Coral Triangle · Indonesia
Takabonerate & Selayar
The world's third-largest atoll, and a wall running the length of Selayar
Photo: Fakhrizal Setiawan · CC BY-SA 4.0
Takabonerate, south of Sulawesi, is the third-largest atoll on earth after Kwajalein and Suvadiva — 220,000 hectares of reef, lagoon and sand cay, protected as a national park and dived by almost nobody. The neighbouring island of Selayar has a straight east coast that drops as an unbroken wall for tens of kilometres. Both are a long way from anywhere, which is precisely why the coral is in the condition it is and why liveaboards make the trip.
About diving in Takabonerate & Selayar
Two quite different trips share one gateway. Selayar is land-based and simple: a handful of small resorts sit on the east coast with the drop-off a few minutes offshore, so boats go out after breakfast, come back, and go out again, and the schedule bends to whoever is aboard. The atoll is a genuine expedition by comparison, reached either as a leg on a liveaboard itinerary or as a long open-water run from Selayar, with basic island accommodation inside the park once you arrive.
The wall is the constant on Selayar: a vertical face below a shallow reef top, fans and soft coral on the overhangs, and nothing underneath but blue, so most dives come down to choosing a depth and letting the water carry you along it. The atoll works differently. Its rim breaks into reef flats, sand cays and channels, with a shallow interior lagoon holding scattered coral heads, so a single day can run from a current-swept outer edge to almost still water off a beach.
What people remember afterwards is the emptiness — no queue for the good corners, and reef that has never had to absorb dive traffic. The trade-off is scheduling: April to November is the working season, March a marginal shoulder, and the north-west monsoon puts the crossing out of reach from December to February. Even in season a bad forecast can remove a day. It suits divers who have already worked through Indonesia's better-known sites and can spend travel days to reach somewhere quiet; it is a poor choice for a short trip, and macro here is incidental rather than the point.
Best time to dive Takabonerate & Selayar
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Good | Off-season |
| Sea surface | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 28°C82°F | 28°C82°F | 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F |
| Daytime high | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 28°C82°F | 28°C82°F | 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F |
| Rain | 211 mm8.3 in | 163 mm6.4 in | 159 mm6.3 in | 134 mm5.3 in | 116 mm4.6 in | 118 mm4.6 in | 63 mm2.5 in | 26 mm1.0 in | 34 mm1.3 in | 50 mm2.0 in | 90 mm3.5 in | 197 mm7.8 in |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 211 mm8.3 in | 163 mm6.4 in | 159 mm6.3 in | 134 mm5.3 in | 116 mm4.6 in | 118 mm4.6 in |
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Prime | Good | Off-season |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 28°C82°F | 28°C82°F | 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 28°C82°F | 28°C82°F | 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 63 mm2.5 in | 26 mm1.0 in | 34 mm1.3 in | 50 mm2.0 in | 90 mm3.5 in | 197 mm7.8 in |
2011–2025 averages. Sea surface: NOAA Coral Reef Watch, measured at the surface, so deeper water can run colder. Daytime high and rain: NASA POWER.
Apr–Nov is the season; the north-west monsoon makes the crossing from Makassar impractical from December to February.
Best months: April, May, June, October
Takabonerate water temperature and weather by month
The sea surface stays between 28 and 30 °C (82–86 °F) all year. Most rain falls from December to June, peaking at about 210 mm (8.3 in) in January; it stays largely dry from July to October. Daytime highs sit around 29 °C (84 °F) all year. The coldest water here is about 27 °C (81 °F), so pack a 3 mm, or even a 2 mm, suit.
Dive types & marine life
Reef sharks patrol the wall face and the atoll's outer edges, with napoleon wrasse, turtles resting on ledges, and trevally and barracuda where current squeezes through the channels; mantas turn up occasionally on the outer rim. April to June and October rate highest, and the area is effectively shut from December to February.
- Wall
- Reef
- Drift
- Coral garden
- Pelagic & blue water
- Reef sharks
- Pristine corals
- Sea turtles
- Napoleon wrasse
- Trevally & jacks
- Barracuda
- Manta rays
- Nudibranchs
Best dive sites in Takabonerate & Selayar
Wall
Limestone and white sand, a wall to 35 m, rarely any current
Reef
White sand to 15 m, no current, twenty minutes from town
Reef
Hard coral, soft coral and sea fans on a sand slope to 20 m
Pinnacle
Whitetips, blacktips and marble rays on an atoll pinnacle
Wall
Gorgonians and soft coral on a limestone wall, averaging 20 m
Sand slope
Selayar's shark dive, with current that can run either way
Tinabo Island
Sand cay in the atoll with a shallow reef and resident baby sharks.
Selayar East Wall
Unbroken drop-off running for tens of kilometres down the east coast.
Pulau Rajuni
Inhabited island in the atoll with coral gardens and easy conditions.
Latondu
Atoll island whose outer edge drops into clear, current-swept water.
How to get to Takabonerate & Selayar
Makassar is the gateway to both. Selayar is reached by a small-plane hop or by road to Bira and the vehicle ferry across, and its resorts dive the east wall on short day boats. The atoll sits further out again, as a liveaboard leg or a long boat run, and the whole area works on an April-to-November season.
Dive videos
Diving in Selayar South Sulawesi - Indonesia · Hydronaute on YouTube
Taka Bonerate – The Unknown Atoll of Indonesia (Full Documentary) · Arawa on YouTube
Photo credits
- A diver photographs a large sea fan on the reef wall off Latondu Island in the Takabonerate atoll. by Fakhrizal Setiawan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Openverse
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