Togian Islands · Indonesia · Coral garden · Reef
Black Forest (Candi City)
Temple, cabbage and mushroom coral in 15 m of water
Area photo: Arian Zwegers · CC BY 2.0
Black Forest is a hard coral site off Una Una, built from temple, cabbage and mushroom corals. Most of the dive stays around 15 m with 24 m as the published maximum, and the name comes from the temple coral formations, which the divers who named the site thought looked like the Black Forest in Germany.
Also known as Candi City.
Where it is and how deep
0.1269° S, 121.6521° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
This is a hard coral dive rather than a terrain dive. The site is a stand of temple, cabbage and mushroom corals, each with a different growth form, and the interest is in moving slowly through and between them rather than covering ground. The majority of the dive sits around 15 m, which is shallow enough for the colours to hold and for bottom time to stop being the limiting factor.
The maximum published depth is 24 m, so there is a deeper edge to drop over if the guide takes you that way, but nothing about the site requires it. The name is worth knowing before you get in: the temple coral formations were thought to resemble the Black Forest in Germany, and once you have that image the shape of the stands is the thing you end up looking at for most of the dive.
Marine life and season
- Pristine corals
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Togian Islands: Mar–Sep is driest and calmest; the wet season from November to February brings rain and rougher inter-island crossings.
Questions divers ask
Why is it called Black Forest?+
It is named for the formations of temple coral on the site, which the divers who named it thought looked like the Black Forest in Germany. It is also listed under the alternative name Candi City.
Sources
More dive sites in Togian Islands
Reef
An 18-30 m point with good visibility year round
A mini wall with overhangs, hard coral and orange sponges
Reef
Hard coral and orange sponges from 16 m up to 5 m
Wall
The Togians' best odds on schooling scalloped hammerheads
Wall
A gentle wall that runs straight into Black Forest
Wall
A north-pointing finger from 15 m down to 34 m
Pinnacle
A pinnacle topping out at 5 m and falling past 60
Reef
Shallow 12-15 m reef that links across to Pinnacle 2
Similar dives elsewhere
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