Rupert Ormond, chief scientist at SaveOurSeas Foundation, says the tourism generated by the animals is a double-edged sword.

‘It can provide economic justification for the protection of the species, but unless tourist numbers and behaviour are controlled, not only will it degrade visitor experience, but the feeding behaviour of the animals will be disrupted and they will move elsewhere, or even show an overall decline in population size.’

While regulations do exist it appears they are not managed, allowing the number of unlicensed and unregulated ‘safari’ boats coming into the bay to increase fourfold since 2009. Guy Stevens has seen many of these boats, which can bring up to 30 people from neighbouring resorts or the mainland. He says they are being driven too fast and manoeuvred in and around and on top of the animals.

Stevens insists a management strategy that can enforce the regulations is urgently needed to stop Hanifaru becoming degraded by ‘over-tourism’. Third-party management; penalties for those who break regulations; a ban on diving in the actual feeding site; a fee to enter the marine park, which can then be fed back into the local community, and a greater awareness of the guidelines and regulations are just some of the measures being put forward by him and his team in order to protect the animals and create a sustainable tourism industry. 

‘But unless you have a government stamp and approval of the way the site is legally managed, none of this will ever happen,' he says. 

Rupert Ormond agrees: ‘It is vital that the authorities discipline any less responsible operators who neglect or refuse to respect manta-watching guidelines.’

A spokesperson for the Maldives ministry of environment admitted that there were management issues and lack of adherence to regulation by users. However he said there were ‘clear-cut guideline on how to use the site and number of people number of boats, speed limits and vessel size’.