Hanifaru - october 2011

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Dorit

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Location
Denmark
# of dives
50 - 99
Hi - anyone can give me an update on diving hanifaru this October? Read that 2011 was last chance for diving there, but then read on this board that it might already be too late?
I want to go to one of the nearby resorts in the beginning of October and do landbased diving (since have to bring husband and baby ;-) and of course would like to see the Mantas feed at Hanifaru.
What are my chances? Any good advise?
Anyone who knows of nearby Baa Atoll resorts who run day dive trips to the Hanifaru Bay?
 
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Hiya
I've heard from friends who run a liveaboard out there and that I will be diving with in November that diving will be allowed until the end of this year and then from 2012 you will only be able to snorkle.

I've dived there on previous years and the best way to sum it up is awsome. We last dived there in 2009 and we had 50+ Mantas and not 1 or 2 or 3 but 5 Whale Sharks that stayed around so you could then snorkle with them for 2.5hrs - truly mind blowing :D

Can't help with resort info as I've always done liveaboards

Hope you get to experience the wonders of Hanifaru
Happy & Safe Diving
Vicky
 
Diving is banned already in Hanifaru for resorts.
Only Boats that had already sell trip package have a limited access to the bay for diving. But that too will be completely banned soon (I think by January 2012)

Local resorts do organize snorkeling in the bay and I believe they have dome some kind of agreement based on which they have a certain day of the week they can go. But just to snorkel.
I have been there in 2009 and 2011 and can tell you that no resorts will bring you there diving. At least this is what i saw this last August while I was there.

Snorkeling can be fun as well because when they congregates (usually best time end of july beginning of august) there are really so many!

Hope you will sort it out and enjoy!
 
We just returned from a 10 day cruise to Hanifaru. You can stlll dive in there. They alternate days between land based operations day boats and liveaboards. All that will end at the end of this year and I believe they will be even more restrictive I have to tell you that the week we were there there were no mantas in Hanifaru and none at all in the Baa Atoll. They have been having a very bad season. Apparently the monsoons are not appearing or they are blowing the wrong way. So the currents are not bringing in the nutrients that the big guys eat. Three of our group did see a whale shark in the channel in the Ari Atoll. The visibility in general was poor and there was not a lot to see. We finally did see mantas at Manta Point near Male. We could have taken a day boat there from Male.

Hope the conditions improve for your trip.
 
Hanifaru has been very poor last season.

A lot of boats went there from the start of the season (> July) but after many many trips with unhappy customers they stopped going to Hanifaru.
Don't know if the mantas were scared away by the dozens of boats (10 boats was not unusual) or the lack of plankton. There were some sightings in the Lavyani and Raa atol but when the first boats reported 40+ mantas at Dhiggurah and whalesharks at Maamagili (both South Ari) the safarisboats stopped taking risks and all went to South Ari.

I know of one boat who did take the risk and went there while the other boats already stopped going and around full moon in October (Oct 12) there was some action which died again after full moon.

Next year Hanifaru will be closed for divers. Hanifaru has become a UNESCO site and the Maldives are going to regulate access to the site and ask money for entrance. Of course all to protect the mantas.
As I understand people first have to go to the visiting centre at Dharavandu, pay a fee, get on the boat which transports them to Hanifaru and then get 45min allowance to snorkel.

As diving is no more allowed and it is a long and risky crossing for the lob's I don't think there will be many boats showing up at Hanifaru next year.

We have heard of other places like Hanifaru we will check out next year. Hope to show you some footage next year :D.

Dive safe
Bas
 

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