Wayag Northern Pinnacles

The northernmost reef structures of the Wayag atoll system, reached only by liveaboard after a 5 to 6 hour crossing from Sorong. Submerged limestone pinnacles rise from 35 m to within a metre of the surface; each column is smothered in pristine hard coral untouched by anchor damage. Current converges from three directions at the pinnacle tips, aggregating huge schools of sweetlips, batfish, and Spanish mackerel above, while below 20 m grey reef sharks and silvertip sharks cruise the bases. Because Wayag sits inside a strictly managed marine protected area, the hard coral cover here represents some of the highest in the entire Coral Triangle. Macro life — pygmy seahorses, ponytail nudibranchs, and ornate ghost pipefish — hides in the sea fans on the sheltered east faces.