Wakatobi Dive Sites :
Waha Wall.
This wall is teeming with a huge variety of corals, huge barrel sponges and sea fans and it plunges to depths of 60m or more. This is a great site for passing pelagic fish such schooling tuna and eagle rays. It is possible to experience schools of spawning bumphead wrasse and parrot fish. There are many turtles, trevallies, and myriads of other fish in every direction. There are also many things to interest macro-lovers, if you can focus and tear your eyes away from the colorful bigger picture! Commonly we see a variety of nudibranches, leaf scorpion fish, porceline crabs, and many more interseting critters. This dive is suitable for beginner divers as well as advanced divers as currents here are generally mild or non-exis
Jon’s Point.
Located on the home reef this Dive site is characterised by its many overhangs and caves. The deeper dives on this wall bring you to overhangs where hammerhead sharks have been seen to pass. Reef sharks and Schooling barracuda are often sighted here. Many very large sea fans and encrusting coral species cover the wall creating a plethora of different colours.
Patuno Gate.
This home reef dive is situated in just a short boat journey from the resort. The dive begins on the sandy slope on the inside of the barrier reef where after a short swim we pass through a saddle at about 15m where turtles can sometimes be seen. As we pass over this saddle the reef drops away into a beautiful wall covered in an array of huge barrel sponges, soft and hard coral. Swarms of red tooth and Black trigger fish are in abundance here. The reef has many overhangs and swim throughs that house orange cup sponges and sea fans. Reef sharks, Spotted Eagle rays and Barracuda can also be seen here.
The Zoo (Waelumu).
This dive is at the tip of the long barrier reef which stretches out in front of Patuno Resort Wakatobi and ends in front of the Waelumu village area. The steep wall drops from 5 meters down to about 35 meters where it turns into a sandy slope which continues to extends down into the depths. A great dive where schooling barracuda and big eye trevallies are common, as are passing white tip and black tip reef sharks and dog tooth tuna. The wall teams with a huge variety of gorgonian sea fans of all different colours making it a great habitat for pygmy seahorses. Colemans Pygmys and Bargybanti’s have been spotted here. The 5 meter tip of this barrier reef makes for a enjoyable safety stop, where you can take your time enjoying the table corals and panorama of colourful soft corals.
Wandoka Pinnacle.
From the surface this pinnacle doesn’t look all that impressive, but once you descend down to 10m and begin to follow the ridge on the side you will be astonished by the variety of hard and soft corals, huge sponges, sea fans and black corals. This site is teeming with fish, and dog-toothed tuna and Big eye trevallies can regularly be found schooling here, along with schooling bohar snappers, schooling fusiliers, Giant trevallies, butterfly fish, turtles, and sometimes eagle rays. The safety stop on the top of the pinnacle provides an opputunity to take photos of scorpion fish and play with the tightly schooling juvenile striped catfish.
Turtle Transporter.
This often fast flowing drift dive is a favourite of many guests. A steady current flows along this wall indented with many overhangs and caves where large turtles often rest and shelter from the flow. Regularly turtle numbers can get into double figures with the larger specimens sitting staring back at the approaching diver. Other common seen sights include groups of large eagle rays, schools of large midnight snapper and a ‘family’ of Napoleon wrasse.
Coliseum.
This dives offers a bit of all, coral garden, sand slope, wall. The central part is a very pretty garden that starts at 5m/15ft, slopes down to 20m/60ft and continues deeper as sand slope. Eagle rays, mobula rays and schooling bumphead parrotfish are occasionally passing by on the slope. On the sides the garden is getting steeper, ending on two steep points – with a top around 8m/25ft and bottom more than 50m/150ft. The points are usually swept by current and their walls are full of fan corals, soft corals and lots of fish. Bargibanti pygmys seahorse are not uncommon and Coleman’s pygmys have been spotted as well.
Wanci Jetty.
Wanci jetty is a rare treat for underwater photography enthusiasts, accessible only at certain times. It is home to a profusion of species and enormous flashing schools of bait fish. The columns of the jetty are covered in sponges and fans, and the reef flat and slopes are home to cuttlefish, mantis shrimp, several species of morays and a variety of pipefish. A true muck dive that reveals more unusual creatures with every visit.
Topi Miring.
This site consists of two pinnacles connected by a saddle ridge, the slopes of which are covered in large acropora tables, barrel sponges and mushroom corals. The corals formations and sponges are huge and many experienced divers have commented on how pristeen and ancient these corals must be. Patrolling great barracuda, nudibranchs and many species of cryptic crustaceans are found here.
Red Fish.
