There exists a huge variety of dive internet sites With this excellent desired destination. Located in the centre of the Coral Triangle, the extent of marine biodiversity found in Raja Ampat is unmatched any place else on the globe.
The northern and central regions of Raja Ampat function thrilling dives brimming with fish, exciting drift dives and beautiful really hard coral reefs. Here, the mass motion of drinking water on Each individual tide attracts large educational facilities of fish and plenty of manta rays, like great giant manta rays. Night time dives on the jetties During this spot are especially memorable for that Strange and fantastic critters you'll be able to see.
The southern area of Raja Ampat is characterised by spectacularly colourful soft corals And large sea followers. Marine lifestyle is Similarly impressive with mantas, sharks and macro existence galore.
Raja Ampat covers a huge location, so a liveaboard is an excellent approach to discover The nice dive web sites. Appreciate Raja Ampat through the convenience of the liveaboard. E-book with us today!
Finest Dive Sites in Raja Ampat
We have separated the most effective dive internet sites in Raja Ampat into some wide places – Dampier Strait northern dive web pages, central dive web pages and Misool.
We've explained beneath the most beneficial dive sites in Raja Ampat. There are plenty of other outstanding dive places, but you'll find too many to mention all of them. We've got protected the preferred, and the ones frequented most frequently with the liveaboards.
Raja Ampat - Dampier Strait Dive Sites
The distances between the dive web sites from the north is usually very vast. For that reason, We've split the diving in Raja Ampat's north into individual places.
Wayag
During the very north of Raja Ampat is a group of islands all over Wayag. The viewpoints listed here will award the adventurous Along with the atypical view of Raja Ampat. Quite a few modest limestone islands nestled in the obvious blue waters of your lagoons are a little bit of paradise.
The liveaboards predominantly check out this location for your viewpoint and lagoons. Young manta rays and an excellent variety of black-tip reef sharks shelter during the calm, shallow waters here. It's possible you'll do a handful of dives below next to the limestone islands. The reefs here are rocky slopes with excellent likelihood to see nudibranchs, scorpionfish, Napoleon wrasse, bumphead parrotfish munching around the difficult corals and perhaps a passing ray.
Kawe
The equator dissects the big island of Kawe. South of your equator is two fantastic dive websites.
Black Rock
Located on the west Coastline of Kawe Island this considerable dive site requirements at the least two dives to swim throughout. The typical entry position is over the northwest part of the dive website exactly where There are several compact pinnacles lined with tender corals and sea followers. Swimming toward the south a mild slope is current with very substantial bushes of black corals internet hosting groups of oriental sweetlips and snappers. If drifting to the southern Portion of the positioning, you may stumble upon large rocks with A great deal marine existence to determine. Watch out to the deep drinking water for pelagics including dogtooth tuna, Spanish mackerel plus the occasional white suggestion and gray reef sharks. Manta Rays have generally been witnessed listed here too.
Eagle Rock
Liveaboards often do a couple of dives on This website as a consequence of its measurement. Eagle Rock is home to the largest reef manta ray inhabitants inside the northern Element of Raja Ampat. Major aggregations of black snappers and yellowtail barracudas are constantly about. The west Element of the site has huge rocks right down to twenty five metres included with sea fans in which pygmy seahorses are observed. Ghost pipefish camouflage themselves in the black coral bushes. Wobbegongs and stingrays are frequently found during the cracks in the boulders. On the shallow rock, hydroids are current, and this is an excellent opportunity to see Pontohi seahorses.
Aljui Bay
White Arrow
The wall of Aljui is rather dramatic in spots with several crevasses together the wall. Sea admirers and comfortable coals are current on the location. Several species of nudibranchs are witnessed listed here. Carry alongside a dive light-weight to discover the marine lifetime that utilizes the modest cuts in the wall to cover from predators. Ghost pipefish, longfin comet fish, and juvenile snappers are often viewed listed here. Appear in the sea fans to the uniquely coloured yellow Bargibanti pygmy seahorse.
