Underwater
Two all-time aquatic experiences with Anantara Kihavah Villas in The Maldives; Manta Rays and The Golden Wall

Maldives.net.mv – Encounters with Manta Rays and Anantara Kihavah Villa’s house reef ‘The Golden Wall’ are two lifetime experiences snorkellers of every ability shouldn’t miss out on. The manta ray is one of the most mysterious and largest fish in the ocean with wingspans of up to 5 metres or more and Anantara Kihavah Villas offers your best opportunity to encounter these amazing creatures in their natural annual migration to The Maldives.
“This year’s migration to Hanifaru Bay in Baa Atoll is particularly exciting,” says Joseph Lassus, Anantara Kihavah Villas resident Marine Biologist. “According to reports from the Manta Trust research team based in Baa Atoll, when the mantas arrived in May this year, there were more sightings of pregnant mantas than in the last 10 years. We are noticing this as well with the mothers getting bigger as the season progresses. With a pregnancy term of 12 – 13 months, this means that next year we can expect to see a lot of baby mantas in Hanifaru Bay. Already on a recent snorkeling trip we came across a new born pup, which is really quite rare to see, roughly measuring 1.2 metres from wing-tip to wing-tip.”
Curious, friendly and, unlike stingrays or eagle rays, mantas do not have stingers. They feed on a variety of plankton, which accounts for their large, gaping mouths. Hanifaru Bay is situated in Baa Atoll, a UNESCO marine protected biosphere covering an area of 303 hectares. From May to November each year, huge amounts of krill and plankton here attract all kinds of marine life, making it the world’s largest natural manta ray feeding destination.
Being the best place to spot manta rays in the Maldives, access to Hanifaru Bay is regulated by park rangers, who have close contact with Elements water sports centre at Anantara Kihavah Villas, giving our guides information on sightings before they head out on the 20 minute boat ride to the protected area. With no previous snorkelling experience required, tours depart 3-4 times a week from Anantara Kihavah Villas. Our tour guides scout the spots where mantas frequent, usually in Hanifaru Bay or in nearby currents where plankton and krill swim. Once in the water, snorkellers are then treated to an amazing underwater ballet whereby giant mantas glide and somersault in mesmerizing patterns. The mantas often swim within centimetres of snorkellers, always managing to avoid contact at the last second. On any given day visitors to Hanifaru Bay can see anywhere from a couple of mantas to more than a forty depending on plankton levels. Getting this close to these majestic creatures is truly an experience of a lifetime.
At Anantara Kihavah Villas itself, the house reef has become known by the local divers as ‘The Golden Wall’. Joseph explains, “The beauty of this dive site results from the incredible amount of sedentary life forms inhabiting the wall, completely covering its steep surface, edges and overhangs. This provides an immense variety of habitat to many local species of fish, lobsters, sea stars etc. The area is clearly dominated by wide spread colonies of soft corals, these being of many different species displaying a huge range of colours, such as the orange, magenta or mauve spiky soft corals and cauliflower soft corals. To have this quite literally on our doorstep means an amazing dive no matter what the conditions are. Among all the bright colours displayed, the particular presence of yellow and golden coloured variations make it clear to any diver why this reef is best called The Golden Wall and a “must dive” reef when in the Maldives.”
Anantara Kihavah Villas provides a stylish haven just 35 minutes by seaplane from Male. The Ocean Discovery Package for two persons is bookable on Anantara.com and includes five nights’ accommodation in a Beach Pool Villa or Over Water Pool Villa, daily buffet breakfast, and both guests enjoy a Dolphin Discovery excursion, a Turtle Quest or Manta Ray Snorkelling excursion, a choice of one Scuba Dive or one Scuba review course, a 30 minute Seabob water sport experience and a local island visit.
Excursions
COMO Maalifushi and Cocoa Island join global tribute to women divers on 10th PADI Dive Day

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of PADI Women’s Dive Day, COMO Maalifushi and COMO Cocoa Island will host dedicated dive experiences in tribute to the passion, resilience, and adventurous spirit of women divers worldwide. Scheduled for Saturday, 19 July 2025, this global initiative brings together divers in a united effort to increase female participation in scuba diving, while also promoting marine conservation and inclusivity beneath the waves.
On this date, both COMO properties in the Maldives will organise specially guided dives exclusively for certified female guests. These experiences offer participants the chance to explore the region’s thriving marine ecosystems and connect with a broader movement that champions gender inclusivity and environmental stewardship in the diving community.
Situated in the unspoilt waters of the Maldives, COMO Maalifushi provides access to a range of renowned dive sites, including coral gardens and manta ray cleaning stations. These underwater landscapes are ideal for divers seeking meaningful interactions with marine life in a setting of natural splendour.
Peter Nilsson, Managing Director of COMO Hotels and Resorts in the Maldives, commented, “At COMO, we are committed to empowering women not only on land but also beneath the surface of the ocean. PADI Women’s Dive Day gives us a platform to honour values such as inclusivity, passion, and marine conservation — all of which resonate strongly with our brand ethos. We are proud to create experiences that allow our guests to forge lasting connections with the natural world in transformative and memorable ways.”
At COMO Cocoa Island, participants can expect similarly enriching experiences, with access to gentle reef slopes, crystal-clear lagoons, and a diversity of marine life. Supported by expert marine guides, the dives are designed to be both empowering and educational, fostering a deeper appreciation of the ocean’s delicate balance.
First launched in 2015, PADI Women’s Dive Day has grown into the world’s largest celebration of women in diving. This year, both COMO resorts aim to inspire a new wave of female divers while reinforcing the importance of sustainability and unity beneath the surface.
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Netflix’s ‘All the Sharks’ puts global spotlight on tiger shark paradise in Maldives’ Fuvahmulah

