Raja Ampat · Indonesia · Channel & pass · Drift · Wall
The Passage
Occasional scalloped hammerheads on the deep edges of a tidal channel
Area photo: Buena Ventura · CC BY 3.0
The Passage is a narrow tidal channel in northern Raja Ampat that links two island groups within the Dampier Strait. Powerful tidal surges funnel plankton and predators between its coral walls. Advanced drift divers come for the fish storms and the pelagic sightings at the turn of the tide.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Raja Ampat and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
Divers drift through the channel on the tide change, between steep coral walls that run from 15 m down to 35 m. Massive schools of barracudas, giant trevally, yellowtail jacks and snappers feed on the baitfish swept through by the current. Along the deeper edges of the channel blacktip reef sharks patrol, and scalloped hammerheads sometimes join them.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Trevally & jacks
- Reef fish swarms
- Reef sharks
- Hammerheads
| 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
- Powerful tidal surges run through the narrow channel at the tide changes.
Dive videos
Diving The Passage NSFF · Frank Lamé on YouTube
Sources
- The Passage dive site — PADI
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
Schools of grey reef sharks in a channel cut with caves from 8 to 40 m
Channel & pass
Magic Passage
Madang & the North Coast · Papua New Guinea
A wall of big-eye trevally closing around divers on the turning tide
Eagle rays and grey reef sharks crowding the channel as the tide floods in
The channel through the centre of Chole Bay, dived as a drift