Raja Ampat · Indonesia · Reef · Seamount
Chicken Reef
Reef sharks and giant trevallies patrolling a coral seamount
Photo: Piotr Lukasik · CC BY 4.0
Chicken Reef is a submerged seamount in the Dampier Strait, covered in large coral bommies and gorgonian fans. Currents sweep the site and draw schooling fish and the predators that hunt them, while the coral hides pygmy seahorses, frogfish and nudibranchs. Divers come for the mix of fish action and macro on one reef.
Where it is and how deep
0.5455° S, 130.7004° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The tide sets the route. On a rising current the boat drops divers at the north end of the seamount, and they keep the reef on their right while swimming south. On a falling tide the drop is at the south end, with the reef on the left and the swim heading north. The slope runs from about 5 m down to 20 m, with the seamount continuing to 30 m.
Large schools of fusiliers, surgeonfish, bluefin jacks and butterflyfish hang over the bommies, with sweetlips, clown triggerfish and snappers on the reef. Barracudas, whitetip and blacktip reef sharks and giant trevallies patrol for food. In the shallows schools of bumphead parrotfish graze the coral, and Spanish mackerel and tuna sometimes pass.
Between the fish schools the gorgonian fans and corals hold the small life: pygmy seahorses, mantis shrimps, flatworms, nudibranchs and frogfish all live on the seamount.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
- Trevally & jacks
- Barracuda
- Reef sharks
- Tuna
- Pygmy seahorses
- Nudibranchs
- Frogfish
- 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
- Moderate to strong currents often sweep the seamount, so the direction of the drift decides where the dive starts.
Dive videos
Chicken Reef Raja Ampat. Discover My Reef. · Reef Nomad on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Where does the dive at Chicken Reef start?+
It depends on the tide. A rising current means a drop at the north end and a swim south; a falling tide means a drop at the south end and a swim north.
Sources
- Chicken Reef Dive Site, Raja Ampat — La Galigo Liveaboard
- Local Guide to Raja Ampat Dive Sites: Chicken Reef — Meridian Adventure Dive
- Chicken reef — ScubaGo
- Chicken reef dive site — PADI
Photo credits
- An orange grouper with pale spots rests head down on a dark red encrusted rock. by Piotr Lukasik, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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
Wall
A drift from schooling fish on the point to macro on the slope
Similar dives elsewhere
A gentle drift over coral and sand to 18 m
White sand to 15 m, no current, twenty minutes from town
Blue-ringed octopus and frogfish among coral boulders
Schooling barracuda and trevally when a current is running