There's a extensive number of dive websites in this superb spot. Located in the centre of your Coral Triangle, the level of maritime biodiversity present in Raja Ampat is unmatched any place else in the world.
The northern and central locations of Raja Ampat feature thrilling dives full of fish, remarkable drift dives and exquisite hard coral reefs. Here, the mass motion of drinking water on each tide draws in substantial schools of fish and many manta rays, together with massive huge manta rays. Night time dives about the jetties On this location are specifically memorable with the Strange and amazing critters you can see.
The southern region of Raja Ampat is characterised by spectacularly colourful soft corals And big sea enthusiasts. Maritime existence is Similarly impressive with mantas, sharks and macro life galore.
Raja Ampat addresses an enormous area, so a liveaboard is a great method to discover the great dive web pages. Delight in Raja Ampat from the consolation of the liveaboard. Guide with us these days!
Best Dive Sites in Raja Ampat
We now have divided the best dive internet sites in Raja Ampat into some broad spots – Dampier Strait northern dive internet sites, central dive sites and Misool.
We have described down below the most effective dive internet sites in Raja Ampat. There are several other fantastic dive spots, but you can find too many to say all of them. We have included the most well-liked, and the ones frequented most often from the liveaboards.
Raja Ampat - Dampier Strait Dive Sites
The distances in between the dive web pages within the north can be quite extensive. For that reason, We have now break up the diving in Raja Ampat's north into different places.
Wayag
While in the incredibly north of Raja Ampat is a group of islands about Wayag. The viewpoints listed here will award the adventurous Using the atypical watch of Raja Ampat. Numerous little limestone islands nestled within the clear blue waters of the lagoons are a small amount of paradise.
The liveaboards mostly take a look at this location with the viewpoint and lagoons. Young manta rays and a great variety of black-suggestion reef sharks shelter while in the serene, shallow waters listed here. You might do a number of dives right here close to the limestone islands. The reefs here are rocky slopes with fantastic possibilities to view nudibranchs, scorpionfish, Napoleon wrasse, bumphead parrotfish munching within the hard corals and maybe a passing ray.
Kawe
The equator dissects the massive island of Kawe. South with the equator is 2 great dive internet sites.
Black Rock
Located around the west Coastline of Kawe Island this significant dive web site requirements no less than two dives to swim all around. The everyday entry point is about the northwest Section of the dive web page where Here are a few tiny pinnacles lined with comfortable corals and sea followers. Swimming in direction of the south a gentle slope is current with pretty massive bushes of black corals internet hosting groups of oriental sweetlips and snappers. If drifting for the southern Element of the website, you might stumble upon huge rocks with Significantly marine lifetime to determine. Look out to the deep h2o for pelagics for example dogtooth tuna, Spanish mackerel and the occasional white tip and grey reef sharks. Manta Rays have typically been noticed listed here far too.
Eagle Rock
Liveaboards often do several dives on This page due to its dimensions. Eagle Rock is property to the most important reef manta ray population inside the northern Component of Raja Ampat. Significant aggregations of black snappers and yellowtail barracudas are always all over. The west A part of the positioning has great rocks right down to 25 metres included with sea followers where by pygmy seahorses are witnessed. Ghost pipefish camouflage on their own while in the black coral bushes. Wobbegongs and stingrays are frequently witnessed while in the cracks on the boulders. In the shallow rock, hydroids are present, which is a wonderful opportunity to see Pontohi seahorses.
Aljui Bay
White Arrow
The wall of Aljui is rather extraordinary in locations with numerous crevasses along the wall. Sea lovers and smooth coals are present on the internet site. Quite a few species of nudibranchs are witnessed right here. Provide alongside a dive light to find the marine existence that works by using the compact cuts while in the wall to cover from predators. Ghost pipefish, longfin comet fish, and juvenile snappers will often be noticed right here. Appear in the sea followers to the uniquely coloured yellow Bargibanti pygmy seahorse.
