Eagle Rock

Overview

Bird's Head Seascape lists Eagle Rocks (Batu Elang) as three small islets south of Kawe Island in the far north of Raja Ampat, and gives its GPS position as the general location of the three rocks rather than a single entry point. La Galigo Liveaboard likewise places Eagle Rock off the southern coast of Kawe Island. Mermaid Liveaboards and DUNE Liveaboard both name Eagle Rock among the top sites of Kawe, together with Black Rock and Chango. Yacht Charter Fleet instead describes Eagle Rock as the most popular dive site of the Wayag islands; the other sources place it at Kawe.

The dive

Bird's Head Seascape says there are several dive sites around the Eagle Rock complex. Its notes describe a drift along the north side of the north-westernmost rock, an entry off the west point of the easternmost rock, and a fairly predictable manta cleaning station on the south side of the middle rock, depending on the current. La Galigo describes steep slopes and mini walls with rock pinnacles rising from the sea floor, and a fringing ledge at about 5 metres around the island that it uses for the safety stop. It says the current generally splits around the reef, so it drops in on the side the current is coming from, drifts with it and explores the large rocks and bommies at about 25 metres looking for manta rays. La Galigo advises divers of intermediate skill level and above to take on this dive. Its site summary gives a maximum depth of 25 metres and a typical current of moderate to strong, and Yacht Charter Fleet also warns that the currents at Eagle Rock can be quite strong.

Marine life

Mermaid Liveaboards says divers are likely to spot manta rays using the many cleaning stations or feeding at the surface in the channel between two of the islands, and describes the deep end of the site as a labyrinth of gigantic boulders covered in soft coral where wobbegong sharks like to hide. La Galigo reports schools of giant trevally, snapper and barracuda, grey reef sharks and occasional wobbegong sharks, and says manta rays use the area as both a cleaning station and a feeding ground. It lists pygmy seahorses, leaf scorpionfish and ornate ghost pipefish among the smaller life, with hard corals, soft corals, sponges and sea fans on the slopes. Yacht Charter Fleet mentions reef sharks, barracudas and manta rays, and says eagle rays, sweetlips and wobbegong sharks have also been sighted.

Conditions

La Galigo says visibility is usually clearest in the dry season, which it gives as October to April; its stated visibility range is ambiguous, so no figure is given here. The sources give no water temperature or minimum certification for the site.