Raja Ampat – The Dive Site That You Might Never Want to Leave

It’s probably already on top of your bucket list. Leave it there. Diving in Raja Ampat is indeed a living dream.

I can’t believe I had the immense chance to dive there for 3 months. I was expecting great diving, what I found there was beyond my expectations. What amazed me is how much life there is. Action, living corals, macro life, schools of fish.

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And on top of that, the area is so big that you have countless dive sites and often have the feeling you are the first person to ever dive there. You will barely meet any other divers. Feel like Jacques Cousteau.

Panorama of Raja Ampat | *image: Flickr

If you’re up for some underwater adventure, jump anywhere that’s not mentioned in Diving Indonesia’s Bird’s Head Seascape book, Raja Ampat’s Diving Bible, explore and give it a name.

Most dive sites are underwater seamounts. The best way to dive them is to jump in the splits, where the current is hitting the seamount, use a reef hook if there are strong currents, stay there for a while as a static dive and enjoy the action, as many predators will be hunting there. Then let go and do the safety stop drifting on the side or on the top depending on topography.

Raja Ampat Oceanic Manta Ray | *image: Flickr

One of the most visited and crowded dive sites is very close to Waisai, the main city: Blue Magic. This underwater seamount is actually quite small, so you might be hooked in for the majority of the dive. On this dive site, I had one of the strongest emotion I’ve ever had underwater when I saw for the first time a giant Oceanic Manta come and check me out.

I am very used to diving with reef mantas but OMG these mantas are so much bigger! They are moving in a slightly different manner, which makes them even more majestuous if that’s possible. I almost cried from the barrage of emotions I felt underwater!

If they’re not around, you can still find schools of barracudas, oceanic triggerfish, white tip and black tip reef sharks as well as grey reef sharks.

Gorgonians | *image: Flickr

I was lucky enough to go twice to the Misool area, South Raja Ampat. The land scenery is breathtaking and you may not meet any other boat there. Underwater is a paradise. When I visited Nudi Rock and Whale Rock for the first time, I could not believe how many Gorgonians were there. Anchovies (dive site) impressed me with its topography, majestuous pinnacles standing out.

That night I slept in a bay surrounded by limestone on a full moon night among the stars, I will never forget the views. It’s the kind of breathtaking beauty you wish all your loved ones could share with you.

You don’t need to go further than Central Raja for incredible beauty though. I have to admit that the first time I visited Melissa’s Garden, my expectations were so high that I surfaced a tiny bit disappointed. But the dive site is so big, it was just time to get familiar with it and explore the other areas.

Can you spot the seahorse? | *image: Flickr

The 2nd time I went there, I discovered the fields of untouched hard coral, I was surrounded by Blacktip Reef Sharks while admiring minuscule Bargibanti Pygmy Seahorses. Yes, it is one of the most beautiful places I’ve been to underwater.

As for the majority of the dive sites in Raja Ampat, you have the feeling that you are the first group to ever dive there. Feel like an explorer. There is no damage to the corals and you sometimes wonder if you are in a National Geographic documentary or this is all your imagination.

Light Streaming Through Schooling Sardines | *image: Flickr

Mayhem dive site got the absolute perfect name: the few times I dive there, it was impossible to watch all the action, Giant Trevallies hunting everywhere, schools of fish of different varieties, a complete chaos!

The furthest north I have experienced is the Kawe area. Black Rock was my favourite there. I surfaced thinking “this cannot get any better anywhere.” The perfect beauty, various schools of fish, a giant marble ray, and so many gorgonians and untouched coral.

Absolutely unreal.

If you love manta rays as much as I do, then Raja Ampat is the perfect place for you. In central Raja, the probability to see them in Manta Ridge is pretty good. Topography is very special, this ridge drops very suddenly, which usually creates a very strong down current. Mantas are hanging out at the top of the drop-off, in the shallows, getting cleaned by small fish.

Watch out, experienced divers only! Your diving operator might take you to another less challenging dive site. I have seen manta rays on at least 6 different dive sites in Raja Ampat, and some liveaboards and resorts know some places that are well-kept secrets.

Raja Ampat is not the place you should head to if you want to tick off your bucket list of big pelagics, apart from the manta rays and you won’t meet sharks other than reef ones, don’t expect whale sharks though.

Just expect life, so much life, action, and beauty. Of course, no current no fish as you will hear often the Divemasters or Boatmen there, it would be impossible to dive each dive site at the best moment, so a dive site that for me was full of life and action might become boring for others, but if there are no Big Mantas you want to see, get ready to switch to macro spotting mode for pygmy seahorses, decorator crabs, nudibranchs and flatworms.

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So, enjoy Raja Ampat! But beware! You might never want to leave.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are the author’s and in no way reflect the views and/or opinions of Fat Starfish.