Hi Layla,
I have seen these new rules in a draft document, however when I left the Maldives a month ago it had not be signed into law yet. I will be back next week, but I am sure Shaff will know if it's confirmed or not yet.
The thing about Hanifaru is that it's a very small window of time each month when there is real action. From my observations over the last 3 years going regularly to the lagoon the action is most lickely the week around full moon, and the week around new moon each month from July to November. Even in those weeks it's only really within 3 hours or so of high tide that day. Even then there is obviously no guarantee.
However in august to November you can be guaranteed mantas as most weeks on the check dive you can see them only 25mins away from the airport at Lankan Manta Point. If you go to Baa and you can't be in the Lagoon there is a good chance to see them at the cleaning stations around Hanifaru, which will not be restricted by the new rules.
My main point is basically, don't worry about Hanifaru. In the lagoon the mantas are feeding, which means they are close to the surface anyway. Free diving / snorkeling actually gives a great encounter with them.
The reality is that some of the best encounters with Mantas are when they are cleaning, as they hover so gracefully, often just above you which is far more majestic. This can be experienced daily with an outgoing current most of the year in unrestricted dive sights around the Maldives.
Hanifaru is also not the only place that mantas feed, there are lagoons up and down the atolls of the Maldives where they come in to feed, there are even some that attract far more Whalesharks than Hanifaru.
So don't worry, find a boat, and they will certainly find you the Mantas
Cheers
Alex