Anga Faru Thila

A series of reef extensions and pinnacles in Baa Atoll, running between Anga Faru and Dhigu Thila — Anga Faru means "Mouth Reef" in Dhivehi. It's built of three reef-top formations that sit a little deep, the top reef around 16 m or deeper, and it works as a spread of manta cleaning stations, so checking them all takes some swimming. The reef is lush with hard corals and sea fans, patrolled by schools of fusiliers and striped jacks, and mantas turn up at the stations anywhere from a pair to more than five at a time. The bay-like shape traps plankton, drawing reef mantas and the occasional whale shark to feed on the concentrated zooplankton — a phenomenon that intensifies during the southwest monsoon (May–November) when tidal currents push nutrient-rich water through. In the right conditions you may see "cyclone feeding," where mantas form rotating circles up to 20 m across to funnel their food. The site lies within a 769-hectare protected area designated in 2009, an Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Area (EBSA) within the UNESCO Baa Atoll Biosphere Reserve, and is recognised as an Important Shark and Ray Area (ISRA). Boat entry.