Aljui Bay Jetty
You will find there's massive pearl farm inside the bay, plus they built a few jetties alongside the coastline. Ideal destination to do an afternoon dive to investigate the sandy slope exactly where you'll find large tough coral heads. This is among the internet sites exactly where wobbegong sharks are Virtually assured. There exists a incredibly huge resident school of yellow lined scads underneath the key jetty. Throughout night time this dive web site transforms into one of the most productive for macro maritime lifestyle within the north Component of Raja Ampat. Place-tail frogfish, ghost pipefish, flamboyant cuttlefish as well as the endemic going for walks shark (Epaulette shark) are a few of the highlights of this site.
Penemu
This is a well-liked spot to the liveaboards because of the wonderful viewpoint right here. There are a few remarkable dives right here much too.
Melissa's Back garden
Probably the most-nutritious tough coral reef in Raja Ampat. A giant plateau slopes off into sandy parts with huge coral heads. Wobbegong sharks lie underneath these bommies, surrounded by glassfish. Take a look at across the plateau just before heading up into your shallows. The immaculate hard corals host Many colourful anthias and fish school throughout this space. Blacktip reef sharks are often viewed cruising over the top on the corals.
Batu Rufus
Batu Rufus has a wonderful tricky coral back garden during the shallows, an ideal atmosphere for blacktip reef sharks. Partitions to your west are coated with gentle corals, sea followers and wonderful purple anemones. Uncover the tricks on the sandy rubble slopes to the south with major coral heads all along the slope exactly where Pontohi pygmy seahorses tend to be noticed. Investigate the shallows perfect to complete your basic safety end at the location and dive certainly The most renowned swim troughs in the area.
Raja Ampat - Central Dive Web sites
Dampier Strait is named right after British navigator William Dampier. The large body of drinking water separates the islands of Waigeo and Batanta. The dive websites are predominately to the northern facet from the strait within the islands of Kri and Mansuar. With around thirty dives websites within a ten-kilometre radius of those islands, you can find too many to put in writing about right here. We record many of our favourites.
Manta Sandy
Manta rays occur listed here into a cleaning station. Discover a spot from the sand, kneel down, and view the show! When the mantas You should not show up, you will find loads of macro daily life from the sand. Look out for wobbegong sharks within the reef. There exists a permanent ranger's station created about the sandbanks, and you will study the conservation of those majestic rays within the locals.
Arborek Jetty
On the list of villages frequented most in the central Component of Raja Ampat is Arborek Village. Here the locals built a little jetty the place the marine lifetime is concentrated, from the huge college of Yellow Lined Scads on the uncommon blue-ringed octopus. A mild slope with reef and sandy spots drops down to twenty five metres. You'll find huge coral heads, the ideal habitat for wobbegong sharks. Arborek Jetty is The best dive web page to try and do in the afternoon and is commonly dived at night. Reef manta rays are found swimming by as a result of vicinity of Manta Sandy.
Cape Kri
Cape Kri may be the dive web page that put Raja Ampat over the map. Situated in the central location of Raja Ampat, in the Dampier Strait. Dr Gerry Allen recorded 374 distinct species on a single tank dive at this impressive dive internet site. Education sweetlips, jacks, surgeonfish, barracudas, fusiliers and batfish is usually sighted all alongside this dive website. Blacktip reef sharks swim inside the shallows, and grey reef sharks cruise in the deep. Turtles, napoleons and bumphead parrotfish will also be frequently noticed in this article.
Sardine Reef
Sardine Reef is Among the most popular dive web sites in the Dampier location due to significant focus of fish action. Barracudas, batfish, bumphead parrotfish, black snappers, sweetlips and massive colleges of neon fusiliers are usually existing on This great site. If the current is jogging black suggestion, white tip and grey reef sharks will be patrolling the reef. There are some huge boulders on the sting with the reef lined in comfortable corals, great parts for your wobbegong sharks to cover. As a result of vicinity on the dive web-site Blue Magic, huge manta rays are sometimes witnessed listed here together with turtles particularly in the shallows from the reef. The name Sardine Reef is because of many of the marine life being packed into just one dive web page just like a can of sardines.
Blue Magic
A little pinnacle that claims magic! Grey reef sharks prowl massive faculties of jacks, snappers and fusiliers. Wobbegong sharks lie under the coral heads. And big manta rays really like to come below to get a thoroughly clean. Positioned close to Mioskon island, this pinnacle is a necessity on your own check out to have the magical working experience with the most important ray within the ocean. Along the shallows of the pinnacle, Here are a few significant boulders household to frogfish, Pontohi seahorses and sometimes blue-ringed octopus.
