Indonesia is located in the Coral Triangle, a marvel of marine biodiversity often referred to as the “Amazon of the Seas.” Lureen Ferretti shares some of the hotspots and highlights of her adventures there.
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You never forget your first, and I have had many firsts in Indonesia. The first time I saw a mola (Mola mola or ocean sunfish) was actually the result of missing the first of five flights to my destination, leading to a longer layover in Bali while I waited for the next flight to Wakatobi. So, I decided to book a three-tank charter to Nusa Penida to see manta rays and possibly mola. I was one of only five divers on the third dive site when our guide started signaling frantically at something in the distance. I could not understand what he was so excited about; all I could see was a group of fish. But as I got closer, I saw a mola facing me directly. Everyone in our group was excited. We had it all to ourselves for about five minutes before other divers arrived and the mola left. After surfacing, our guide told us how fortunate we were, as he had not seen a mola for several weeks. Magical encounters like this abound in the Coral Triangle.
Indonesia is one of six countries in the Coral Triangle, which also includes Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and the Solomon Islands. This region is the epicenter of marine biodiversity, boasting an impressive array of species due to various factors, such as its location at the confluence of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, diverse habitats and the presence of nutrient-rich currents that support a wide array of marine life. Its significance extends beyond its biodiversity; it is also crucial to the livelihoods of over 120 million people who depend on its resources. The area’s economic value, particularly through fisheries and tourism, is immense, contributing billions to the local economies.
Conservation efforts are paramount in this region, as it faces threats from overfishing, climate change and habitat destruction. Thankfully, Indonesia and many other organizations recognize this, and it is home to a significant number of marine protected areas (MPAs), which are crucial for conserving marine biodiversity and supporting sustainable fisheries.
A recent study found that Indonesia has established 411 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), including parks, reserves and maritime conservation areas, covering a combined surface area of 284,100 sq km. This extensive network is larger than the land area of the United Kingdom and represents Indonesia’s substantial commitment to protecting its marine ecosystems. However, only about 25 percent of the current network is actually effective in these aspects.
The Indonesian government plans to expand this network further, aiming to increase the marine area under protection to 325,000 sq km by the end of this decade and to triple that coverage to 975,000 sq km by 2045. This expansion is part of Indonesia’s contribution to the global “30 by 30” conservation goal, which aims to protect 30 percent of the world’s seas and lands by 2030.
For divers seeking unparalleled diving experiences, the Coral Triangle is a must-see destination. With 76 percent of the world’s coral species, over 2,000 species of reef fish, six of the world’s seven marine turtle species, graceful manta rays and numerous shark species, one visit simply is not enough to see it all. Each site in Indonesia offers a distinct experience, making them all bucket-list destinations.
So, sit back and start plotting your next adventure as I take you on a photographic journey to some of my most magical experiences in the waters of Ambon, the Banda Sea, Raja Ampat, Tulamben, Komodo, Lembeh and Manado.
Ambon
Ambon is the capital city of the province of Maluku in eastern Indonesia. When conditions are good, it is possible to do shore dives from many of the resorts. It is best to go with local guides, as they know where to find the cryptic critters like decorator crabs, emperor shrimp, gobies, various species of nudibranchs, Ambon scorpionfish, psychedelic frogfish and flamboyant cuttlefish. While there are not many dive sites inside Ambon Bay with reefs, caverns and caves, the topside and underwater topography outside the bay is pretty spectacular. I was pleasantly surprised by the great visibility, abundance of fish, huge sea fans and soft corals.
Considering it is a muck-diving destination, you can dive in the bay year-round but can expect better conditions from October to April. March, April, May and October are the best months for good visibility.
Banda Sea
A couple of areas that are often visited by liveaboards while traveling through the Banda Sea include Daram and Manuk Islands. Daram Island is a great place to see common marine life, including reef sharks, schools of bait fish, playful dolphins and majestic manta rays. The underwater topography is equally diverse, featuring hard and soft coral reefs, walls, ridges and overhangs, creating a dynamic environment for exploration. These areas are rather remote and untouched. I was in awe at the abundance and size of the sea fans and the sponges—both larger than a fully equipped diver.
“Snakes and champagne bubbles” is how I would describe Manuk Island. Manuk Island is a volcanic island in the Banda Sea where the currents can be quite strong, bringing a flood of nutrients and allowing marine life to flourish.
