Sardine Reef

An incredible reef on the top of an underwater hill

Raja Ampat Sardine Reef
  • Magnificent corals and gorgonians

    Sardine Reef is an incredible diving site, is a small underwater hill with an oval shape, about 200 meters long and with its summit just 5 meters below the surface. It is covered in colorful soft coral, huge gorgonian fans, black coral bushes, masses of coral heads and dotted with large coral bommies. This submerged reef is located off the northeastern point of the island of Kri, only 10-15 minutes by boat.

    Colorful Soft and Hard Coral Raja Ampat

    An adventure in Central & South Raja Ampat

    Diving Cruise RAJA AMPAT

    | 12 Days / 11 Nights | 4296 € Full Board

    Central & South Raja Ampat, 
    Waisai to Sorong

    Next Departure:

    2024 May 02th to 13th

    358 per day

    Up to 3 dives/day

    Please refer to the FAQ Section

    Boat Rating *

    Global
    9.8
    Vessel
    9.7
    Life Onboard
    10.0
    Activities
    9.8

    Click on the tabs above for more details.

    Click on the tabs above for more details.

    What you should expect:

    The name of this site comes from the fact that divers will see a vast number of fish packed very tightly together, which is sometimes comparable to a school of sardines, but funny enough, there are no sardines here.

    Large coral formations make a perfect home for an abundance of fish life and it is definitely an action packed site. Some of the species that are frequently seen in this site, having a feast on the nutrients in the water, are large schools of fusiliers, banner fish, rainbow runners, butterfly fish, oriental sweetlips, snappers, moray eels, several lurking lionfish, schools of bump head parrotfish chewing up the coral as they go and damsels dancing above the hard coral, but hiding back when a divers get too close. Spanish mackerel, triggerfish, dogtooth tunas, barracudas, wrasses, jacks and large schools of giant trevallies can be seen as well.

    Larger predators like black tipped reef sharks, white tipped reef sharks and even the occasional grey reef shark, are also cruising the surroundings feasting on the easy preys.
    Besides these quite common species, it is also possible to find a rarer one at Sardines reef, the wobbegong, a bizarre looking shark that is normally only seen on Australian reefs. And the whole site is full with small reef fish and with a special combination of corals, hard, soft, bushy and coating. 

    To make it even more interesting, in some of the beautiful gorgonian sea fans it is possible to find three species of pygmy seahorses (Denise, Bargibanti and Pontohi). Other critters that also can be spotted are long nosed hawkfish, nudibranchs and flatworms of every color, so by all means it’s worth looking everywhere very carefully while diving in this area, one of north Raja Ampat’s most celebrated sites.

    Wobbegong and Blue Lobster

    The dive site Topography & Conditions

    The coral reef is not deep, sloping to around 30 meters, but Sardine Reef’s unique topography causes different currents to meet, so better be aware that sometimes the current can be quite strong, which makes the site be dived regularly as a drift dive. Most likely, the dazzling congregation of fish is caused by this current that strikes the reef at this point and then splits. To appreciate the site more, it should be dived on a falling current (E-W) and by divers which have advanced experience. Visibility is often 30 meters or more, allowing wide angle photographers to easily capture the colorful corals and the numbers of fish.

    Sardine Reef offers year-round diving with the water temperature being almost constant throughout the year at 29 Celsius degrees.

    School of Bannerfish

    THE CRUISE OF YOUR DREAMS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

    Whether you're looking for a private charter, or to live an adventure on the sea while discovering new landscapes & meeting new people, We can help you make your dream come true.

    FAQ

    To enter Indonesia your passport must have:
    •  Expiration date of the applicant’s passport must be at least 6 (six) months at the date of entry.
    •  At least one blank visa page
    •  Round-trip airplane ticket

    There is no Visa required for 61 countries and 1 region.
    Maximum length of stay without Visa is 30 Days, if you are planning to stay up to 60 days, you can buy a visa on arrival for 35 US$ at Airports and Seaports.
    For more details about COVID restrictions, please contact the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia.


    We choose to work with people we know for years, all offering a high quality service on perfectly maintained Phinisi.

    All boats, Cabins & on-board furniture's have an authentic and sophisticated design, made with quality materials.


    Spacious and Comfortable
    shared space, Lounge, Sun Deck, Restaurant will grant you a maximum comfort.

    You will also enjoy free access to kayaks and stand-up paddles (SUP) if you wish to explore the surrounding.
    Then it's up to you to chose if you want to enjoy a stunning sunset from the lounge with a fresh drink or from the SUP in the middle of pristine water.

    One of the most, if not the most important part of your cruise, The Crew. They all are experienced, they know when to be discreet and how to treat you well.

    Another important part of your journey, the Food., you will enjoy some great dishes cooked with love by some skilled chef. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks, you will be delighted all day long. 


    You can refer to the label on the boat description to have a quick overview about the class of the cruise.
    Luxury
     All cabins are equipped with Air conditioning and Private bathroom (ensuite). 
    Comfort: All cabins are equipped with Air conditioning and some cabins may have shared bathroom (Max 2 cabins).

    You should definitely consider the full charter option especially if you are planning this cruise with your family or friends. It will make the experience even more exceptional. As we offer a large choice of boat, no matter if you are 6, 10 or more than 12 we will find the best vessel according the standing you are expecting. From 1000$ per night in adventure standing, 2000$ per night in Comfort standing and from 3000$ in Luxury standing. Contact us for more informations.

    Not at all, beginners can do discover scuba diving during the cruise (let us know to arrange it)


    Open water certified divers or equivalent will have access to most of the dive sites, but to make the best of the cruise Advanced level and experience in drift dive is recommended. You can spend a few days with us in Bali before starting your cruise, by joining our Safari tour or to get your Advanced certification in one of our four dive centers, it will allow you to dive up to 30m depth, to join night dives and be more confident and comfortable while drift diving.

    For an even better training we recommend you to join the drift specialty in Nusa Lembongan.

    If you are more into Leisure, Yoga or Surfing, we can offer you some great cruise experience while practicing some of your favourite activities. Contact us for more informations.

    Indonesia spread over its more than 5000 km along the Equator which offers a tropical climate with only two season, dry & wet.

    Dry season is mainly from May to October Wet season from November to April.
    Keep in mind that Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago, so you can visit year-round as wet season won’t start in the same time in different places.

    Landscapes are also pretty different due to Tropical rainforest climate and Tropical savannah climate.

    Komodo: All year around
    North Komodo: April to December
    South Komodo: January to march
    Raja Ampat: October to May
    Banda Island: September to November
    Alor: May to November

    We do recommend you to bring your own gears if you already own it. If not it’s not a big deal, you can rent the full set onboard, some of our partners provide rental equipment for free, maximum you can expect another 60$ per day.
    As a reminder, every scuba diver should be equipped with: Wetsuite/BCD/Regulator set/Fins/Weight system/Dive computer/SMB/Torchlight/Compass.


    Nitrox tanks are available on most of the boats, please refer to the boat description.

    Included: Transportation between airport & boat (return)/ Accommodation/ Meals and snacks/ non alcoholic beverage/ 12L tanks and weight system for divers

    Not Included:
    Marine park and Port authority fees / International and domestic flights/ Traveling - Diving Insurance / alcoholic beverage & espresso/ massage/ 15L tanks and dive gears rental for scuba divers

    Most of the time €, Us$ are accepted onboard, but we do recommend you to bring enough cash in local currency IDR. Payement by card are available on some boats, please refer to the boat description.
    Most of electric outlets on board are European type.

    Tipping from 5 to 10% of the cruise amount are expected, it express your satisfaction level. Tips are also an important income part for crew members.