The first episode of Netflix’s new competition series All the Sharks is set in Fuvahmulah, Maldives — an island now confirmed by scientists as home to the largest documented aggregation of tiger sharks in the world.
The global series, which premiered Friday, follows four teams of marine experts racing to photograph the most shark species across six biodiverse marine locations. Its opening episode brings viewers into the waters of Fuvahmulah, a shark diving hotspot in the southern Maldives, where recent research has identified 239 individual tiger sharks over six years — more than any other single location globally.
A peer-reviewed study published earlier this year in Nature.com, led by Lennart Vossgaetter of the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research in Germany, used non-invasive photo identification to confirm Fuvahmulah’s ecological significance. Researchers found that adult female tiger sharks show strong site fidelity, remaining in the island’s warm, food-rich waters for extended periods during gestation.
The big picture: Science meets streaming in Fuvahmulah
Fuvahmulah, long renowned by divers for consistent encounters with tiger sharks, now features prominently in both marine research and global entertainment. The Netflix episode captures this extraordinary setting as part of a larger series spanning Japan, South Africa, the Galapagos, Australia and the Bahamas.
According to the study, Fuvahmulah’s waters — influenced by oceanic currents and lacking a surrounding atoll — provide ideal reproductive conditions for tiger sharks, particularly pregnant females. The research team documented the world’s highest number of individual tiger sharks identified in one confined marine area.
The scientists described Fuvahmulah as a “bright spot” for tiger shark conservation in the Indian Ocean, bolstered by the Maldives’ national shark sanctuary status.
Zoom in: A friendly global shark race
All the Sharks follows four two-person teams — Shark Docs, Gills Gone Wild, British Bait Off and Land Sharks — competing to photograph the most and rarest shark species at each location.
The series is hosted by Tom “The Blowfish” Hird, a marine biologist known for his dramatic delivery and braided pirate-style beard.
Points are awarded based on species rarity, with the season’s top team winning US$50,000 for a marine conservation charity of their choice.
Though the show leans on reality TV conventions, its content remains grounded in ocean science and conservation. Fuvahmulah’s inclusion in the series serves as both a dramatic setting and an educational entry point into the world of shark biology and environmental protection.
Details: Unregulated tourism meets scientific concern
The Nature.com study also raised concerns about the rapid growth of shark tourism in Fuvahmulah, particularly at the island’s famed “Tiger Harbour.” While tourism provides a major economic boost for the island, shark provisioning and diving currently remain unregulated, with no official national guidelines.
The researchers warned that the absence of regulation — including standardised safety measures and environmental practices — could jeopardise both shark welfare and the long-term viability of the tourism industry.
They pointed to successful models in countries like Fiji, where community-managed marine protected areas (MPAs) have been implemented to balance economic activity with ecological sustainability. The study recommended similar frameworks for the Maldives, calling for inclusive stakeholder management plans to ensure responsible ecotourism in one of the world’s most important shark sanctuaries.
Why it matters: Maldives in the global spotlight
The series premiere and the scientific findings together shine a global spotlight on the Maldives’ critical role in shark conservation. As the world celebrates 50 years since Jaws and enters another summer of shark-themed content, All the Sharks provides a rare blend of adventure, education and scientific relevance.
The show includes conservation graphics detailing the biology and threatened status of each shark species, shifting the narrative from fear to appreciation. For viewers — and for the Maldives — the message is clear: these apex predators are essential to ocean health and worthy of protection.
The bottom line: Fuvahmulah is both spectacle and sanctuary
As All the Sharks captures the thrill of underwater discovery, Fuvahmulah emerges not only as a top-tier dive destination but as one of the most ecologically important shark habitats in the world. With Netflix bringing its waters to millions of viewers and science affirming its global conservation value, the moment calls for action — to protect, to regulate and to preserve this unique corner of the Maldives for generations to come.
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Dive for free at Kandooma, just named Maldives’ leading dive resort

Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives has been crowned ‘Maldives Leading Dive Resort 2025’ at the prestigious World Travel Awards, marking a major milestone as the inaugural winner of this newly introduced category.
The announcement was made at a glittering gala ceremony held on 29 June in Tanzania, attended by tourism and hospitality leaders from across Africa and the Indian Ocean. The accolade honours Kandooma’s commitment to exceptional diving experiences and innovation in accessible underwater tourism.
“We’re surrounded by some of the most awe-inspiring marine life in the Maldives – it’s truly like diving in a living aquarium,” said Mark Eletr, General Manager of Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives. “From graceful manta rays and reef sharks to turtles, moray eels, and vast schools of tropical fish, our waters are teeming with life.”
Just minutes from the resort are world-class dive sites including Kandooma Thila, a renowned cleaning station for grey reef sharks; Guraidhoo Corner, famous for its strong currents and pelagic encounters; and Medhu Faru, where divers drift alongside vibrant coral walls. The close proximity of these sites allows for up to three dives a day – ideal for enthusiasts chasing underwater thrills.
Central to Kandooma’s diving success is its bold ‘Dive Free’ initiative – a game-changer for the scuba community. Guests who stay three nights or more and are certified divers receive two complimentary boat dives per day, including equipment and professional guidance.
“Diving can be an expensive pursuit, so we decided to flip the script,” Eletr added. “Our ‘Dive Free’ program removes the barriers and makes the underwater magic of the Maldives accessible to more people than ever.”
Kandooma’s on-site 5-star PADI dive centre offers courses for beginners through to advanced, specialty certifications and refreshers, as well as private excursions for underwater photography, night dives, and wreck explorations.
With its commitment to sustainability, marine preservation, and guest experience, Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives has proven that world-class diving doesn’t have to come with a luxury price tag – just a sense of adventure.
For more information or to book a diving escape, visit: www.maldives.holidayinnresorts.com
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