Avani+ Fares Maldives Resort has officially unveiled its program for Ocean Aware Month, taking place throughout September 2026. Timed to align with PADI Aware Week, the month-long event transforms the resort into an active hub for marine conservation, hands-on environmental workshops, and immersive oceanic experiences within the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of Baa Atoll.
A headline feature of the month is the Exclusive Family Freediving Retreat (7–10 September 2026), hosted by 11-time South African freediving champion and founder of the I AM WATER Foundation, Hanli Prinsloo, alongside former world champion swimmer and eight-time backstroke world record holder, Peter Marshall.
Designed to foster ocean confidence and family connection through breathwork and play, the four-day retreat includes daily yoga, ocean safety, progressive freediving coaching, a guided excursion to Hanifaru Bay, and group sunset storytelling dinners.
Additionally, Prinsloo will offer complimentary 4-to-5-hour Breathwork & Freediving Workshops for in-house guests throughout the month, covering breath-hold techniques, shallow-water training, and open-water rope diving along the resort’s house reef.
Throughout September, Avani+ Fares will run guided snorkeling trips every other day to nearby Hanifaru Bay, home to the world’s largest seasonal gathering of manta rays. Guests will have the opportunity to observe up to 200 mantas cyclone-feeding in protected waters, with dedicated programming planned for World Manta Day on 17 September.
To complement these ocean encounters, the resort will host complimentary ‘Sea. Sand. Sky’ Photo & Video Workshops. Creative specialists will guide guests through practical techniques for underwater camera work, drone aerial storytelling, smartphone beach photography, and mobile video editing.
To learn more about the September 2026 Ocean Aware Month schedule or to make reservations, visit here.