Mioskon

Overview

La Galigo Liveaboard says the site takes its name from the island of Mioskon at the east end of the Dampier Strait, and describes a V-shaped reef around the island: a long ridge running to the south-east that slopes down to a sandy bottom at 25 metres, with bommies scattered over the sand. Bird's Head Seascape gives its GPS position as S 00 29.840 E 130 43.627, which is the point used here. Papua Diving lists the site as Mios Kon and Raja Ampat Biodiversity Nature Resort as Mioskun. Bird's Head Seascape, Papua Diving and the resort all list Blue Magic as a separate site, and Bird's Head Seascape gives it its own position about 1.6 kilometres to the south-east.

The dive

La Galigo calls Mioskon a nice, easy dive because a coral ridge surrounds the island. It drops in with a positive entry, goes down to the bottom of the reef at 25 metres and spends most of the dive between 12 and 7 metres, where most of the soft and hard coral grows. It chooses where to start from the current of the day, so that the dive reaches the best part on the south-eastern tip, and ends with a sheltered cruise around the coral garden. Raja Ampat Biodiversity Nature Resort likewise starts on the current side of the island and drifts around the eastern side to the lee side. Both describe the site as suitable for snorkellers, and La Galigo mentions reef at just 2 metres.

Marine life

All three dive operators single out wobbegong sharks. La Galigo says there are plenty camouflaged among the reef and under the bommies, Papua Diving calls the site home to many wobbegongs and a large school of striped snapper, and the resort calls it a likely place to see them. La Galigo also lists yellowtail and blue-lined snappers, large groupers, Napoleon wrasse, jacks, fusiliers, sweetlips and batfish, and for macro Pontohi and other pygmy seahorses, nudibranchs, peacock mantis shrimp and blue-ring octopus. The resort calls the site extremely popular for peacock mantis shrimp and says the blue-ring octopus is seen only on rare occasions. La Galigo describes bommies covered in soft corals, orange sea fans, leather coral, sponges and staghorn coral.

Conditions and level

The sources disagree on current. La Galigo gives the typical current as mild and Papua Diving credits the site with a lack of current, while the resort gives a range of none to strong. All three rate it for every level: La Galigo calls it easy, the resort lists all levels and Papua Diving lists it as beginner. The resort gives a depth range of 2 to 25 metres. The sources give no visibility, water temperature, season or minimum certification for the site.