Before we began our dive, our dive guides checked the conditions. The first dive took us to an area of the reef that was exposed to currents. There were schools of barracuda, trevally, snappers and swarms of reef fish, as well as some of the biggest, most colorful and healthiest sea fans and sponges I have ever seen.
Before our next dive, the current picked up significantly, so we decided to dive closer to the island, where we were protected from the current. While the topography was not as stunning, it did offer a terrain that resembled the surface of the moon and nonstop sea krait sightings. We ended our dive in the shallows close to the island, where we saw bubbles being released from the volcanic heat vents.
The best time to dive in Daram and Manuk is the dry season. April to October offers the best weather, visibility (ranging from 10 to 30m) and sea conditions, with water temperatures ranging from 25 to 28°C (77 to 82°F). If you are hoping to see manta rays, February and March are particularly good months, as there is a high concentration of plankton in the water, which they feed on. However, this can impact visibility.
Raja Ampat
The Indonesian archipelago, Raja Ampat, which translates to “Four Kings” in English, derives its name from a local legend. The myth speaks of a woman who discovered seven mystical eggs, four of which hatched into kings who went on to rule over the four main islands of Raja Ampat: Misool, Salawati, Batanta and Waigeo. Raja Ampat is a very large area comprised of over 1,500 small islands, cays and shoals and encompasses around 70,000 sq km (27,000 sq mi). It is considered the holy grail for divers, likely due to its location at the heart of the Coral Triangle.
Fish geeks will be thrilled to know that there are over 2,000 species to encounter here. Some of my favorite species include the mandarinfish and the majestic ocean and reef manta rays. The region is also home to some rare species, like the tasseled wobbegong sharks and the epaulette shark.
Unusual dive opportunities abound, from exploring vibrant coral gardens like Melissa’s Garden to navigating through underwater windows carved through the volcanic rock by constant wave action like Batu Rufus and encountering non-stinging jellyfish in secluded lakes. The topography offers a mix of steep drop-offs, underwater ridges and sunken caverns, creating a dynamic environment for divers.
Diving highlights of Raja Ampat
Dampier Strait separates the Raja Ampat islands of Waigeo and Batanta. It is said to offer the best diving in Raja Ampat. It may just offer the greatest biodiversity, with marine life encounters being particularly rich on my six visits between March 2023 and March 2024; however, the visibility was the lowest I had experienced throughout Raja Ampat. If you are looking to immerse yourself in diverse marine life, by all means, plan a trip to Dampier Strait. There are hundreds of options when it comes to accommodation, from land-based resorts and homestays to liveaboards.
I saw wobbegong sharks more frequently in this area than anywhere else in Indonesia. Just look in or under the big coral heads and ledges, and you will likely see one or several wobbegongs on every dive. There are also large groups of sweetlips that congregate in many areas of Dampier Strait. At Cape Kri, I found a group waiting patiently at a depth of 30m (about 100ft) for me to photograph them. After photographing them, I was rewarded with a “jack-nado” (a swirling school of jacks) while I was doing my safety stop. Other notable sites include Sauwanderek Jetty, Yenbuba, Arborek, Melissa’s Garden and Batu Rufus.
Having had the opportunity to visit all of these sites more than once, I highly recommend going to each one multiple times if possible. I had different experiences each time I went. For photographers, you can easily do one dive setup for wide-angle when the visibility is good and another setup for macro to get equally impressive photos when the visibility is not ideal. All of these sites offer expansive fields of cabbage coral, with a host of marine life hiding inside the folds.
At Sauwandarek, there is a large school of sweetlips that are fun to photograph. The cabbage coral is at a depth of about 23m (75ft). If you do not spot the sweetlips hovering above the cabbage coral, look around, as they are likely nearby.
Yenbuba has an entire field of robust cabbage coral. Dugongs are also frequently seen in this area, as well as a host of cool critters like crocodilefish and cuttlefish, with calm conditions for shallow day and night dives. If you have a keen eye (or a good dive guide), you can find Pontoh’s pygmy seahorses tucked just inside openings or in and under coral heads.
Misool is located in the southern part of Raja Ampat. Like in other areas of Indonesia, I saw pygmy seahorses, nudibranchs, an assortment of blennies and gobies, octopuses and sea turtles. I also had amazing encounters with oceanic and reef manta rays. Divers can also encounter endemic species like the Misool rainbowfish and Nursalim’s flasher wrasse. I found the visibility in Misool to be the best of all of Raja Ampat, and the corals, sea fans and sponges were flourishing.
