Raja Ampat · Indonesia · Reef
Agusta Reef
Reef hook dive at 10-12 m in very strong current
Area photo: Buena Ventura · CC BY 3.0
A shallow reef at 10 to 12 metres with a very strong current over it, described by the operator that lists it as reserved for expert divers. The depth is the least of the problem here: this is a reef hook dive, where you find a bare patch of rock, clip in below the flow and watch the water do the work.
Where it is and how deep
0.6487° S, 130.5643° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The reef itself is only 10 to 12 metres down, so the numbers on your computer will look easy all dive. The current is the whole story. It runs very strong here, which is why the site is listed as reserved for expert divers and why a reef hook is treated as required kit rather than an accessory: without one you cannot stay anywhere long enough to see anything. The listing's one promise about what you will see is conditional: if there is current, there are fish.
The dive is therefore about the entry and the hook-in. Go in on the briefing, get down fast before the flow moves you off the site, find dead rock to hook into and let the line take the load while you stay off the coral. Coming off the hook means the dive is over and you are drifting, so unclip deliberately, ascend on your own gas plan and get a surface marker up early, because the same current that made the dive will take you well away from where you started.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Raja Ampat: October–April brings calmer seas and the clearest water; June–August SE winds roughen southern Misool crossings.
Know before you go
- The current runs very strong over a reef only 10-12 m deep; a reef hook is effectively required kit and the site is listed as expert-only.
- Unhooking ends the dive on a fast drift, so deploy a surface marker early and stay together for a pickup well downcurrent of the entry.
Questions divers ask
Do you need a reef hook at Agusta Reef?+
The site listing says so directly: the reef is only 10 to 12 metres deep but the current is very strong, so you had better have a hook. The site is described as reserved for expert divers.
Sources
- Agusta Reef dive site — ScubaGo
More dive sites in Raja Ampat
Overhang at 28-35 m with the wall dropping past 50
Reef
Five Rocks: a repeat-request reef to around 24 m
House reef from the jetty at 2 m down to 20 m
Pinnacle
Cleaning stations on the summit, mantas on the flanks in season
Fish fill the water before your BCD is finished deflating
Coral garden
Shallow mixed coral reef, best between 3 and 14 m
Wall
Soft corals, black coral and gorgonians from 26 m to 2 m
Wall
Drift along a sloping wall with sharks and fish schools
Similar dives elsewhere
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A 5 to 13 m coral and seagrass slope off the resort beach
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