Batu Lima

Overview

Batu Lima, Indonesian for five rocks, lies on the eastern side of Gam Island in the north-eastern Dampier Strait, according to La Galigo Liveaboard. Papua Diving, which lists it as 5 Rocks (Batu Lima), places it in the channel leading to Gam Bay and describes an easy dive best known for macro life and soft corals. Raja Ampat Biodiversity Nature Resort calls it a perennial favourite with its guests and describes descending on the north-eastern side, following a slope, and ascending through the canyons that separate the rocks. PADI's page for the site, contributed by Meridian Adventure, gives a closely similar account of a descent on the north-eastern side.

Day diving

Raja Ampat Biodiversity Nature Resort reports fusiliers, triggerfish, unicornfish and blacktip reef sharks along the slope, hunting trevallies in the shallows at the end of the dive, and nudibranchs and flatworms among the coral on the sides of the rocks. The resort describes it as an ever-changing dive where nothing can be predicted.

Night diving

La Galigo Liveaboard describes Batu Lima as noted for its night dives, when epaulette sharks, also called Raja Ampat walking sharks, move across the seafloor in shallow water of roughly 3 to 5 metres. Its account of the night dive starts a little deeper, down to 18 metres, before moving into the shallower sections for at least half of the dive, where it says the walking sharks are most likely to be seen. La Galigo Liveaboard also lists nudibranchs, octopuses, crustaceans, blue-spotted stingrays, crocodilefish and sleeping hawksbill turtles, and says many species sleep in gaps between the coral at night and can be hard to find. It describes a straightforward backroll entry from the tender, with quiet water and a mild flow.

Depth and level

Depth figures disagree: the resort's site summary lists 3 to 35 metres, but its description gives a maximum depth of around 24 metres, and PADI's page gives 25 metres. Papua Diving rates the dive level as beginner and lists the site as snorkel friendly and 30 minutes away by boat, and Raja Ampat Biodiversity Nature Resort lists it for all levels, with current from none to mild.