The underwater topography is equally diverse, featuring spectacular formations such as the limestone Boo Windows, Nudi Rock and Whale Rock. These sites deserve multiple visits, especially if you are taking photos or videos. You will want to use a wide-angle lens to capture the sharks, stunning reef scenes, brilliantly colored soft corals, manta rays, sea turtles and sunrays beaming through Boo Window. The macro life is just as impressive, with the red-spotted blenny peeking out of the rock near Boo Window, both Denise’s and Bargibant’s pygmy seahorses, many different nudibranchs and, a new favorite of mine, bearded gobies. Be sure to check inside branched corals for these tiny 2 to 4cm fish.
At the Four Kings dive site, you can explore a swim-through covered with rich, soft coral. What I love most about it, though, are the swarms of bait fish that are so thick that you cannot see the reef through them. Besides the bait fish, large schools of barracuda, jacks and yellow snappers surround the peaks. And if that were not enough, there are three cleaning stations at Four Kings: a shallow one, with a second one nearby, only slightly deeper, and a third, which is not within eyesight of the other two at around 20m (65ft). In April 2024, I was fortunate to see three black manta rays and one white one at the deeper cleaning station.
If you guessed that the best time to dive in Raja Ampat was the dry season from October to April, you would be right. The seas are generally calm, and visibility can be at its peak if you visit the sites on the correct tide, often exceeding 30m during this period. This also coincides with the peak season for manta rays, offering divers a chance to experience these gentle giants. The wet season from June to September also has its charms, with warmer waters and less crowded dive sites. Another point to note is that there is typically a higher concentration of plankton in the water from January to March, which does attract mantas but can also negatively impact visibility.
Tulamben
Tulamben is a small fishing village on the northeastern coast of Bali. It is best known for the USAT Liberty wreck and muck diving for intriguing critters. The wreck is perfectly situated parallel to the shoreline, starting at just 5m (15ft) and extending to a depth of 30m (100ft).
Considering how close it is to shore, it is an “easy” shore dive. “Easy” is in quotes because the entry and exit can be tricky. The surface is not sand; it is volcanic rock of different sizes. I would suggest wiggling your foot with each step until the ground beneath you stops moving, then take your next step. Or even better, go with a guide. The guide will help you with your camera and other gear. It is easy when the water is calm, but it can be difficult if there are waves.
While visiting this site in 2023, I checked the wreck multiple times, early in the morning and late in the afternoon, searching for the resident bumphead parrotfish. After not seeing a single one, I asked Ketut, my expert dive guide, what happened to them. His reply was disheartening. He suspected that they might have been wiped out during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some of my favorite things to photograph on or near the wreck and in the surroundings include pink-eyed gobies, very unusual nudibranchs, hairy squat lobsters (check the folds of the barrel sponges), seahorses, frogfish of various colors and sizes, hairy shrimp and, one of my new all-time favorites, the “Shawn the Sheep” Costasiella sp. sap-sucking sea slugs. Photographing them against the black volcanic sand really makes their colors pop in images.
Boat dives, while not too common, are available and offer unique reef diving experiences. I was surprised to see some of the largest sponges I have ever seen, especially so close to land.
If you are coming to Tulamben for muck diving and critter spotting, any time of year is good. If you desire better visibility and sea conditions, then the dry season from April to September is the best time to visit.
Komodo Island
Located further east of Bali, Komodo Island is home to Komodo National Park. It provides breathtaking views and interesting wildlife encounters, both underwater and on land. On the liveaboard trip from Bali to Komodo, I saw more species and multiple ghost pipefish off Lombok than I have in my entire 30 years of diving. This is also where I experienced an abundance of multiple species of fish at any given time and heard the loud swooshing sound they made when several hundred to possibly thousands of fish moved to avoid becoming dinner for the hunting jacks and tunas.
Another highlight in Komodo was the Shotgun dive site. It got its name because it is situated in a narrow channel between two islands. When the tide changes, the current flowing between the two islands is very strong. Manta sightings are quite common here. And a liveaboard trip to Komodo would not be complete without a trip to Saleh Bay in Sumbawa, where one can spend hours with whale sharks when they are in the area.
