Fam Islands

A remote island group northwest of Sorong inside the Bird's Head Seascape with almost no permanent dive infrastructure, keeping fish populations and hard coral cover at near-pristine levels. Shallow plateaus at 5 to 12 m hold the highest documented branching Acropora table coral densities in the region; below 20 m, walls open into blue water patrolled by dogtooth tuna and grey reef sharks. Because few liveaboards include Fam in their itineraries, even heavily-trafficked species such as bumphead parrotfish show little diver-avoidance behaviour. Dawn light through the karst silhouettes makes for exceptional wide-angle photography.