Aljui Bay Jetty
There's a big pearl farm Within the bay, and they developed a number of jetties along the coastline. Excellent spot to do an afternoon dive to discover the sandy slope where by you will find major difficult coral heads. This is among the internet sites where wobbegong sharks are Pretty much assured. You will find a incredibly huge resident university of yellow lined scads underneath the primary jetty. During night time time this dive website transforms into among the best for macro maritime life within the north A part of Raja Ampat. Location-tail frogfish, ghost pipefish, flamboyant cuttlefish as well as endemic going for walks shark (Epaulette shark) are many of the highlights of This page.
Penemu
This is a well-liked place with the liveaboards a result of the superb viewpoint listed here. Usually there are some wonderful dives right here far too.
Melissa's Back garden
One of the most-healthful tough coral reef in Raja Ampat. An enormous plateau slopes off into sandy locations with massive coral heads. Wobbegong sharks lie below these bommies, surrounded by glassfish. Explore round the plateau in advance of heading up into your shallows. The immaculate difficult corals host A huge number of colourful anthias and fish school throughout this space. Blacktip reef sharks will often be seen cruising excessive from the corals.
Batu Rufus
Batu Rufus has a fantastic hard coral garden within the shallows, an excellent setting for blacktip reef sharks. Partitions to the west are protected with comfortable corals, sea admirers and remarkable pink anemones. Learn the strategies with the sandy rubble slopes to the south with large coral heads all along the slope where Pontohi pygmy seahorses are frequently noticed. Discover the shallows perfect to try and do your security end at the website and dive genuinely one of the most famous swim troughs in the area.
Raja Ampat - Central Dive Websites
Dampier Strait is named just after British navigator William Dampier. The large system of h2o separates the islands of Waigeo and Batanta. The dive web sites are predominately on the northern facet from the strait throughout the islands of Kri and Mansuar. With close to thirty dives sites inside of a 10-kilometre radius of these islands, there are a lot of to write down about in this article. We record some of our favourites.
Manta Sandy
Manta rays occur in this article to the cleaning station. Locate a location during the sand, kneel down, and watch the present! Should the mantas You should not seem, you will find lots of macro lifestyle within the sand. Look out for wobbegong sharks about the reef. There exists a permanent ranger's station designed over the sandbanks, and you will study the conservation of these majestic rays in the locals.
Arborek Jetty
Among the villages frequented most during the central Section of Raja Ampat is Arborek Village. Here the locals built a small jetty exactly where the maritime existence is concentrated, with the major faculty of Yellow Lined Scads for the unusual blue-ringed octopus. A gentle slope with reef and sandy locations drops down to 25 metres. You will discover big coral heads, the best habitat for wobbegong sharks. Arborek Jetty is The perfect dive site to try and do while in the afternoon and is commonly dived at nighttime. Reef manta rays are seen swimming by due to the vicinity of Manta Sandy.
Cape Kri
Cape Kri is the dive web site that put Raja Ampat around the map. Situated in the central space of Raja Ampat, inside the Dampier Strait. Dr Gerry Allen recorded 374 different species on only one tank dive at this magnificent dive internet site. Schooling sweetlips, jacks, surgeonfish, barracudas, fusiliers and batfish could be sighted all together this dive web-site. Blacktip reef sharks swim while in the shallows, and gray reef sharks cruise within the deep. Turtles, napoleons and bumphead parrotfish can also be typically noticed in this article.
Sardine Reef
Sardine Reef is Among the most renowned dive web sites during the Dampier area mainly because of the higher focus of fish action. Barracudas, batfish, bumphead parrotfish, black snappers, sweetlips and massive faculties of neon fusiliers are usually existing on this site. If The present is operating black idea, white suggestion and gray reef sharks are going to be patrolling the reef. There are some massive boulders on the sting in the reef included in delicate corals, great spots with the wobbegong sharks to hide. Because of the vicinity with the dive web page Blue Magic, big manta rays in many cases are viewed here as well as turtles particularly in the shallows on the reef. The identify Sardine Reef is due to all the maritime life becoming packed into one dive web site like a can of sardines.
Blue Magic
A small pinnacle that promises magic! Gray reef sharks prowl big universities of jacks, snappers and fusiliers. Wobbegong sharks lie underneath the coral heads. And big manta rays like to come in this article for any clean up. Positioned in close proximity to Mioskon island, this pinnacle is a necessity in your take a look at to have the magical expertise with the biggest ray while in the ocean. Alongside the shallows of the top, Here are a few significant boulders home to frogfish, Pontohi seahorses and occasionally blue-ringed octopus.
