Wakatobi National Park

Scuba Diving in Wakatobi National Park, Indonesia

Wakatobi National PArk Diving Highlights

Wakatobi National Park, Indonesia is an off the beaten path dive area with world-class dive sites.  It's the largest barrier reef in Indonesia and is a combination of 4 Islands: Wangi-Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia, and Binongko Islands, with some of the most pristine reefs and wall diving in the world. 

Wakatobi is an area that encompasses some of the world's highest coral reef biodiversity. A highly protected area, the reefs in Wakatobi are extremely healthy offering a wide variety of coral formations, unique underwater topography, and rich fish and critter life. 

Where is Wakatobi?

Declared a national park in 1996, the Wakatobi Islands, officially known as Tukang Besi Archipelago, can be found in the Southeast Sulawesi province in Indonesia.

Bali (DPS) is the gateway for reaching Wakatobi. 

View Location on Google Map

Intro to Wakatobi National park

The name of Wakatobi National Park comes from its four larger islands: Wangi-Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia and Binongko. Additionally to the four main islands, the park is home to numerous smaller islands. It is  home to over 900 fish species and over 700 coral reef species.  Divers can find both large and small marine life here. The Wakatobi National Park is a magical place to dive with crystal clear waters, different types of reef groups like the atolls, barrier, or fringing reefs and you can even see mangrove forests. 

Wakatobi dive resorts & liveaboards

The Wakatobi National Park can be explored both by a dive resort or a liveaboard. There are a few dive resorts available but plenty of liveaboard choices, which is why most divers choose to dive Wakatobi by a liveaboard. As a remote area, a dive liveaboard will also give you the chance to see more of the area.

Back to Menu

Diving Information 

Marine Life in Wakatobi

While diving in Wakatobi, you'll not only see beautiful vistas or pristine coral reefs, but also abundant colorful reef fish and rare and unusual cryptic "critters".  New species are still being discovered in these parts!  Reef scenery and marine life abundance/variety are the two key points when in Wakatobi.  Since the entire area has been turned into a sustainable protected marine park marine life has expanded to even greater numbers than before!

Learn more about the best diving in Indonesia here... 

Diving Conditions

• Water Temperatures: 79-86°F(26-30°C)
• Visibility: 66-197 ft (20-60m)
• Skill Level: Beginner to Advance

Best Dive Sites in Wakatobi

Here are some of the Wakatobi's best dive spots. Pick a dive site or read the entire list: 

1. 1. House Reef
2. 2. Cornucopia
3. 3. Coral Garden
4. 4. Roma
5. 5. Teluk Maya

• 1. House Reef -  A great variety of fishes, tunicates, whips, sponges, overhangs beautiful pristine corals and anemones housing shrimps, crabs and nudibranchs. Suitable for intermediate to advanced divers.
• 2. Cornucopia - Varied topography with walls, ledges and overhangs. Marine life includes huge fans, sponges, beautiful hard & soft corals. Suitable for advanced divers.
• 3. Coral Garden - Provides a nice dive surrounded by colorful coral reefs, trevally, snapper, moray eels, sea snakes, turtles and rays. Suitable for all levels of divers.
• 4. Roma - An elegant coral garden with nudibranchs, pyramid butterfly fish, sergeant majors, snappers, redtooth triggerfish, banded sea snakes, rabbitfish, and turtles. Suitable for beginner divers.
• 5. Teluk Maya - Easily accessible from the Wakatobi Dive Resort, this dive site offers great diversity. Walls with overhangs, coral formations at shallow depths and patches of seagrass. Teluk Maya has also amazing macro life and rare species. 

Back to Menu

Travel Information 

How to Get There

Denpasar International Airport in Bali (DPS) is the gateway to Wakatobi, you'll need to plan a connecting flight there. If you have the time, stay a few days and enjoy some Bali diving and culture as well!

How to Dive Wakatobi

Wakatobi Dive Resort is the most popular land-based option for scuba diving in Wakatobi.

Going on a liveaboard trip is probably the best way to explore Wakatobi's wonderful underwater world. With a liveaboard, you can visit more remote areas that are not easily accessible from a resort. Pelagian is the only liveaboard to date that dives exclusively in Wakatobi.

There are also other liveaboard options in Wakatobi that offer routes in combination with other diving regions in Indonesia, notably Sulawesi, Halmahera and some parts of Raja Ampat. Check out our range of combination trips and Indonesian liveaboards.

For another great liveaboard destination offering phenomenal biodiversity, check out our guide to diving Tubbataha Reef.

Best Time to Dive Wakatobi

We would recommend going in March-November, to avoid rainy weather. Wakatobi is one of the more dry areas of Indonesia, due to this many will tell you its diveable year-round. However, there is still a risk of rain in December-February, so we wouldn't recommend going in that period of time. March-May and September-November are the peak season months.

Topside & Non-Diving Activities

There isn't much else to do during your stay in Wakatobi.  Due to its remote location diving and snorkeling are your best attractions.  That being said, resorts recognize this and offer additional facilities for any non-divers, including spa treatments, relaxing hammocks and extra "pampering" throughout your stay.

Back to Menu

Wakatobi Liveaboards

Find a liveaboard trip to Wakatobi and the surrounding regions.

The rates shown below are per person in USD. Some of the operators quote in other currencies and the pricing at the time of booking may vary depending on the latest exchange rates.

Search results include trips to Wakatobi and surrounding dive regions in Sulawesi. 

Please contact us for the latest availability of Pelagian & Velocean.

Back to Menu

Other Useful Information 

Practical Information

• Currency: Indonesian Rupiah (IDR)
• Main Airport Code: WNI
• Electricity: generally is 220 volts, with 2 round pin plugs (European Standard)
• Vaccines: None are essential for US visitors. It is recommended that you are up to date with Typhoid, Tetanus/Diphtheria, Hepatitis and Polio for any trip to the tropics.
• Visa: Short stay Visa Free facility is given to travelers from 169 countries (including USA) for tourism purposes in Indonesia. Make sure your passport has a blank page, and is valid for 6 months.
• Language: Bahasa Indonesia is the official language of Indonesia. 

Back to Menu

Back to Menu