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Location Central & North Maldives
Duration 14 nights
Vessel Conte Max / Duke of York
Level from Open Water
Manta Expert Niv Froman
PASSION
MANTA
HIGHLIGHTS
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Specifically designed for people who are IN LOVE with manta rays, see as much of them as possible!
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Flexible itinerary, timed to coincide with the best monsoon winds and lunar currents, which strongly influence the movements and feeding habits of reef manta rays
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Experience the wonder of immersing yourself among a feeding frenzy of these gentle giants
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Enjoy the incredible variety of dive sites and marine life of the Maldives
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Learn from your dedicated Manta Trust expert, embark on a hunt for new aggregation sites
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Participate in workshops & help scientists collect meaningful data to further manta ray research and conservation!
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The unique feature of this expedition lies in the full flexibility of the itinerary, which will be adapted on a day-to-day basis depending on the movement of the mantas at the time of the trip. However, the expected route includes the following highlights:
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Ari Atoll – Home to the second-largest manta population in the Maldives, this atoll offers numerous opportunities to witness both feeding and cleaning aggregations of these magnificent creatures. A key highlight here is the chance to swim with mantas feeding at night within one of the local lagoons – an absolutely magical experience! In addition, you will dive some of the country's most renowned sites, where you can encounter sharks, eagle rays, schooling reef fish, and vibrant soft coral walls.
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Baa Atoll – Off the beaten path for most dive liveaboards, Baa Atoll is a more remote region we’ll explore for a few days, specifically to witness the extraordinary manta feeding frenzy at Hanifaru Bay (and hopefully encounter a whale shark too!). Witnessing the world’s largest fish feeding alongside the world's largest rays is an experience most people will never forget.
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Raa Atoll – Just north of Baa, Raa Atoll is a less-visited area yet home to a large population of manta rays. We’ll search for both feeding and cleaning mantas, while also conducting exploratory dives to identify new aggregation sites. Raa also offers some spectacular diving, from anemone gardens to vibrant reefs teeming with fish, and close-up encounters with grey reef sharks, to name just a few.
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Lhaviyani Atoll – Our next stop, Lhaviyani, will provide more opportunities to witness mantas feeding and cleaning, alongside schools of fusiliers and snappers. However, a visit to Lhaviyani is incomplete without diving through its shark-filled channels, encountering massive resting green turtles, and exploring its stunning anemone gardens.
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North Male Atoll – Our final destination, North Male Atoll, will offer further opportunities to dive with cleaning mantas and explore more iconic dive sites brimming with marine life and soft corals.
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At this time of year, the weather in the Maldives can be more variable, but these monsoonal conditions are precisely what create the planktonic blooms that attract mantas and whale sharks in huge numbers.
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While we can never guarantee these natural events, we’ve designed the trip to maximize our chances of being in the right place at the right time, guided by the expertise of Manta Trust scientist, Niv Froman.
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NOTE: The itinerary of the cruise may be subject to changes based on the weather and ocean conditions.


A TYPICAL ITINERARY
Day 1:
The team will welcome you at airport upon arrival
Transfer to the vessel between 10am-2pm
Welcome cocktail & briefing
Depending on guest arrival times, check-dive
Day 2-13:
2-3 dives daily
Snorkel opportunities
Workshops & presentations by onboard Manta Expert
The itinerary of the cruise is kept flexible to adapt to best conditions and manta sightings
Day 14:
Check-out (8am latest)
Transfer to the airport
"
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One of my best expeditions in 40 years of diving the oceans.
Just great, wonderful !
Marcus Koch, Manta Passion 8
MEET YOUR MANTA EXPERT

Niv has been passionate about nature for as long as he can remember. His dream has always been to live in close contact with the world’s wild places and to try to understand their fascinating mysteries. After graduating summa cum laude with a degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Milan, Niv completed a Masters degree in Environmental Management, focusing primarily on animal behaviour and evolution. In 2010, Niv started working as a marine biologist in the Maldives, an experience that brought him closer to marine life and developed his passion for the underwater world. Building on his background as a professional swimmer, Niv quickly became a proficient freediver and qualified as a Dive Master. Following his first encounters with the Maldivian manta rays, their complex and poorly understood behaviour drove his desire to learn more about these majestic animals and work to aid in their conservation. It was this drive that brought Niv to the Manta Trust, with whom he worked as the Project Leader for the Maldivian Manta Ray Project from 2013 to 2017. In 2017 Niv moved on to lead the development of the IDtheManta platform as Global Database Manager and began in 2018 his PhD on the reproductive ecology of the reef manta population of the Maldives at Cambridge University. This exciting new project aims to shed new light into the mysterious life of these gentle giants and aid improving their conservation status. Throughout the expedition, Niv will be providing lectures and informal talks on manta ray and whale shark research and conservation. In addition, Niv will conduct general presentations on marine biology, with a focus on the diverse and productive marine ecosystems of the Republic of Maldives.
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The enthusiasm and flexibility of the
crew, the knowledge from Niv and the camaraderie of participants
made this trip magnificent.
Tracey Dennis, Manta Passion 8
YOUR IMPACT