Raja Ampat - Misool Dive Web sites
The dive websites Within this southern A part of Raja Ampat are concentrated in the region southeast of Misool island, among the 4 kings. Misool has lots of dive internet sites It will probably be unattainable to say all of them.
Misool is an unlimited location. A lot of liveaboards will shell out The complete day in a single region of Misool. Now we have outlined underneath a few of the most popular areas and our favorite dive web-sites in them.
Fiabecet
A vast ridge connects The 2 massive islands of Kalig and Boo. The ridge rises for the surface in a number of regions, producing magnificent dive web-sites.
Nudi Rock
Above drinking water, this rock looks like a nudibranch. Underneath the area is a considerable dive internet site plastered with colourful gentle corals. The health of the reef appeals to plentiful marine lifetime. Pygmy seahorses, schooling barracuda, wobbegong sharks, turtles, looking jacks, reef sharks, colourful anemones hosting anemone fish, smooth coral pipefish not to mention nudibranchs.
Batu Kecil
"Batu" indicates rock and "Kecil" indicates small. The modest rock is the sole Component of the site that breaks the surface but underwater it can be the opposite. With walls inside the north as well as during the south, this huge dive web page could be dived Anytime of your working day. On both sides, the vast amount of gentle corals is past perception. Large Napoleon wrasse swimming all over are constantly a address. Hawksbill turtles are just about resident to This website.
Whale Rock
The title arises from by far the most distinguished rock condition that is sort of a whale. An unlimited program with a lot of to see in only one dive, the positioning consists of two islands. One particular tiny and one particular even bigger, and in between You will find there's coral head with by far the most quantity of tender corals you may ever see! You can find not a cost-free space within the rock For additional corals to expand on it. Listed here the currents run from north to south which is why the center rock is paradise for divers and for that corals that increase there. You'll find often nutrients passing by all day long very long. White tip reef sharks typically patrol the center rock. The tricky coral gardens on both equally islands are healthy as may be. You will find fantastic opportunities to discover blacktip reef sharks and turtles swimming about in the shallows.
Boo & Close by
Boo Windows
An iconic shallow swim-by is 1 target of the fantastic dive website. It has even featured over the front protect of the book about Raja Ampat. One more is the long ridge That may be a hub of exercise. Unsuspecting snappers school previously mentioned camouflaged wobbegong sharks. Manta rays arrive at the cleansing stations below. Grey reef sharks patrol the deep and curious blacktip reef sharks look into the divers within the shallows. As with the vast majority of dive sites in Misool, the enormous quantity of colourful tender corals may well blow your thoughts! A necessity-do dive site in Misool.
Shadow Reef
Shadow Reef aka Magic Mountain is near Boo. In this article you'll be able to see reef and big manta rays, one of a not many spots on the globe where you can see both equally species on just one dive. Plus, The complete pinnacle is wholly coated in fish everyday living! This can be an incredibly well-known dive web-site, and you'll see why when you bounce in. This significant pinnacle may be very busy! Snappers, barracuda, jacks, batfish, fusiliers, gray reef, groupers to call some of the resident fish listed here. For that lucky divers, a dolphin could pass by as well.
Yuliet
This dive web-site is an intensive underwater reef that often confuses divers because of the measurement with the smaller rock that arrives out of the water. The northern Section of the website has dramatic walls all the way down to 30 metres which has a massive colony of sea enthusiasts hosting the Denise pygmy seahorse and also the Bargibanti pygmy seahorse. Gentle slopes are from the east and west with sizeable barrel sponges and whip corals. A small ridge for the south of the website is exactly where, according to the present-day, There is certainly often a scorching place for big concentrations of fish like Chevron barracudas and spadefish. The shallows of Yuliet have pretty massive bommies coated solely in soft coral and some tricky corals, the proper area to try and do the safety prevent.