This site is so named after both the large schools of red tooth triggers that are found here and a guest who helped discover the site. Here the reef consists of a gentle slope with high coral coverage ending in a sharp corner where you can hang out and watch the large pelagic species pass by.
Kapota Ridge.
The ridge here extends out from the island of Kapota’s home reef. The dive starts on a gentle sandy slope where many barrel sponges and foliose coral can be seen. Regular sitings of pelagic species such as dog tooth tuna and trevalies make this a popular spot.
Kapota Point.
On the furthest point of nearby Kapota Island, this site is one of the most vibrantly coloured walls in the region. Enormous sea fans and coral overhangs are found all over the wall, and schools of reef fish as well as pelagic drifters can often be seen taking refuge from the brisk currents that ensure a multitude of fish species.
Karang Gurita.
This is a great location for an outstanding days diving. This is a stunning coral atoll shaped like an eye. Several fantastic sites can be dived here. The dive sites here encompass walls, coral gardens, plateaus, ridges and slopes. You can see big sponges, a huge variety of sea fans, colourful soft and hard corals, schooling trevallies, barracudas, turtles, rays, reef sharks, or if you’re lucky even hammerhead sharks! This is a favourite dive site and guaranteed to be an exhilarating dive!
Clown Fish City (Karang Gurita).
As the name implies, this site is home to an amazing concentration of Amphiprion percula as well as several other anemone fish species. Located on Karang Gurita off the south east coast of Wangi-Wangi Island, it is an excellent place to encounter pelagic species and boast 25m+ visibility much of the year. The stronger currents in the area bring in impressive schooling fish.
Kaledupa Double Spur.
On the edge of nearby Kaledupa Island, Double Spur has some of the most pristine hard coral coverage in the area. The dive begins on a deep ridge covered in soft corals and anemones with resident porcelain crabs and ends in a shallow garden of large boulder corals, plate corals and anemone fishes of all species covering the reef.
Kaledupa.
The reef slope here has many overhangs and crevices where blue spotted rays hide away. The crest of the reef is covered in a variety of soft coral where large schools of fusiliers and juvenile trevally are seen.
Langira.
The crest of this reef sits at approximately 10m. Here very large coral Bombies are the dominant growth form with large numbers of juvenile reef species using this as a nursery area. The reef itself slopes away into the depths with overhangs housing blue spotted rays and more. Eagle rays and Tuna often pass in the blue.
The Ridge.
This ridge extends out from the top of Hoga Island’s home reef. The area often has currents running along it making this a drift dive. One of the best features of this site is the much loved ‘crazy corner’ where the current rushes around the tip of the ridge. It is here that large schools of pelagic fish such as giant trevally gather to feast of the even larger schools of fusiliers and triggers that reside here.
Inner Pinnacle.
These two pinnacles lie close to the Hoga home reef. The pinnacles have a ridge at approximately 15m connecting the two. Large schools of Barracuda are often sighted on this pinnacle as well as crocodile fish and large scorpion fish being prevalent on the top of the pinnacle.
Outer Pinnacle.
This is a large pinnacle near Hoga Island with a ridge leading away from it at a depth of 25m. Outstanding corals, big sponges, and a huge variety of colourful soft corals cover the pinnacle and ridge. On this dive you will be surrounded by thousands of fish, from giant trevallies, schooling fusiliers, passing tuna, great barracudas, large napoleon fish and many more. There are also many interesting nudibranches and frog fish for the photographers. This dive also offers the opportunity to look for the very well camouflaged scorpion fish and other critters during the 5m safety stop.
Hoga Channel.
This is a great site to visit at high tide when it offers great visibility and an abundance of fish, against a backdrop of spectacular coral. As it is a channel fish come to feed here at high tide as the currents bring plankton to the area, and other fish use it as a highway. This a spawning site for snapper especially at full moon, and we commonly see schooling barracuda, trevallies, napoleon wrasse, bumphead parrot fish along with many more smaller fish in large schools. This is one of the favourite sites around Hoga island.
Mari Mabuk.
The bigger reef area is called Mari Mabuk (which we’re told means, “Let’s get drunk!), and it had a number of excellent dives on it. Located at Tomia Island, this particular photo comes from a specific dive on Mari Mabuk called Roma. It is an exceptional dive site. Mari Mabuk has a maximum diving depth of about 60 m / 196.9 ft and is suitable for all divers. The average visibility is 10-20 metres and access to the dive site is by boat. It features huge sea fans, coral heads adorned in bright soft corals and feather stars blooming in the frequently swift current. The saddle that bridges the reef contains blue ribbon eels, leaf fish, crocodile fish, scorpion fish, nudibranchs and many more.
There are still many others diving sites around Wakatobi Regency, that can be explor during your diving trip to Wakatobi.