420 Dive Log Australasia OCTOBER 2026

Ribbon Sweetlips.

SAWANDAREK RETURN We then headed south to dive what I consider to be one of the best dive sites in Raja Ampat – the amazing Sawandarek. It was very disappointing to see copious amounts of rubbish floating on the surface as we headed to this dive site. This is a growing problem in Indonesia that has gotten worse over the twenty years I have been visiting the nation. Where this rubbish had come from the crew didn’t know, it could be local or washed in from other parts of Indonesia. Seeing all this rubbish made me concerned for Sawandarek. The last time I dived Sawandarek there was only one jetty in front of the small village, and we were the only divers. It had changed a lot in the last seven years, with two jetties, picnic areas, a dive shop, home stays and six other boats visiting the site. Rolling into the water I didn’t know what to expect as we descended. Gliding down the reef slope we first headed for a huge patch of cabbage coral at 26m, and it was a big relief to see that this was healthy and still covered in schools of coral snapper and squirrelfish. We then explored the reef and encountered schools of barracuda, bigeye

trevally, fusiliers, batfish, sweetlips, maskrays, tasselled wobbegongs and a giant Maori wrasse. The fish life was just as abundant as my last visit, and it was good to see three green turtles too. Under the jetty were schools of sweetlips and coral snappers, but sadly missing were a group of giant clams. A few gorgonians and soft corals decorated the jetty pylons, however with these needing replacing every few years, there were a lot less than last time. The hard corals around the jetty were also not as healthy, with dead and broken corals; and I was informed that coral bleaching had hit the area the previous summer. It was still an outstanding dive that impressed the others in our group.

Nudibranch

Blue-girdled Angelfish.

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DIVE LOG Australasia #420 October ‘26

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