Raja Ampat · Indonesia · Wall · Drift · Reef
Cape Mansuar
A drift from schooling fish on the point to macro on the slope
Area photo: Buena Ventura · CC BY 3.0
Cape Mansuar is a drift along the reef off the cape of Mansuar, starting as a wall hung with big sea fans. Fish school thickly on the point, and the reef flattens into a slope farther along. Divers come for the fish at the corner and the change from schools to macro life along the way.
Where it is and how deep
0.5723° S, 130.6604° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The boat drops divers onto the wall, which is covered with big sea fans, and they swim toward the corner, where many species of fish school on the point: barracuda, fusiliers, surgeonfish, triggerfish, jacks and giant trevally. Black tip sharks, green turtles and batfish also appear here, and the reef goes down to 40 m.
Drifting along the reef, the schools thin out and the macro life takes over. The farther along the reef, the less steep it becomes, until the wall gives way to a sloping reef.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Trevally & jacks
- Reef fish swarms
- Reef sharks
- Sea turtles
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Raja Ampat: October to April is the drier stretch and November to April the manta season at Manta Ridge; July to mid-September can bring strong winds and rough seas.
Know before you go
- Mild to medium current runs along the wall and carries the drift.
Dive videos
Cape Mansuar - Raja Ampat #rajaampat #scubadiving · Scuba Diving and Dogs on YouTube
Sources
- Cape Mansuar dive site — PADI
- Cape Mansuar — ScubaGo
More dive sites in Raja Ampat
Reef
Reef hook dive at 10-12 m in very strong current
Schooling jacks hunting silversides under the village jetty
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
Pinnacle
Fish clouds swirling through a boulder corridor
Similar dives elsewhere
Whip corals along a drifted wall, with bumpheads passing
An open-top cave in the northwest wall of a limestone island
Boulder overhangs and tunnels above a steep wall
The corner where Cabilao's sharks are seen, wall to plateau to wall