Lily Manta Point is a cleaning station, reef dive in South Ari Atoll (Alif Dhaalu Atoll), best known for patient manta encounters around a coral cleaning station. The most rewarding part of the dive depends on current direction, so the exact entry point and route should be agreed during the briefing rather than copied from an earlier visit.

This is where a liveaboard can improve the dive. The cruise director can check the current, arrive before the busiest day boats where relevant, and move the dive within the itinerary if conditions are better later. On remote southern routes, a liveaboard may be the only practical way to include the site. Night diving should only be expected where the operator confirms that the reef and current are suitable after dark.

Divers should keep close to the guide, hold a controlled depth and carry a surface marker buoy. Nitrox is useful for repetitive diving when the diver is qualified and the boat supplies it. A reef hook should only be used where the operator and local rules permit it.

The site can be combined with Kuda Rah Thila (Small Island Thila) and Rangali Madivaru (Manta Point), giving the itinerary a useful change of topography or marine-life focus within the same region. Read the supporting dive-site source and compare Maldives liveaboards that may include this area.