Top 10 Dive Sites in Indonesia

With a long coastline, Indonesia is part of the Coral Triangle that stretches from the Pacific Ocean in the West to the Indian Ocean in the East. It’s a world class diving destination too. If you’re into scuba diving, you’ll be in seventh heaven. Explore underwater reefs, muck and drift dives, shipwrecks, underwater volcanic mountains as well as deep water trenches. There are over 3000 different types of fish and more than 600 species of coral to see.

Indonesia is a diverse holiday destination with warm, blue waters, a huge variety of exquisite marine life and underwater charm. A luxury charter vacation is one of the best ways to discover the beauty of this magical place.

Chartering a yacht is a great idea not only for total relaxation but to experience the amazing diving sites in Indonesia too. Want to know more about dive sites in Indonesia, here are the top 10:

1. Molas, Manado

This is certainly one of the best dive sites in Indonesia. The Molas, a steel hulled Dutch ship, which sank during WW2 is covered in coral, an awesome sight indeed! With the stern in a depth of 38m you can swim in shallow waters to the bow. Catch the beautiful coral gardens, sandy patches where garden eels, jawfish and gobies live. Have your camera ready to take photographs of barracuda, sharks and large napoleons.

2. Cannibal Rock, Rinca Island

Lying between Nusa Kode and Rinca Island, Cannibal Rock can be found in Loh Dasami Bay in Indonesia. It has a pinnacle which shows above the water’s surface. Explore underwater to see vibrant sea life like sea apples with golden beads, yellow tentacles as well as blue and green anemones. You may even come across pygmy seahorses that hide behind huge purple gorgonian fans. Feast your eyes on stingrays, green turtles or black and white striped snappers.

3. German Flag, Komodo

There’s no doubt about it the German Flag at Komodo is one of the best diving sites in Indonesia.

From September to January each year plankton attracts large manta rays to this nutrient rich area in Komodo. With a current here, drift diving is highly recommended. Divers can often see huge potato cod, napoleon wrasse, surgeon fish, bohar snappers and Malabar groupers behind the boulders and rocks.

4. Usat Liberty, Tulamben

The Usat Liberty was a 119m/390ft USA Army transport ship. Torpedoed in the Lombok Strait in WW2, it lies only about 30m from Tulamben. Tulamben is a beautiful fishing village located in north east Bali. This shipwreck is a haven for coral sea fans, gorgonians, hydroids, nudibranchs and anemones, what a sight to behold! Watch out for big-eyed trevally, gobies, lizardfish, barracuda and jacks when you’re under the water. This diving hot spot is one of the most popular in Indonesia.

5. Shark Point, Gili Islands

Shark Point can be found off the tiny Gili Islands in the north west of Lombok. It’s a huge, open diving spot, perfect for divers of all abilities. There’s a sloping reef with ridges and valleys that lead into the deeper waters. See if you can spot turtles in the shallow soft corals or white tip and black tip sharks. Keep an eye open for angelfish, snapper, blue spotted stingrays, jacks and barracuda in the deeper waters, what a sight!

6. Pos II, Menjangan Island

Ask your skipper to moor at Menjangan Island which is well known for its wall diving sites. It makes up part of the West Bali National Park and is worth a visit. Pos II provides a drift drive off the island’s southern coast and there’s also a shore entry dive. This stunning dive site has a steep underwater canyon that attracts soft corals, colourful gorgonians, moray eels and sponges. Sharks can often be seen due to the cold currents along with manta rays, turtles and once in a while the not often seen mola mola.

7. Boo Rock, Raja Ampat

The Raja Ampat Islands form part of the infamous Coral Triangle and are amazing diving spots. Boo Rock can be found on the edge of the archipelago’s Misool region. The rock is named from two swim through eyes which rest just under the surface of the water. The nearby reef has soft corals as well as schools of colourful fish like the pinnate batfish and the yellow striped grunts. This area is also a firm favourite with underwater photographers.

8. The Magnet, Belongas Bay

The Magnet is in the turquoise blue waters of Belongas Bay with its pinnacle that rises to the surface from 80m below. Advanced divers only can enjoy this particular site that is awash with red-toothed triggerfish and soft coral of all colours. Schools of trevally, hammerheads, eagle rays and barracuda swim in this area with white tip reef sharks often being found in the cave 20 metres down.

9. Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi

Now here’s a place that offers excellent muck dive sites. Stop off to dive into environments that are dark with silt and black sand, a photographer’s dream. Watch out for ghost pipefish, weedy scorpionfish, Pegasus sea moths and nudibranchs. There are also inimicus devilfish and banggai cardinal fish here, sounds very interesting!

10. Hotsprings, Sumatra

With its stunning sea rock formations, calm waves and clean shores, Hotsprings in Sumatra is definitely a diving spot to put on your itinerary.

At Pulau Weh hot springs there’s a most unusual dive site. Hot water and gas bubble up from the sand floor with vents and cracks changing on a regular basis. Enjoy the intriguing display of these hot springs, warm temperatures, yellow snappers, bannerfish and puffer fish when diving off your yacht charter.