This Maldives Resort Has A ‘Manta-On-Call’ Service For Marine Life Encounters

The reef manta ray is a common sight in the Maldives. These enormous, gentle creatures are found across the country's warm tropical waters, moving between atolls as they follow seasonal plankton blooms. Baa Atoll is particularly known for its manta population, with Hanifaru Bay becoming a major feeding ground during the southwest monsoon. When plankton-rich currents gather in the bay, large numbers of manta rays arrive to feed, sometimes forming spectacular groups in the shallow waters.

It is this natural phenomenon that makes the Baa Atoll such a special place for marine encounters. At Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru, guests can experience it through an unusual service that does away with fixed timings and scheduled sightings. Called ‘Manta-On-Call’, the experience works exactly as its name suggests. When the resort's marine biologists spot a feeding aggregation, guests receive a phone call and have around 30 minutes to get to the jetty.

How The ‘Manta-On-Call’ Service Works

Guests who sign up for the experience are given a dedicated, resort-issued handset known as the Manta Phone. Throughout the day, resident marine biologists from the Maldives Manta Conservation Programme and the Manta Trust keep track of the rays and their movements around the atoll. The service operates between 9am and 6pm, from May 1 to November 30, when seasonal currents bring plankton into the protected bays and create the conditions that attract the mantas.

When a sizeable feeding aggregation is spotted, the phone rings. There is then a 30-minute window to make your way to the jetty and board a speedboat. The two-hour safari follows the mantas rather than a set route, so the experience changes with the conditions of the day. There is also a no-sighting, no-charge policy, with guests billed only if the team successfully locates the rays.

A Snorkelling Encounter In Hanifaru Bay

Once the marine team locates the aggregation, guests can enter the water for a snorkelling encounter. Hanifaru Bay is a protected marine area, and scuba diving is prohibited here to help safeguard the ecosystem. This makes the experience snorkel-only, giving guests the chance to watch the mantas from the surface as they move through the water and feed on plankton. A marine biologist accompanies the excursion and offers an educational briefing about the rays and their habitat.

The safari lasts around two hours and includes premium snorkelling equipment, towels and refreshments. The focus is very much on observing the animals in their natural surroundings rather than chasing a sighting. The timing can be unpredictable, but that is also what makes the experience interesting. Instead of heading out because it is 10am and hoping for the best, you leave when the marine team knows there is something worth seeing.

Staying At Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru

The Manta-on-Call service is part of the wider experience at Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru. Spread across 44 acres of tropical wilderness in the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the resort combines its marine setting with a strong focus on conservation, wellness and low-key island living. It has 103 villas and speciality suites across 18 categories, ranging from 77 sq m to the 2,000-sq-m Landaa Estate.

The Water Villas make the most of their overwater setting, with the Sunrise and Sunset Water Villas offering 20-m private lap pools, outdoor overwater hammocks, sunken living rooms and direct access to the lagoon. The Beach Villas and Bungalows are surrounded by thick jungle foliage and come with outdoor showers, sand-floor living and dining pavilions and direct access to the white-sand beach. There is plenty of space to retreat to after a morning spent on the water.

Other Experiences At The Resort

Dining Across The Island

There are four main restaurants and four cocktail lounges at the resort, with each offering a different setting and style of food. Blu Beach Club is an open-air Italian restaurant curated by Chef Nino Di Costanzo, with a relaxed beach-club atmosphere beside the sea. Al Barakat, meanwhile, sits over the water and serves Lebanese, Moroccan and Armenian small plates.

Café Landaa and Fuego Grill bring live Asian cooking counters and fresh catches of the day to the table. The dining options are varied enough that meals can become part of the day's itinerary, whether that means a long lunch by the beach or dinner over the lagoon. As with much of the resort, the setting does much of the work.

Wellness At AyurMa Spa

For those looking to spend some time away from the water, AyurMa Spa offers a more traditional approach to wellness. The sprawling wellness centre provides Ayurvedic treatments and multi-day Panchakarma programmes, along with complimentary yoga trails and consultations with an on-site Ayurvedic physician. The treatments are designed around Ayurveda rather than simply being a collection of spa therapies.

The setting also lends itself to slowing down. A morning can begin with yoga, followed by a treatment and an afternoon spent by the lagoon. After a day of swimming and snorkelling, the quieter pace of the spa feels like a natural part of the stay rather than another activity to fit into a busy itinerary.

Conservation At The Marine Discovery Centre

The resort's relationship with marine life goes beyond the manta excursions. Its Marine Discovery Centre includes a Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, where guests can learn more about the turtles found in the surrounding waters and the work involved in their care. The centre is also a useful introduction to the wider marine ecosystem around Landaa Giraavaru.

There is an interactive Hologram Room where guests can experience a 3D version of swimming with manta rays when weather conditions prevent a trip out to sea. It is a particularly useful alternative on days when the ocean does not cooperate, but it also gives visitors another way to understand these animals. The idea is to connect the excitement of seeing marine life with a better understanding of why these habitats need protecting.

Getting To Landaa Giraavaru

Guests travelling to the resort fly from Malé International Airport aboard the property's private eight-seat luxury seaplane, the ‘Flying Triggerfish’. The journey takes around 35 minutes, taking guests north over the Maldivian atolls before landing near the resort. The flight itself offers a first glimpse of the reefs, lagoons and small islands that make up this part of the Indian Ocean.

Once on Landaa Giraavaru, the pace is considerably slower. You can spend the day at the beach, book a treatment, explore the Marine Discovery Centre or simply stay by the water. But the Manta Phone adds an element of unpredictability to an otherwise leisurely island holiday. When it rings, there is little time to think about it. The mantas have been spotted, the boat is waiting and you have 30 minutes to get there.

The Information

Address: Landaa Giraavaru, Baa Atoll, Maldives

Tariff: Starting from INR 2,00,000+ per night; rates may vary depending on dates, room category, taxes, and availability.

Excursion cost: The Manta-on-Call experience runs from May 1 to November 30 and lasts two hours, with space for up to 10 people, priced at INR 18,317 per adult or child aged 8–15.

Contact: (960) 66 00 888, (960) 401 88 88; reservations.mal@fourseasons.com

Website: fourseasons.com

FAQs