The best time to dive in Komodo is the dry season, which runs from April to November. This period promises warm temperatures, calm seas and the best visibility—up to 30m (98ft).
Lembeh Strait
Lembeh Strait is a real treasure trove of unique marine life and is often referred to as the “Critter Capital of the World.” Some of the most iconic creatures include the mimic octopus, which can imitate the appearance and behavior of other sea animals for defense and hunting, and the flamboyant cuttlefish, known for its hypnotic color displays. The hairy frogfish, with its shaggy appearance, is a delight for underwater photographers, as is the ornate ghost pipefish, which is a master in hanging around crinoids of the same color. And what visit to Lembeh would be complete without seeing a Lembeh seadragon?
As a muck diving destination, you can dive in Lembeh Strait year-round. The dry season is between April and November, when the weather is typically more stable, with calm seas and better visibility.
Manado and Bunaken
A highlight of diving in Manado and Bunaken is the Bunaken National Park, which boasts some of the most spectacular wall diving in the world. While diving there earlier this year, I encountered schools of snappers, barracudas and jacks, alongside a colorful array of reef fish, such as clownfish, lionfish, parrotfish, wrasses, butterflyfish, angelfish and nonstop rivers of redtooth triggerfish. I enjoyed seeing the massive, healthy coral heads as well as the largest and most numerous green and hawksbill sea turtles I have ever seen. For those who want to practice photographing turtles, this is a must-visit destination.
The best time to dive in Manado and Bunaken is when the volcanos are not erupting—not that you can plan for this. Visit during the dry season from March to October when weather conditions are optimal and water visibility can reach an impressive 20 to 35m.
Topside excursions
Great topside excursions include Komodo National Park. Here, one can see Komodo dragons and wildlife native to these islands. You will need to hire guides that carry big sticks. In addition to giving you a walking tour, they will also protect you from the Komodo dragons.
No visit to Raja Ampat would be complete without visiting Piaynemo. It is a famous lookout point surrounded by crystal-clear turquoise waters, located at Pulau Penem in the Fam Islands. The only way to get to the lookout point is by boat. Most liveaboards include a visit. Otherwise, a boat transfer can be arranged from Sorong and/or neighboring islands.
There is a small fee to access it, and there are over 300 steps to the top. The walkway is canopied by trees until you get to the viewing platform. Comfortable shoes, sun protection and bottled water are recommended. There are usually locals there selling snacks and drinks. If they are selling coconut crabs, it is best not to buy them, even if you intend to release them, as it only encourages the continued sale of this species.
In Tulamben, there are many land-based activities to choose from. Some of the most popular activities are temple tours, waterfall tours, a visit to Ubud and walking tours of the rice fields.
And in Manado, I would recommend the Minahasa Highlands half-day tour. I took the tour arranged by the Lumbalumba Resort, which took us to several viewpoints. We visited a volcanic crater overlooking rice fields and then visited the rice fields themselves. We walked along hot springs heated by a volcanic vent. It is one thing to hear about the “Ring of Fire,” but it is a completely different experience to be immersed in it.
Final thoughts
I would highly recommend Indonesia to all levels of divers. However, if you are a newer diver or do not dive regularly, it is important to listen to and follow the dive briefings closely. Better yet, dive close to your dive guide. The currents can be very strong and can change abruptly; downdrafts and updrafts, in addition to swift currents, can occur suddenly, and you need to act immediately.
For photographers, I highly recommend making a “shot list”—a list of critters you would like to see and photograph or the types of shots you would like to get. Most divemasters will ask what you would like to see, so if you know this ahead of time, your trip is likely to be much more productive.
When I first visited Indonesia, I had no idea that I would fall in love with it and return as often as I have. Every time I visit, I see something I have never seen before. The people are so sweet and genuine that I have even begun learning to speak Bahasa. The beauty that you will see both beneath the surface and on land will have you coming back to Indonesia time and time again. ■
Sincere thanks go to all of the dive guides and liveaboard crew members who facilitated the best experience possible on the Damai I, Arenui, Mermaid II, Lembeh Eco Resort, Spice Island Divers, Misool Eco Resort, Warahnus Dive Homestay, Ocean View Beach Resort and Lumbalumba Resort.
Sources:
indonesia.travel/gb/en/home.html
padi.com/diving-in/indonesia/
reeflifesurvey.com/species/
wikipedia.org/wiki/Coral_Triangle
