Monday, March 15 for another stunning cruise of the Maldives.  Weather forecasts for the week were good with an average temperature of 31C, but a few thunderstorms and light winds expected.

To book a space on a Theia dive cruise, contact Maldives Dive Travel today!

Theia Liveaboard Cruising the Maldives

Theia Diving

Divers will enjoy two or three dives each day.  So far, they have enjoyed some awesome dives, including a dive at Boduhithi Thila in the North Male Atoll, where they saw a variety of sharks and some stingrays.

Grey Reef Shark seen at Rasdhoo Madivaru

The next dive was at Rasdhoo Madivaru in the Rasdhoo Atoll, where they saw three manta rays, white tip, black tip and grey reef sharks and enjoyed excellent visibility.  Several dives were held at the Rasdhoo Madivaru since it is such a spectacular dive site, and during a morning dive at the site, the group was lucky enough to see a group of mobular rays.

Theia Liveaboard Manta Ray

After the Rasdhoo Madivaru, Theia moved on to Bathala Maaga Kan Thila where divers were treated to an amazing grey reef shark show!

Theia Liveaboard

Theia is definitely one of the most spectacular boats in the Maldives today.  These photos show some of her characteristics and amenities.

Sunset from Theia's Deck

Theia, like all liveaboards in the Maldives, is accompanied by an additional dive boat, known as a dive dhoni, from where all the dives are carried out.  All equipment is stored on this boat, making the guest experience on board even more comfortable since there is no need to carry dive gear from the main ship on to a secondary boat.  The dive dhoni also carries first aid and emergency equipment in case something should go wrong during the dive.  The compressor is also kept on the dhoni, so there is never any noise from the compressor on the main boat.

Theia's Additional Dive Boat

Theia Cruise Special Offers

Theia is currently running a special introductory price of only $192 per person per night, which includes all dives and meals.  Flights to the Maldives are not included and neither is scuba gear, although this can be rented (just let the boat know in advance).  There are regular cruise departures on Theia and they usually last for 7 – 10 nights.  There are several cruises this year that are scheduled to visit renowned Hanifaru Bay, home to the manta ray “feeding frenzy”.  These cruises are scheduled for: July 19 – 26, August 2 – 9, August 9 -16, August 23 – 30 and September 6 – 13.

To book a space on a Theia dive cruise, contact Maldives Dive Travel today!

Hanifaru Bay

Hanifaru Bay is a marine protected uninhabited island located in the Baa Atoll of the Maldives Islands.  Its size is no greater than that of a football field and yet it has become one of the hottest spots on the planet for underwater photographers.  The reason for this modern day phenomenon of underwater diversity is because plankton blooms between the months of May and November – a very unusual phenomenon – attracting manta rays by the hundreds.  At any one time at Hanifaru Bay, there can be up to 200 manta rays feeding off the coral reefs as well as plenty of whale sharks which do the same.  Hanifaru Bay has become the world’s largest Manta Ray feeding destination.

Scuba Diving with Manta Rays in the Maldives

Hanifaru Bay gets International Recognition

This phenomenon has made Hanifaru Bay one of the greatest attractions for snorkelers and divers in the world today as no marine life enthusiast would want to miss the opportunity of watching hundreds of manta rays and whale sharks feed in their natural environment.  National Geographic recently made some video and photo documentaries about Hanifaru Bay that have caught the attention of underwater enthusiasts around the world by showing the incredible sights that can be discovered at Hanifaru Bay.

Hanifaru Bay Phenomenon is the Result of a Whirlwind of Plankton

From May to November, the lunar tide pushes against the Indian Oceans south western monsoon current, which creates a suction effect that pulls plankton from deep water up to the surface at Hanifaru Bay.  Meanwhile, close to the surface, the plankton dives away from daylight and gets trapped amid the current.  In just a few short hours, a massive concentration of plankton builds up and as the water turns cloudy with plankton, the huge manta rays and the gigantic whale sharks take advantage of this sensational feeding opportunity.  And divers and snorkelers from around the world take advantage of this unique natural phenomenon.

Hanifaru Bay Hosts Unique Manta Ray Feeding Frenzy

Manta rays are known, on occasion, to chain feed.  This is when the manta rays gather together in a long line, with the tail of each manta ray touching the head of the manta behind him.  It is said that when 50 or more fish chain fee, something truly remarkable happens:  The manta ray at the head of the line catches the tail of the last manta ray in the chain, and the chain spins into a vortex; this is called usually cyclone feeding; one of the most dramatic manta may feeding behaviours.  However, at Hanifaru Bay, there can be more than 100 hundred manta rays in the chain so they start to spiral out.  When the chain breaks down you get chaotic feeding, described by National Geographic as a “Feeding Frenzy”, and hundreds of manta rays start bumping into each other from left, right and centre.  As well as this manta ray madness, whale sharks also get in on the action, sometimes up to 12, each as large as a 40-foot shipping container.  Needless to say, the supply of plankton runs out within hours.

Hanifaru Bay to be protected by Maldivian Government

The Maldivian government believes that the excess of divers and snorkelers observing the spectacular scenario at Hanifaru Bay could cause the feeding behaviour of these manta rays to change.  So, it has made a pledge to protect the underwater creatures by enforcing guidelines for both divers and snorkelers.  The goal is to make it possible for both the manta rays to feed as they usually do at Hanifaru Bay and for people to enjoy this natural activity at the same time.  The Hanifaru Bay has become a unique and critically important place for the long-term sustainable development of the Baa Atoll, the Maldives and the whole global underwater ecosystem.

Visiting Hanifaru Bay in the Maldives

Maldives Dive Travel has a number of cruises that visit Hanifaru Bay in the Maldives. To find out more about Hanifaru Diving Safaris on MV Orion, check out this trip report.

MV Orion Offers Scuba Diving Trips to Hanifaru