Raja Ampat · Indonesia · Reef
Mayhem
Dolphins and pilot whales on the hour-long run out
Area photo: Buena Ventura · CC BY 3.0
An hour by boat from the Soul Scuba Divers centre, on a coral reef that starts at 5 to 7 metres and continues to 40. The crossing is part of the trip rather than a cost of it: dolphins, pilot whales and plenty of birds are seen on the way out, which is unusual enough to shape how the day is planned.
Where it is and how deep
0.5117° S, 130.4405° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Getting there is an hour on the boat, and the run itself is worth watching: dolphins, pilot whales and large numbers of birds are seen on the way to the site. That is a sighting on the crossing rather than something the dive delivers, so it pays to be up on deck rather than kitting up early.
The coral reef starts at 5 to 7 metres and continues down to 40, so the profile is yours to choose and the shallow top is where bottom time lasts. Nothing is published about the visibility specific to Mayhem, and no species list has been recorded for the reef itself, so plan it on the area figures, brief on the tide and treat the deeper ground as optional rather than the point of the dive.
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 | 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.
Questions divers ask
How long is the boat ride to Mayhem?+
About an hour each way from the Soul Scuba Divers dive centre. Dolphins, pilot whales and birds are regularly seen on the crossing.
Sources
- Mayhem dive site — 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
Wall
A drift from schooling fish on the point to macro on the slope
Similar dives elsewhere
Table corals from 3 m down to 40, and nudibranchs on all of it
Five minutes by jukung to a coral slope dropping to 40 metres
Big-fish habitat in a current that usually runs strong
Fields of big gorgonians at the 35-metre end of the slope