Changgo

Overview

Changgo is a small rock island off the south-east of Kawe Island in the far north of Raja Ampat. La Galigo Liveaboard describes a rock formation with a few sparse trees emerging from the water, and Mermaid Liveaboards, which spells the name Chango, describes a small rock island or pinnacle with just a couple of trees on top. Bird's Head Seascape lists it as Changgo (Do It Again), south-east of Kawe Island, and DUNE Liveaboard names Changoo among the top sites of Kawe.

The dive

Bird's Head Seascape says the site could be done as two dives depending on the current. Its first dive, on the west side of the island, which it calls arguably the better of the two, explores swim-throughs, tunnels, boulders and pinnacles; its second, on the east side, crosses a deep ridge to the shallowest area at 18 metres, where soft corals and sea fans abound. La Galigo describes a series of large cracks and ridges around the site and a sheer wall, and an archway seven metres high in the centre of the site that divers can swim through or sit beside, depending on the current, followed by massive overhangs and walls covered in soft corals. Mermaid describes huge boulders piled up into massive tunnels and swim-throughs.

Marine life

Mermaid reports mega swarms of big-eye jacks and schools of barracuda, batfish and penjalo snapper. La Galigo's site summary lists large schools of banded sweetlips, bumphead parrotfish, Napoleon wrasse and nudibranchs, and it says wide-angle photographers will enjoy both the landscape and the large schools of fish.

Conditions

La Galigo says timing is essential: the area is quite exposed to open-sea waves, a large surge can develop close to the rock at the surface, and the current is quite strong in places, although there are many sheltered relief areas along the site. Its summary gives depths of 5 to 32 metres, with a best depth of 20 metres, and it notes that the site is close to Alyui Bay. The sources give no visibility, water temperature or minimum certification for the site.