Kandooma Maldives Announces Third Annual Manta Month This September
- Kandooma Maldives hosts its third annual Manta Month this September with guided excursions, education and marine conservation activities.
- Located in South Malé Atoll near key manta habitats, the resort offers dives to hotspots during peak manta season.
- The programme supports the Manta Trust with US$5 donated per manta pendant sold, alongside clean-ups and family activities.
Kandooma Maldives is welcoming back its annual Manta Month this September, bringing guests, team members and the local community together for a month of manta encounters, education and marine conservation.
Located in South Malé Atoll, Kandooma is close to important manta habitats, making it an ideal setting for guests to learn about and experience these remarkable marine creatures. Manta activity in the surrounding waters peaks between July and November, placing September among the key months for encounters.
Throughout September, guests can join guided excursions with the resort’s marine team and Kandooma Dive, the resort’s PADI 5 Star Dive Centre, to explore known manta hotspots when conditions allow. The experiences combine the opportunity to encounter mantas in their natural environment with insights into their behaviour and conservation.
The programme also highlights the story of Kandooma, a manta rescued in August 2023 after becoming entangled in ghost fishing nets near the island, highlighting the threats discarded fishing gear can pose to marine life.
Younger guests can take part in manta-themed activities and crafts, while reef and island clean-ups invite guests and team members to contribute to protecting the surrounding marine environment. Manta Month also supports the Manta Trust, with US$5 donated for every manta pendant sold at the resort boutique during September. The funds will support the organisation’s research, education and conservation work.
The initiative forms part of Kandooma’s wider sustainability efforts and ongoing commitment to marine conservation. “Once you start learning about mantas, they become much more than something spectacular you hope to see on a dive,” said Sharon Garrett, Director of Marketing & Sustainability at Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives. “You begin to understand that researchers can recognise individual animals, follow their movements and build up histories of their lives. That connection is exactly what we want to encourage during Manta Month at Kandooma.”
For more information or to arrange a stay at Kandooma Maldives, visit: www.kandooma-maldives.com
