Boo Windows

Boo Windows (Misool)

Welcome to Boo Windows, an iconic dive site nestled in the pristine Misool region of Raja Ampat, Indonesia. Located off the tiny island of Boo, southeast of Misool Island (Coordinates: S 02 13.295 E 130 36.700), this site is renowned for its unique topography and vibrant marine life, making it a must-visit for intermediate to advanced divers.

The Dive Experience

Divers will find Boo Windows to be a truly unforgettable experience, characterized by dramatic structures and stunning light effects. The dive site is named for its two distinctive "windows" – natural arches carved by the sea that pierce clean through a small limestone island. The larger arch typically runs from the surface down to approximately 5 m, creating a breathtaking photographic opportunity as sunlight streams through the openings, framing divers in a brilliant blue. Below these luminous portals, the dive continues along a steep wall densely cloaked in an explosion of soft corals, vibrant yellow and orange hues, and enormous gorgonian sea fans. The reef slopes gently from around 5 to 10 m before plunging into a dramatic wall that drops off to depths of 30-40+ m. We typically explore the wall down to a maximum depth of 30 m. The water temperature here is consistently warm, ranging from 26°C to 30°C year-round, making for comfortable diving conditions.

Conditions and Certification

While the diving at Boo Windows can offer relaxed cruising, it is rated as an intermediate difficulty dive site due to the potential for moderate to strong currents, particularly along the outer wall. Divers should also be aware of surge near the surface and within the swim-throughs, which requires careful timing and awareness when navigating the windows. Given these conditions and the overhead environment of the swim-throughs, we recommend that divers hold an Advanced Open Water certification to fully enjoy this spectacular dive site.

Marine Life Encounters

Boo Windows is a thriving hub of biodiversity, offering abundant opportunities for both wide-angle and macro photography. As we explore the reef and wall, divers can expect to encounter massive schools of Fusiliers and Midnight Snappers swirling around the windows and along the reef. Keep an eye out for patrolling Blacktip Reef Sharks and graceful Hawksbill Turtles gliding through the water. For those with a keen eye, the intricate gorgonian sea fans are home to the elusive Denise's Pygmy Seahorse. We can also spot colorful Oriental Sweetlips, majestic Napoleon Wrasse, and sometimes even Bumphead Parrotfish cruising the outer walls. Look under ledges and table corals for well-camouflaged Wobbegong Sharks, a unique highlight of the region. The vibrant soft corals also host a variety of macro life, including numerous species of nudibranchs. Boo Windows truly blends geology, coral health, and abundant marine life, making every dive a cinematic experience and a photographer's paradise.

Site layout, routes and the check-in rule

Bird's Head Seascape describes Boo Windows as two small rocks east of the Boo Islands, connected underwater, with the windows on the south end of the larger rock. Depending on current, its overview starts the dive on the north point of the larger rock or the south point of the smaller one, and reports soft coral and sea fan growth along both sides of the site. Bird's Head Seascape prefers the west face, and notes that many cruise directors favour the deeper ridge that runs south from the west side of the smaller, southernmost rock.

Misool Eco Resort calls it a small island about 15 minutes from the resort and says its south-west face is steep and exposed to current. In the resort's account, when currents allow, divers move off to a large pinnacle in the blue that is often surrounded by schools of fusiliers and plate-sized batfish, and the crevices of the huge barrel sponges often hide hairy squat lobsters.

La Galigo Liveaboard's route usually drops in on the west side of the large island, keeps the reef on the left from north to south and descends to around 25 metres, where it reports a school of thousands of red tooth triggerfish. At the southern point La Galigo describes an underwater seamount at 15 metres, says the current usually runs from east to west, and finishes back at the window at 5 metres for the safety stop.

Bird's Head Seascape states that liveaboards must check in with Misool Eco Resort before diving here, describing the resort as owning the dive rights and protecting the area, and says the resort's jetty office monitors channels 16 and 6 during normal working hours.

The position given at the top of this page, S 02 13.295 E 130 36.700 (-2.22158, 130.61167), is the pin labelled "Boo Rocks or Boo Windows" on the Misool dive map on Bird's Head Seascape's Tank Rock page. The map point of this page now uses it; it replaces an earlier point about 3.7 kilometres to the south-east. The same map shows Boo Point (East) as a separate pin nearby. The source does not state how the position was measured.