7 Best Diving Spots in Raja Ampat

Papua has million charms spreading to every corner of the island. One place that makes tourists fascinated is Raja Ampat. The Raja Ampat Islands is a serie of four islands made up of Waigeo Island, Misool Island, Salawati Island and Batanta Island.

 

Raja Ampat also offers beautiful underwater scenery. Under the clear waters there are so many fish, coral reefs and other marine biota that live side by side.

 

According to the data, there are 553 species of marine coral, 1,470 species of fish, 8 species of whales and 7 species of dolphins which become the ‘residents’ of Raja Ampat waters. Not only that, divers can also see dugongs, sharks, turtles, mantas as well as other Indonesian endemic animals.

 

Raja Ampat has dozens of diving spots so it takes quite a long time to try all of them. If you have short visit there and have to make some choices, then here are 5 best diving spots in Raja Ampat.

 

 

Fam Island

 

fam island raja ampat

 

The Fam Islands consist of a number of small islands and 4 larger ‘main’ islands – Fam, Penemu, Inus, and Yar. Around the Fam Island, there are several diving spots with colorful coral reefs, sponges and soft corals. You can dive around the island to see various marine inhabitants like nurdibranchs or sea rabbits, part of the mollusk family.

 

 

The Passage

 

the passage raja ampat

Image Source: Papua Explorers

This section is located between the islands of Gam and Waigeo. The distance is only about 25 meters and looks like a river from the surface. The rock mixture marks the entrance to this enchanting dive site, a stretch of coral almost growing on the surface here. Many lives can be found here including octopus, flatworms and cuttlefish, even the Wobbegong sharks can sometimes be found.

 

Divers can also see larger fish such as jacks, tuna, barracuda and sharks. The caves and arches also make some of the topography here look even more amazing.

 

 

Misool Island

 

diving in misool island

Image Source: CruiseMapper

Misool Island is one of the largest islands in Indonesia and has so many amazing coral reefs around the island. The coral reefs offers a kaleidoscope of amazing colors and good contrast when diving in this place. The reefs and sloping walls is decorated with soft corals from various species. Species as pipefish, harlequin shrimp and pygmy seahorses can be observed in this water!

 

 

 

Cape Kri

 

cape kri raja ampat

 

You can also feel pleasant sensations when you come diving spots in Tanjung Kri, Raja Ampat. Here you can feel a memorable experience because there are so many fish and coral reefs plus the sun’s rays from the surface of the sea cannot penetrate into the water. You can find various fish and corals such as snapper, tuna, fusilier, sweetlips, butterflyfish and angle fish if diving here.

 

But not only! Here, you can find carpet sharks or wobegong sharks that usually only be found in Australian waters. With a depth of 10-40 meters and a viewing distance of 10-30 meters, Kri Bay offers beautiful scenery you won’t forget.

 

 

Arborek Island (Manta’s Point)

 

arborek island diving spots

 

Arborek is one of the best dive spots with the characteristic number of school fish or fish that swim together. On Arborek Island many small dive spots are suitable for novice divers who do not have a license. From its name, this is the favorite place to meet mantas, aka stingrays.

 

Dampier Strait

 

dampier raja ampat

 

The Dampier Strait flows between the mainland of West Papua and Batanta Island and the large island of Waigeo to the north. This strait has extremely rich marine life thanks to the large amount of water passing through.

 

One of our favorite diving spot in the Dampier Strait is Mike’s Point. This area has walls and caves which are the best spot for diving. These walls and caves arose due to the explosion carried out by U.S. Air Force in World War II. The US warship thought the area was a Japanese army ship and dropped bombs there.

 

Here you can also see marine biota like sweet lips tropical carangidi or big fish like sharks. You can also see the beauty of coral reef garden where small fish and shark carpets live.

 

 

Blue Magic

 

blue magic diving spots in raja ampat

Image Source: Diveplanit

If you want to see marine biota such as blue ringed octopus, Spike Shark and Tuna, you are advised to come to Blue Magic, a diving spot in Raja Ampat. This place is quite well known by international travelers because of its exotic marine life and divers always fall in love with this place. Blue magic has a fairly “tricky” terrain and pretty fast underwater currents, making it a challenge for divers.