Raja Ampat - Misool Dive Web-sites
The dive web sites With this southern Element of Raja Ampat are concentrated in the region southeast of Misool island, on the list of four kings. Misool has so many dive web pages It'll be difficult to say all of them.
Misool is a vast place. Many liveaboards will expend The full working day in a single area of Misool. We have outlined beneath some of the most popular places and our favorite dive web pages within them.
Fiabecet
A vast ridge connects the two large islands of Kalig and Boo. The ridge rises towards the surface area in various regions, creating magnificent dive sites.
Nudi Rock
Above water, this rock looks like a nudibranch. Down below the area is a substantial dive website plastered with colourful gentle corals. The wellness of this reef appeals to abundant maritime daily life. Pygmy seahorses, schooling barracuda, wobbegong sharks, turtles, looking jacks, reef sharks, colourful anemones web hosting anemone fish, soft coral pipefish and of course nudibranchs.
Batu Kecil
"Batu" indicates rock and "Kecil" suggests smaller. The tiny rock is the only Element of the positioning that breaks the surface but underwater it's the other. With walls during the north in addition to inside the south, this large dive web site can be dived at any time on the working day. On each side, the large amount of smooth corals is outside of belief. Major Napoleon wrasse swimming around are constantly a deal with. Hawksbill turtles are essentially resident to This web site.
Whale Rock
The identify arises from probably the most distinguished rock form that is sort of a whale. A vast method with a lot of to view in only one dive, the site includes two islands. One compact and one larger, and between You will find there's coral head with by far the most quantity of gentle corals you will at any time see! There may be not a free of charge House around the rock For additional corals to increase on it. Here the currents run from north to south which is why the center rock is paradise for check it out divers and with the corals that improve there. You can find generally nutrients passing visit by all day lengthy. White suggestion reef sharks normally patrol the center rock. The difficult coral gardens on the two islands are healthier as can be. You will discover excellent possibilities to find out blacktip reef sharks and turtles swimming all around inside the shallows.
Boo & Nearby
Boo Home windows
An iconic shallow swim-as a result of is a single emphasis of the great dive web-site. It has even highlighted on the front include of the reserve about Raja Ampat. One more is the extended ridge That could be a hub of exercise. Unsuspecting snappers faculty earlier mentioned camouflaged wobbegong sharks. Manta rays come to the cleaning stations here. Gray reef sharks patrol the deep and curious blacktip reef sharks check out the divers while in the shallows. As with many dive web-sites in Misool, the immense volume of colourful tender corals may possibly blow your mind! Essential-do dive web-site in Misool.
Shadow Reef
Shadow Reef aka Magic Mountain is near to Boo. In this article you'll be able to see reef and big manta rays, among a not many places on earth where you can see the two species on 1 dive. As well as, The full pinnacle is wholly protected in fish life! This is often a particularly preferred dive internet site, and you'll see why when you soar in. This significant pinnacle is incredibly fast paced! Snappers, barracuda, jacks, batfish, fusiliers, grey reef, groupers to name some of the resident fish listed here. With the Fortunate divers, a dolphin may possibly move by as well.
Yuliet
This dive site is an intensive underwater reef That usually confuses divers because of the sizing from the smaller rock that comes out in the h2o. The northern Section of the positioning has extraordinary partitions all the way down to thirty metres that has a big colony of sea fans internet hosting the Denise pygmy seahorse along with the Bargibanti pygmy seahorse. Mild slopes are in the east and west with sizeable barrel sponges and whip corals. A small ridge into the south of the website is exactly where, based on the latest, there is often a incredibly hot place for giant concentrations of fish for instance Chevron barracudas and spadefish. The shallows of Yuliet have very substantial bommies protected totally in comfortable coral and many challenging corals, the perfect location to accomplish the security halt.
