Reef
Cape Kri
Raja Ampat
The reef that set the record for the most fish species counted on a single dive.
Depth5–40 m
LevelIntermediate
CertificationAdvancedLogged dives: 20+
The site
Cape Kri sits on the Dampier Strait, where water funnelling between islands feeds one of the densest reef fish assemblies documented anywhere. A survey dive here by ichthyologist Gerald Allen recorded 374 species in a single immersion — the count the site is known for.
What a diver actually experiences is volume: walls of fusiliers and jacks with sharks and larger predators working through them, in current strong enough to make a reef hook standard equipment.
What you will see
- Giant trevally
- Blacktip and grey reef sharks
- Schooling barracuda
- Sweetlips and snapper aggregations
- Wobbegong shark on the reef floor
Diving it well
- Carry a reef hook and know how to set it on dead substrate rather than living coral. Most of the dive is spent hooked in and watching rather than swimming.
- Deploy an SMB before you ascend. Boat traffic across the strait is constant and a drifting ascent without a marker is the real risk here, not the reef.
- Go between October and April. The strait is workable outside that window but the calm season is why liveaboards schedule around it.
Dive it with a boat that knows it
Our captains work this water and know which days it gives you the site at its best.