With over 17,000 islands, Indonesia has a ton of great snorkeling destinations and sites. As snorkeling professionals, we have spent a significant amount of time exploring this vast archipelago and we’ve decided to come up with our own list of the country’s best snorkeling sites. Of course, this list is completely subject to seasons, marine life behavior, personal preferences, currents, visibility and so much more. You could snorkel what many people might consider as “the best site in Indonesia”, only to find that the marine life is scarce, the visibility is poor, and the coral doesn’t appear very vibrant on account of the cloud cover at that given moment leaving you a bit confused about what people are talking about. Please note that when talking about snorkeling sites in such a subjective way we also need to take into account the unpredictable element of nature as well. Please note that these sites aren’t ranked or presented in a sort of order, we simply think these are some of the best snorkeling sites in Indonesia.
Tatawa Kecil | Komodo
Tatawa Kecil is not a site we are able to visit often as it’s a small rock in the middle of a very current-prone channel in Komodo. However, when the currents are amendable we can explore this small rock island and enjoy the surreal beauty beneath its rugged topside. This site is all about large hard coral formations, big fish, potential for manta rays, and all-around excitement.
Current: Mild to none (when we snorkel it) Visibility: Typically very good Reef: Mostly made up of hard corals with some sponges and soft corals mixed in.
Marine Life: Anthias, Fusileers, Bluefin Trevally, Giant Trevally, Napoleon Wrass, Giant Sweetlips, Many different types of butterfly fish and angel fish, Scorpionfish, Hawksbill Sea turtles, Whitetip Reef sharks, Moray Eels, Decent chances for encounters with manta rays and eagle rays
The Great Wall of Pantar | Alor
The Great Wall of Pantar is one of Alor’s most famous sites, and for good reason. The actual wall part of this site isn’t very long, maybe only fifty meters or so, but it doesn’t matter because there is so much going on in every square inch that it will take you the better part of an hour to move past it. The Great Wall of Pantar is just awash with colorful hard and soft corals and the reef fish that explode from it.
Current: Mild to moderate (when we snorkel it) Visibility: Typically very good Reef: The wall is dominated by soft corals and sponges while the ree top is a mixture of hard and soft corals with many sponges and colonies of tunicates and beautiful algae patches mixed in.
Marine Life: Anthias, Fusileers, Bluefin Trevally, Giant Trevally, Napoleon Wrass, Many different types of butterfly fish and angel fish, Scorpionfish, Banded Seasnake, Whitetip Reef sharks, Moray Eels, Schooling Chubs, Nudibranchs, Anemone Fish, Dragonettes
Mangroves | Raja Ampat
The mangroves in northern Raja Ampat are probably some of the best snorkeling sites you will ever do anywhere in the world. Beautiful coral gardens with a unique mixture of hard corals, sponges, colorful soft coral, and sea grass are the foundation for the arching roots of the mangrove forests where an unusual collection of marine life inhabit.
Current: Mild to none Visibility: Typically very good Reef: The area directly beneath the mangroves is dominated by sponges and beautiful patches of algae with some soft corals here and there. The plateau and slope just beyond where the roots meet the ground is a mixture of hard corals with many sponges and some sand patches.
Marine Life: Archerfish, Juvenile batfish, Cuttlefish, Octopus, Pajama cardinalfish, Chromies, Fusileers, Anemonyfish, Nudibranchs, Signal gobies, Reef sharks, Hawksbill sea turtles, Mangrove snappers, crocodile needlefish, crocodile fish, decent chances for mobula rays
Montse’s Garden | Halmahera
This was a site I discovered while visiting Kusu Island Resort prior to its opening. It was so expansive and beautiful that I unofficially named it after my lovely wife, Montse. Can you say brownie points!? This site is so big it could technically be three different sites, but when the current is right we can drift over the whole stunning array of hard and soft corals bursting with life.
Current: Mild to moderate (when we snorkel it) Visibility: Typically very good Reef: The plateau and slope are dominated by a variety of hard corals with some bommies (coral heads) completely covered in sponges, soft corals, and sea fans.
Marine Life: Anthias, Fusileers, Bluefin Trevally, Giant Trevally, Napoleon Wrass, Many different types of butterfly fish and angel fish, Scorpionfish, Banded Seasnake, Blacktip Reef sharks, Moray Eels, Octopus, Nudibranchs, Anemone Fish, Bumphead parrotfish
Little Komodo | Triton Bay
This site is absolutely unreal, and I’m quite sure I’ve never experienced a site more colorful in all my time snorkeling in Indonesia. The most unique thing about this site is the bouquets of soft coral colonies that seem to bloom from the limestone rocks beneath the surface. The visibility doesn’t tend to be great, but you won’t even notice the difference once you get lost in this psychedelic wonderland.
Current: Mild to moderate (when we snorkel it) Visibility: Average Reef: Predominantly dominated by soft corals and black coral colonies with some hard corals mixed in
Marine Life: Anthias, Fusileers, Bluefin Trevally, Schooling silversides, Napoleon Wrass, Many different types of butterfly fish and angel fish, Scorpionfish, Banded Seasnake, Blacktip Reef sharks, Whitetip reef shark, Bumphead parrotfish, Moray Eels, Octopus, Nudibranchs, Anemone Fish
Lekuan | Bunaken
If you like turtles, beautiful corals, and lots of reef fish, then this is the site for you. In one seventy-minute snorkel at this Lekuan area just off Bunaken Island you can expect to see anywhere from ten to fifty turtles meandering about. It’s pretty unreal. If you get bored of following sea turtles around you can lose yourself in the colorful chaos that is the hard coral reef which drops into a vertical wall into the deep blue and is lined with sea fans and soft corals.
Current: Mild to moderate (when we snorkel it) Visibility: Typically good Reef: The plateau is dominated by a variety of hard corals while the wall is covered in sponges, soft corals, and sea fans.
Marine Life: Green sea turtles, Hawksbill sea turtles, Fusileers, Bluefin Trevally, Redtoothed triggerfish, Green sea turtles, Napoleon Wrass, Many different types of butterfly fish and angel fish, Scorpionfish, Banded Seasnake, More green sea turtles, Moray Eels, Octopus, Anemone Fish, and Green sea turtles