Wayilbatan
Neptune's Lover Sea
For numerous scuba divers, This page gets their favorite site soon after a couple of minutes from the dive. The dive web page is situated during Get More Information the channel made by Wayilbatan Island and Warakaket Island. The northern element consists of an incredibly Light slope right down to 35 meters that transforms into a wall that might be one of several richest in soft corals and sea fans in the area. There exists terrific marine daily life to discover. Pygmy seahorses are frequently witnessed, and on occasion, the greatest reef-linked fish on earth the large grouper is frequently witnessed in the midst of the channel resting or swimming by together the wall. The shallow, really hard coral backyard garden in the south of your dive internet site is intellect-blowing, the perfect region to do the last a few minutes from the dive.
Marriage Cake
Among the most extraordinary underwater topography in the area, with ledges slopes and partitions, this site has everything. In November and December Marriage Cake performs host to massive educational facilities of silverside fish which are the favorite foodstuff with the Mobula rays. Generally noticed here are huge groups of Mobula feeding on the silverside fish, and that's an experience of the lifetime. Within the west, from the sandy slope Component of the site, turtles and a few unique fish like the pink eye goby and also the superb colourful flasher wrasse males displaying their pectoral fin to appeal to the ladies will often be observed.
Wayili Rock
This great site is routinely dived in the afternoon or as an evening dive. Listed here it is often Attractive to see the presence of a giant school of spadefish and barracudas. Slopes to the east Portion of the positioning and remarkable mini partitions during the west type this amazing dive. Incredible challenging coral gardens within the shallows are exactly where reef octopus and turtles appear to clean during the late afternoon. Over the night time dives the endemic epaulette shark is nearly certain. Lots of divers in this article have also observed the smallest pygmy seahorse in the world, the Satomi pygmy seahorse.
Daram
Candy Keep
The Sweet Retailer partitions are solely lined in maritime everyday living. There may be a great deal delicate coral and whip corals there are not several empty spots together the walls, dropping down to 35 metres additionally. The coral is so colourful that divers made a decision to give This great site the identify of Candy Retail outlet on account of a great deal of colour in a single locale. The hard coral from the shallows is exceptional, as well as the best part is that it is at the ideal depth to try and do the safety end. Napoleon wrasse, turtles plus a resident university of neon fusiliers make This great site a fantastic choice to dive Anytime with the working day.
Andiamo
Andiamo is a massive site with outstanding maritime existence dwelling on it. On the east of the website, You will find a pinnacle exactly where a giant college of barracudas and spadefish have adopted it as their house. The head itself is covered with comfortable coral and gorgonian sea admirers. Pelagics, sharks as well as large manta rays have been noticed below. After in 35 minutes you can swim to the leading rock. The deep wall over the north or the slope area on the south, in equally Instructions, are coated with marine everyday living. Faculties of yellow snappers are generally waiting around while in the shallows. Right here the barrel sponges mature to click for more info extraordinary dimensions building them one of several highlights of the internet site.
Other Things to do
Many liveaboards will go to the region of Penemu for your viewpoint there. Uncomplicated actions to the top will award you with a gorgeous watch across the limestone formations in the crystal-clear waters beneath.
Arborek Village is really a favorite spot for liveaboards to go to. The youngsters below adore site visitors and will comply with you close to this perfectly retained village. Bring along supplies for The varsity or treats for the children for further smiles!
Tomolol Cave is a very special knowledge. Have a trip throughout the pearl farm from the bay to the maze of limestone formations. At the conclusion of the beautiful tour, a large cavern will quickly look. You'll be able to swim as a result of this extensive cavern and be stunned by the rock formations. Large stalactites and stalagmites are actually forming within Tomolol Cave for A large number of yrs.
A lot of regions of Raja Ampat are merely waiting for being explored. The infinite limestone islands and see this rocks make mystery lagoons. Liveaboards may well get you over a lagoon tour to get pleasure from these attractive seascapes.
Seashores are just about everywhere in Raja Ampat! Just check with your liveaboard to fall you off among dives to discover a Seashore all to yourselves.
Maritime Park and Conservation in Raja Ampat
The Raja Ampat Maritime Shielded Space network handles a place of 1,185,940 hectares. It absolutely was established in 2002 and is comprised of 7 unique marine shielded spots. They can be managed via the Raja Ampat Regency as well as the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in partnership with regional communities and with support from Global NGOs.
All guests to Raja Ampat are needed to invest in a allow that's valid for 12 months. The money collected goes in the direction of the operational prices of retaining the MPAs and to Local community conservation and progress initiatives.