Dive Cape Kri — site of a world-record fish count of 374 species in a single dive — and explore pristine walls, bommies, and drift dives in the planet's richest marine ecosystem. For certified divers, this is the ultimate underwater pilgrimage.
What to expect
Your divemaster briefs you over a detailed site map before boarding a purpose-built dive tender that crosses to Cape Kri in minutes. The first descent reveals a wall smothered in sea fans, black coral trees, and sponges the size of bathtubs, with Napoleon wrasse, white-tip reef sharks, and barracuda schools as standard. A second dive at a nearby bommie yields pygmy seahorses on sea fans and the renowned walking epaulette shark. Surface intervals are spent drifting between jungle-clad islets with fresh tropical fruit and Indonesian coffee. It is, quite simply, the finest diving on Earth.
Good to know
Valid PADI/SSI Open Water certification (or equivalent) required; Advanced recommended for drift dives. Bring your certification card and logbook. Book 3–5 days ahead for private guiding. A Raja Ampat dive permit (approx. USD 65/IDR 1,000,000) is required if not already held. Full morning commitment — plan for all-aboard accordingly.