Dharavandhoo Island, Baa Atoll

My, my, my. what an island! Dharavandhoo Island is located in the Baa Atoll. Hanifaru Bay, a.k.a. home to the mantas, is just 10 minutes away. Dharvandhoo is a locally inhabited island, so there are no resorts and alcohol and bikinis are not allowed. The island has its own domestic airport, a few restaurants, 2 souvenir stores and a few guest houses like Blue World Dharavandhoo. From quiet strolling (and sometimes cycling) through empty alleys to watching boats zoom in and out of the marina, and reading books for hours under the shade of coconut trees – I felt like I was the main character in a Hallmark movie! But alas, no local heartthrob entered the scene.

Diving in the Maldives

Ideally, while Maldives is a year-round destination, the peak months are from December to March/April. The rest of the months bring about spells of rain and thunderstorms which reduces your visibility from 100% to about 50%. But, the murky waters and currents are what attract the mantas to Baa Atoll.

Faisal and Appi were so professional and the nicest dive guides. They practised ethical diving and advised our group to follow the same. I’ve previously dived with some guides who got way too close to marine life and even attempted to hold some of them. So, I was THRILLED to know I had chosen a dive centre that matched my values in ethical diving.

Marine life in the Maldives

The marine life of Baa Atoll was absolutely bonkers! We saw quite a few reef sharks, sea turtles, morays, and tons of tropical reef fish. The critters didn’t have my full attention this time as I was more focused on looking for mantas, sharks and turtles!

We even spotted some basking Risso’s dolphins on our way back to the island. They were bobbing around on the surface for quite some time.TIP: Watch the sunrise! A pod of dolphins leaping around a few metres from the shore MIGHT just make it more special. It was so magical when I saw them, I actually cried – through happiness of course.

First Manta!

Lo and behold, on one morning dive, a manta blessed us! Following it to its cleaning station, two more mantas decided to hover around us and leave us in complete awe! We watched them glide through the water, in a peaceful, graceful motion before disappearing into the blue.

The rest of the dives were unmatched. My head swivelled 360 degrees every 3 minutes, hoping to catch a glimpse or a shadow of another manta in the distance. This continued for the next 3 days of diving haha.

Where to stay in Dharavandhoo

Thanks to a recommendation from a fellow diver, Blue World Dharavandhoo (BW) was the perfect dive centre and host. The rooms at BW were clean, spacious and ‘blue’. If you get tired of walking around the island, or if it’s too hot, ride a bicycle instead! BW has plenty!

Karthik from BW planned everything about 1-2 months before my trip, including my domestic flights to and from Male. BW was a 2-minute walk from the local airport, and Karthik was right there to greet me as I got off the plane.