Sardine Reef, Raja Ampat, Indonesia

Site Overview
Dive Centres
Site Type: Scenic Reef
Depth: Top: 5M Median: 18M Bottom: 30M
Location: East of Kri

Sardine Reef is a small reef that resembles an oval-shaped underwater hill on the east side of Kri. Soft coral, gorgonian fans, black coral bushes and slopes of coral heads populate the whole Sardine Reef area. Large schools of fusiliers, sardines, damsels, banner fish, butterfly fish, sweetlips and snappers frequent the site, picking tasty morsels out of the current.

Triggerfish and predators such as barracuda, Spanish mackerel, Jacks and giant trevallies can be seen as well. At the top of the food-chain, black tipped reef sharks, white tipped reef sharks and even grey reef sharks usually cruise the surroundings.

Amazing biodiversity in one shot diving Sardine Reef at Raja Ampat Dampier Strait West Papua Indonesia by Diveplanit

A typical scene where you couldn’t begin to count the number of organisms in a single frame.

Featherstars and anthias diving Sardine Reef at Raja Ampat Dampier Strait West Papua Indonesia by Diveplanit

And the whole scene is teeming with small reef fish.

Tasselled wobbegong diving Sardine Reef at Raja Ampat Dampier Strait West Papua Indonesia by Diveplanit

The more you look the more you see – like this tasselled wobbegong

Coral cluster diving Sardine Reef at Raja Ampat Dampier Strait West Papua Indonesia by Diveplanit

Everywhere there are unique combinations of corals, hard, soft, bushy and coating.

Singular bannerfish and divers diving Sardine Reef at Raja Ampat Dampier Strait West Papua Indonesia by Diveplanit

The reef society carries on its business without heed of the visiting divers.

Reef scene with sponge and trigger diving Sardine Reef at Raja Ampat Dampier Strait West Papua Indonesia by Diveplanit

There’s a Titan trigger hiding in this scene somewhere…

Freckled Hawkfish diving Sardine Reef at Raja Ampat Dampier Strait West Papua Indonesia by Diveplanit

I reckon this Freckled Hawkfish owns this particular clump.

Flurry of fusiliers diving Sardine Reef at Raja Ampat Dampier Strait West Papua Indonesia by Diveplanit