Wayilbatan
Neptune's Lover Sea
For lots of scuba divers, This great site becomes their favorite web page right after a couple of minutes on the dive. The dive internet site is situated during the channel developed by Wayilbatan Island and Warakaket Island. The northern aspect contains an incredibly Mild slope right down to 35 meters that transforms right into a wall that is most likely one of several richest in delicate corals and sea lovers in the region. There's great marine life to determine. Pygmy seahorses are often found, and every now and then, the biggest reef-involved fish on the earth the large grouper is frequently seen in the course of the channel resting or swimming by alongside the wall. The shallow, tough coral backyard garden from the south of the dive internet site is head-blowing, the right spot to perform the final three minutes from the dive.
Marriage Cake
The most remarkable underwater topography in the area, with ledges slopes and walls, this site has it all. In November and December Wedding day Cake performs host to massive colleges of silverside fish that happen to be the favourite food in the Mobula rays. Often noticed Here's large groups of Mobula feeding within the silverside fish, and that's an working experience of the lifetime. While in the west, during the sandy slope part of the site, turtles and a few particular fish such as the pink eye goby and the amazing colourful flasher wrasse males displaying their pectoral fin to catch the attention of the ladies will often be found.
Wayili Rock
This site is on a regular basis dived during the afternoon or as a night dive. Right here it is usually Wonderful to begin to see the existence of an enormous university of spadefish and barracudas. Slopes to your east Component of the location and spectacular mini walls while in the west variety this wonderful dive. Incredible tough coral gardens inside the shallows are the place reef octopus and turtles appear to wash while in the late afternoon. Over the night dives the endemic epaulette shark is nearly confirmed. Many divers right here have also witnessed the smallest pygmy seahorse on the globe, the Satomi pygmy seahorse.
Daram
Candy Retail outlet
The Sweet Retail outlet partitions are entirely included in marine existence. There exists a great deal tender coral and whip corals there are not a lot of vacant places along the walls, dropping all the way down to 35 metres additionally. The coral is so colourful that divers decided to give This website the name of Sweet Keep on account of a great deal colour in one spot. The difficult coral inside the shallows is exceptional, as well as better part is that it is at the proper depth to complete the security quit. Napoleon wrasse, turtles as well as a resident university of neon fusiliers make This web site an excellent option to dive at any time in the day.
Andiamo
Andiamo is an enormous web page with incredible marine lifestyle residing on it. To your east of the positioning, You will find there's pinnacle where by an enormous faculty of barracudas and spadefish have adopted it as their home. The pinnacle alone is covered with soft coral and gorgonian sea enthusiasts. Pelagics, sharks and even huge manta rays are viewed in this article. After inside 35 minutes it is possible to swim to the leading rock. The deep wall on the north or even the slope space over the south, in both directions, are included with marine daily life. Universities of yellow snappers are normally waiting while in the shallows. Right here the barrel sponges improve to outstanding sizes creating them among the highlights of the website.
Other Functions
Numerous liveaboards will visit the region of Penemu for the viewpoint there. Straightforward methods to the best will award you with a lovely watch throughout the limestone formations during the crystal-apparent waters down below.
Arborek Village is actually a favorite place for liveaboards to go to. The children right here enjoy site visitors and will observe you all-around this properly held village. Provide alongside provides for The college or treats for the children for excess smiles!
Tomolol Cave is a very one of a kind experience. Take a experience from the pearl farm inside the bay into the maze of limestone formations. At the end of The gorgeous tour, a big cavern will abruptly show up. You can swim by way of this vast cavern and become shocked by the rock formations. Significant stalactites and stalagmites have been forming inside of Tomolol Cave for A huge number of yrs.
Numerous parts of Raja Ampat are only ready to get explored. The infinite limestone islands and rocks build top secret lagoons. Liveaboards may possibly take you on the lagoon tour to love these wonderful seascapes.
Seashores are everywhere in Raja Ampat! Just question your liveaboard to fall you off between dives to check out a beach all to yourselves.
Maritime Park and Conservation in Raja Ampat
The Raja Ampat Maritime Secured Space community covers an area of 1,185,940 hectares. It was established in 2002 which is comprised of 7 unique maritime safeguarded regions. These are managed through the Raja Ampat Regency and also the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in partnership with nearby communities and with help from Worldwide NGOs.
All readers to Raja Ampat are demanded to get a allow that is legitimate for twelve months. The cash gathered goes in direction of the operational expenses of maintaining the MPAs and also to Neighborhood conservation and improvement initiatives.