Diving in Raja Ampat

Kri Island

Sardines is always a firm favourite among the Indonesia liveaboard dive sites of Raja Ampat. You won't find sardines here but the fish that you will find are almost as tightly packed.

Those who have dived here will talk with great enthusiasm about the sheer numbers of fish here. Of course there are great schools of trevallies and tuna in numbers that practically block out the light. But you can also be enthralled by vast numbers of bumpheaded parrotfish as they charge around and devour the coral.

Diving in Raja Ampat provides another highlight in the shape of the bizarre looking wobbegongs that lurk underneath table corals. Raja Ampat is one of the very few places outside of Australia that you can see these creatures. These strange looking tassled sharks make for a great photo opportunity as do the pygmy seahorses that you might find clinging to one of the huge gorgonians.

At times the current discourages any notions you may have of lingering in the one spot for that perfect snap, so if you really want those shots you may have to dive here again. Given the site's quality, it is no surprise that many divers choose to do just that.

If you crave for the sense of being surrounded by fish you'll love Cape Kri too. Normally you will no sooner have deflated your BCD than the spectacle begins. A tremendous variety of fish will come into view, dominated, in terms of biomass by dogtooth tuna, giant trevallies and chevron barracuda.

Add to this the likely presence of large Napoleon wrasse, whitetip reef sharks and giant groupers, as well as innumerable fusiliers and snappers, and you will wish your log book pages were longer. The very fortunate may even get a look at the 5 gigantic Queensland groupers, reputed to be as big as small cars, which are sometimes seen on this dive.

To dive here is to drift effortlessly with the current past these great numbers of fish. However that is not all that this Raja Ampat dive site has to offer, as the coral growth is equally diverse. In and around the coral you can look out for nudibranchs and scorpionfish as your air supply decreases at the end of what tends to be a most rewarding and always entertaining dive.

Kri Island Reef Basics: Sloping wall and fringing reef
Depth: 5 - 40m
Visibility: 10 - 30m
Currents: Moderate but can be strong
Surface conditions: Calm
Water temperature: 27 - 30°C
Experience level: Intermediate
Number of dive sites: 2
Diving season: All year round
Distance: ~50 km north of Sorong (5 hours), at Kri Island, near Waigeo Island
Access: Raja Ampat liveaboards

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