Baa Atoll Webcam – Amilla Fushi’s Turquoise Harbor

The Baa Atoll Webcam looks out from a wooden jetty on Amilla Fushi, a resort island on the outer edge of Baa Atoll in the Maldives, across the small harbor that SkylineWebcams labels the island’s port. A motor yacht and a couple of speedboats sit along a low stone quay in the middle distance, a white workboat is moored close on the right, and a wall of coconut palms and dense broadleaf trees closes off the view behind them. The water inside the basin is what holds the eye: pale turquoise over the sandy bottom when the sun is high, deeper teal under cloud, and warmer and softer in low morning light. Small boats come and go from the quay through the day. After dark the frame drops to a handful of lights along the shore. The stream plays on the SkylineWebcams site, which runs the camera.

About Baa Atoll

Baa is the administrative name for Southern Maalhosmadulu, a ring of reef and islands about 125 kilometers (78 miles) north-northwest of Male. It holds 75 islands, 13 of them inhabited, with a population of more than 11,000, and its capital is Eydhafushi. In June 2011 UNESCO named the atoll a Biosphere Reserve, covering roughly 139,700 hectares (about 345,000 acres) of coastal and marine areas.

Amilla Fushi is a small island, less than 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) long, on the outskirts of the atoll. The resort on it now trades as Amilla Maldives Resort and Residences, and guests reach it either by a seaplane flight of about 30 minutes from Male or by a domestic flight to Dharavandhoo Airport and a speedboat transfer of around 10 minutes.

The atoll’s best-known site is Hanifaru Bay, known locally as Vandhumaafaru Adi. Up to a hundred manta rays can crowd into the small inlet when the tide pushes plankton into it, and whale sharks visit too, although research suggests most of them are young males rather than mating adults. Hanifaru was declared a marine protected area on 8 June 2009 and became a core zone of the biosphere reserve in 2011. Thulhaadhoo, one of the inhabited islands, is traditionally known for its lacquerwork handicrafts.

Weather and Climate in Baa Atoll

Baa Atoll lies just over 5 degrees north of the equator, so the temperature barely moves through the year. At the Male weather station, the nearest long record, average highs run from 30.5 C (87 F) in October to 31.9 C (89 F) in April, and average lows stay around 26 to 27 C (79 to 81 F) in every month. Rain is what changes. February and March are the drier months, with February the driest at about 38 millimeters (1.5 inches), and the wet season runs from April through January, peaking in October at about 245 millimeters (9.7 inches). The year totals about 1,983 millimeters (78 inches).

Model data for the atoll itself follows the same pattern, with February the driest month and the heaviest falls in May and again from September to November. On camera, the drier months tend to bring glassy water and flat, even light that turns the basin a milky turquoise. In the wet months squalls can roll across quickly, darkening the water to a blue-green and ruffling the surface around the moored boats. Hanifaru’s manta gatherings run from about May to December, at their best from late July to early October.

Things to Do Near Baa Atoll

Hanifaru Bay is the trip most visitors to Baa plan around. Scuba diving is banned in the bay, so the encounter is a snorkel, and the number of visitors and their time in the water are capped. Amilla runs its own Hanifaru snorkeling excursions in season, as do other resorts and dive centers in the atoll. Between trips, the resort’s house reef gives easy snorkeling straight from the island.

For a look at island life beyond the resorts, take a boat to Thulhaadhoo to see the lacquerwork the island has made its name with. Eydhafushi, the atoll capital, is the administrative center, and Dharavandhoo is the island with the domestic airport that links Baa to Male.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Baa Atoll located?

Baa Atoll is in the Maldives, in the Indian Ocean, about 125 kilometers (78 miles) north-northwest of the capital, Male. Its geographic name is Southern Maalhosmadulu, and Amilla Fushi, where the camera is, sits on the outskirts of the atoll.

What can you see on the Baa Atoll Webcam?

The camera looks from a jetty on Amilla Fushi across the island’s small harbor. A motor yacht and speedboats tie up along a stone quay, a white workboat is moored on the right, and palms and broadleaf trees fill the background. It is a fixed view of the harbor rather than a beach or reef camera.

Does the Baa Atoll Webcam show Hanifaru Bay or the manta rays?

No. The camera is on Amilla Fushi and faces the resort’s harbor, not Hanifaru Bay. The manta ray and whale shark gatherings happen in a protected inlet elsewhere in the atoll, mostly between May and December, and are seen on snorkel trips rather than on this camera.

What is the weather like in Baa Atoll?

Hot and humid all year, with average highs of 30.5 to 31.9 C (87 to 89 F) at the Male weather station and lows around 26 to 27 C (79 to 81 F). February and March are the drier months.

What is the weather like in Baa Atoll in October?

October is the wettest month on the Male record, with about 245 millimeters (9.7 inches) of rain, yet it stays warm, with average highs near 30.5 C (87 F). Expect sunny spells broken by heavy showers, and a choppier surface in the harbor when a squall passes.

Why is Baa Atoll a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve?

UNESCO designated Baa Atoll a Biosphere Reserve in June 2011. It covers about 139,700 hectares (345,000 acres) of coastal and marine areas, and its core zones include Hanifaru Bay, a marine protected area since 2009 because of its manta ray and whale shark gatherings.

How do you get to Amilla Fushi?

Most guests fly in by seaplane from Male, a trip of about 30 minutes. The alternative is a domestic flight to Dharavandhoo Airport in Baa Atoll, followed by a speedboat transfer of around 10 minutes.

Is the Amilla Fushi harbor visible at night?

The stream keeps running after dark, but the harbor has little lighting, so the picture drops to a few lights along the shore and quay. For a clear view of the water and boats, watch between mid-morning and mid-afternoon Maldives time, which is UTC+5.

Source: SkylineWebcams