Coral Triangle · Indonesia
Halmahera — Kusu & Sali Islands
Blacktip reef sharks by day and the endemic Halmahera walking shark after dark.
Two small dive resorts sit on their own islands off Bacan in South Halmahera, North Maluku: Nabucco on Kusu and Sali Bay on Sali, with a third catalogued on Proco. Each has a house reef, and Nabucco counts more than 40 boat sites five to twenty minutes away: coral slopes to sand at 20 to 25 m, headlands where the tide runs hard, sheltered coral gardens for all levels, and a muck day trip to Magic Jetty on request. Blacktip reef sharks are close to guaranteed, macro is regular, and the endemic Halmahera walking shark comes out on night dives. It is a self-contained resort week far from any hub.
About diving in Halmahera — Kusu & Sali Islands
Each resort dives from its own island and the boat runs are short. Nabucco's Spice Island Resort on Kusu has an Extra Divers centre at the jetty, more than 40 sites five to twenty minutes away by boat, and up to five dives a day in single, double-tank, early-morning and night slots. Sali Bay Dive Resort, on the neighbouring island, dives in groups of no more than six with nitrox and 12-litre aluminium tanks, and keeps a 600 m house reef for dives and snorkels. The site catalogue also lists a house reef off the jetty of Proco Island Bamboo Resort, which has no live website and whose status should be confirmed before booking. A muck day trip to Magic Jetty can be arranged on request.
The reefs are marginal reef slopes and coral gardens that run down to sand at 20 to 25 m, with full coral cover in the shallows at sites such as Igo Nyoga. Pulau Pokal breaks the pattern with blocks and gullies, and Sali Bay East is a headland where the current runs around the point and the undulating bottom throws up vertical flow. Blacktip reef sharks are close to guaranteed, grey and whitetip reef sharks work the nutrient-rich walls, and turtles, jacks and bumphead parrotfish are common. On the same slopes the guides find pygmy seahorses, frogfish, ghost pipefish, leaf scorpionfish, nudibranchs, octopus and harlequin shrimp.
This is a place for a quiet, self-contained resort week: one island, one dive centre, small groups and up to five dives a day on a reef system with sharks by day and the endemic Halmahera walking shark at night. Getting there takes a flight to Labuha on Bacan, a car to the coast and a 40-minute speedboat, and the Kusu resort requires proof of dive and travel-health insurance because help is far away. Tide-driven current runs strong at several named sites, so the outer headlands are for divers at ease in moving water. Divers who want a hub with a choice of operators, liveaboards and villages should go to Raja Ampat, 322 km east; those after a full week of muck are better served in Lembeh.
When to dive Halmahera — Kusu & Sali Islands
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Open all year; the resort calls sea conditions much the same month to month. Rain falls year-round, heaviest Dec–Mar and lightest Sep–Oct in the Labuha climate record.
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
Dive types & marine life
Blacktip reef sharks are close to guaranteed, with grey and whitetip reef sharks on the nutrient-rich walls; turtles, jacks and bumphead parrotfish are common, and mackerel, batfish and fusiliers school here. The Halmahera walking shark, an endemic bamboo shark first collected in 2013, is seen on night dives and snorkels. Pygmy seahorses, frogfish, ghost pipefish and nudibranchs are regular.
- Reef
- Coral garden
- Drift
- Muck & macro
- Night
- Reef sharks
- Sea turtles
- Trevally & jacks
- Reef fish swarms
- Pygmy seahorses
- Frogfish
- Nudibranchs
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Macro critters
Notable dive sites in Halmahera — Kusu & Sali Islands
Reef
Coral slope to 25 m, five minutes from the Kusu jetty
Reef
Gentle reef slope to a sand plateau at about 20 m, good for all levels
Reef
Sheltered coral garden sloping to sand at 20 m
Reef
Coral garden slope reaching sand at 25 m, five minutes from Kusu
Nabucco Spice Island
Nabucco's house reef on the north side of Kusu; current can run strong depending on the tide.
Pulau Pokal
Blocks and gullies off a small island five to ten minutes north-east of Kusu; often very strong current.
Sali Bay East Freestyle
Headland at the eastern end of Sali Bay, 20 minutes out; strong current with vertical flow over an undulating bottom.
Tanjung Gorua
Reef tongue at the north-west of Sali, 15 minutes out; a relatively sheltered coral garden.
Getting there
Fly to Labuha on Bacan Island, served from Manado and from Ternate; Sali Bay suggests Singapore Airlines to Manado and Wings Air on to Labuha. From the airport it is about 20 minutes by car to the jetty and 40 to 45 minutes by speedboat to Kusu or Sali. Both resorts occupy their own small islands and are reached by the speedboat transfer.
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