Exotic Scuba Diving Site: Dampier Strait, Friwen Bonda Island, Raja Ampat, Indonesia
This central Raja Ampat locale is paradise on earth — colorful coral gardens and pinnacles buzzing with tropical fish.
With names like Galaxy, Candy Store, Blue Magic, Melissa’s Garden and Wedding Cake, you know that the dive sites of Raja Ampat are an experience that can only be described as sensory overload.
Dampier Strait, Raja Ampat
Strong currents provide the perfect habitat for the marine life in Raja’s Dampier Strait.
Aggressor Fleet
Raja Ampat — which translates to Four Kings — is located in the heart of the Coral Triangle. Renowned for its rich coral reef ecosystem, you will be blown away by the diversity and abundance of marine life — the waters surrounding more than 1,500 islands are packed with 600 types of corals, 1,500 fish species and more than 600 types of mollusks.
Dampier Strait lies in the central part of Raja Ampat, in the Indonesian province of West Papua. In the early 1990s, scuba diving pioneer and legend Max Ammer began offering dive excursions to the sites in Dampier Strait, putting Raja Ampat on the map.
Coral Garden
The sites off Friwen Bonda in the Dampier Strait are soft-coral fantasyland.
Wayne Brown/Aggressor Fleet
Many of the sites off the island of Friwen Bonda start shallow on a plateau, in just 20 to 25 feet of water, but then drop down to the sand-bottom seabed in deeper water, 80 feet and deeper. The current runs strong here, as water muscles through the strait to the deep basins of the Banda Sea. But these powerful currents bring an abundance of nutrients and marine life. The area has been colonized by a riot of hard and soft corals, sea whips and anemones, and tremendous schools of fish life, including barracudas, jacks and sweetlips. You’ll also encounter wobbegong sharks, ribbon-tail rays, schools of bumped parrotfish and fusiliers.
The crown jewel of the region are the soft corals. Like a peacock fanning its tail, the reefs here unfurl in a profusion of color. Look for nudibranchs, pygmy seahorses, crinoid shrimp and reef octopus, and tons of small tropical fish, as well as a number of shark species. The action is nonstop.
Raja Ampat Aggressor
The 100-foot Raja Ampat Aggressor offers three itineraries, including Raja Ampat.
Aggressor Fleet
NEED TO KNOW
Type of Dive: Reef and pinnacles with very strong currents — these currents can hit warp speed, so it’s best to dive with a guide who knows the water conditions.
Depth: 15 feet to 100 feet
Visibility: 30 to 70 feet, depending on the site and conditions
Water Temperature: 80˚-86˚ F year-round
Skill Level: Intermediate-Advanced
When to Go: October-April; June-September is monsoon season
Contact: Aggressor Fleet