Diving in Maumere
The vast majority of sites are accessible to all divers regardless of their level, water temperature is between 25 and 30 degrees and visibility in Maumere Bay ranges from good to incredible! For shore dives, visibility depends on the height of the waves. Although the best time to dive in Maumere is from April to December, it is also possible to dive during the rainy season.
With more than 30 dive sites, Maumere Bay offers a great diversity to divers, in terms of the underwater species encountered and the many types of possible dives. From the boat or from the shore, drift or macro, reefs/drop-offs or wrecks, without forgetting the spectacular night dives; there is something for everyone!
Dive sites Map
Pangabatang island
This small island, along with the opposite area of Tanjung Darat, form the entrance (or exit) to Maumere Bay. Dives in this channel are often a favorite among divers, as life is abundant there!
The coral slope descends to 30 meters before forming a sandy plateau and then plunge back into the depths. Due to their geographical location, there is current on these sites most of the time. Nevertheless, the end of the dive is often calmer and gives us time to search for various creatures in the coral garden.
A little extra: it is not uncommon to come across dolphins on the surface!
Possible encounters: eagle rays, sea snakes, reef sharks, turtles, bumphead parrotfishes, barracudas, trevallies, pipefishes, scorpionfishes, crocodile fishes, barrel sponges and many more.
Babi island
To the north of the island you will the find dive site called The Crack, famous for the scar left in the reef by the 1992 earthquake. From the surface to 15 meters deep, the reef has been split and widened, forming a small cave. The site is a drop off covered with corals, gorgonians and small crevices sheltering a rich diversity. But don’t forget to take a look down and into the blue from time to time, it would be a shame to miss the passing sharks, turtles and giant trevallies!
On the sites located in the south of the island, the current is generally stronger, which makes it an ideal place to encounter reef sharks, turtles and marble rays. These slopes are covered with gorgonians and coral rocks, where small animal’s lovers will also find their happiness.
Possible encounters: leaf scorpionfishes, nudibranchs, stingrays, moray eels, reef sharks, turtles, giant trevallies, tunas, pygmy seahorses, pipefishes, frogfishes, many kinds of shrimps and crabs, among others.
Tanjung Darat
The topography of this area (from the south of Pondok dive site to the north outside Maumere Bay) alternates between drop-offs and coral slopes. Located opposite of Pangabatang Island, the current can also be powerful there, attracting sharks and other large fish. However, the current is moderate most of the time, allowing lovers of smaller creatures to search for them among the many coral heads and sponges.
Possible encounters: reef sharks, turtles, stingrays, octopuses, cuttlefishes, frogfishes, leaf scorpionfishes, nudibranchs, morays eels, ribbon eels, shrimps and crabs, etc.
Pemana / Atoll / Kambing / Besar
It takes over 2 hours by boat to reach the dive sites out of Maumere Bay, but they are definitely worth it! Most of these sites are spectacular drop-offs covered in sponges and coral, where big fish are usually found!
Possible encounters: turtles, black tip and white tip reef sharks, eagle rays, groupers, giant trevallies, scorpion fishes, cuttlefishes, nudibranchs and even Manta rays for the lucky ones!
Shore dives
Santai Reef
Located opposite of our dive center, this shore dive is ideal for beginners and full of surprises for more experienced divers. After a slow descent on a sandy area where shrimps, crabs and nudibranchs hide, we reach at 30 meters’ depth, two rocks covered with coral and fish. You may be lucky enough to come across with one of the giant frogfish that have taken up residence there. The end of the dive is on the small wall between 5 and 15 meters deep where you can continue to look for small creatures and admire different types of tropical fish.
Possible encounters: frogfishes, school of yellow snapper, pipefishes, nudibranchs, lobsters, octopuses, shrimps, crabs, batfishes, lionfishes, stingrays, flounders, cuttlefishes, turtles, etc.
Wairterang Wreck
This dive takes you to the wreck of a Japanese ship sunk during World War II. Although the story behind its sinking remains uncertain, these 75 years spent under water make it a must-see site in Maumere. Lying between 12 and 33 meters, it is now largely covered with coral and is home to a great diversity of underwater life. Whether you are a fan of big fish or the smallest creatures, you will find what you are looking for!
Possible encounters: groupers, trevallies, lionfishes, frogfishes, scorpionfishes, nudibranchs, crabs and shrimps, and many other surprises.
The area extending to the left and right of the wreck is ideal for muck diving. If you like to look for strange creatures in the sand, mud and rocks, these are dives not to be missed!
Night dives
Night dives at these sites are also spectacular! This is the opportunity to come across rare species that you do not see during the day. If you are passionate about night and macro dives, you will love diving in Maumere at night!
