Home > Places > Wakatobi

Updated 2/20/2013

Tukang Besi Archipelago, Indonesia

We had two great weeks of diving beautiful walls and reefs around this small group of islands southeast of Sulawesi.  Reefs in this area are very different from others in the region because the dry climate and island geology of uplifted limestone (fossilized reefs).  There is little soil to run into the ocean so there are no mucky dive sites.  What you will find is a very clean environment where fishing is limited and the reefs are protected.

 

Clownfish

Amphiprion ocellaris

Ornate Ghost Pipefish

Solenostomus paradoxus

 

Fairy Basslets

Pseudanthias squamipinnis

 

Sea Fan and Anthias

 

Solar-powered Sea Slug

Phyllodesmium longicirra

 

Hairy Hermit Crab

Dardanus lagopodes

 

Chaetodon ocellicaudus

 

Pseudanthias tuka, female

 

Chromodoris kuniei

 

Oval Butterflyfish

Chaetodon lunulatus

 

Acropora millepora

 

Clark's Anemonefish

Amphiprion clarkii

 

Blue Ribbon Eel

Rhinomuraena quaesita

 

Bicolored Dottyback

Pseudochromis paccagnellae

 

Meyer's Butterflyfish

Chaetodon meyeri

 

Gold-belly Damselfish

Pomacentrus auriventris

Commensal Shrimp

Periclimenes tosaensis

 

Splendid Dottyback

Pseudochromis splendens

 

Palette Surgeonfishes

Paracanthurus hepatus

 

Soft-coral Crab

Hoplophrys oatesii

 

Wire-coral Crab

Xenocarcinus tuberculatus

 

Wire Coral Goby

Wire-coral Goby

Bryaninops yongei

 

Leaf Scorpionfish

Taenianotus triacanthus

 

Pygmy Seahorse

Hippocampus bargibanti

 

Plucked-chicken Pygmy Seahorse

Hippocampus sp.

 

Plucked-chicken Pygmy Seahorse

Hippocampus sp.

 

Soft Corals

 

Keoki & Red Gorgonian

 

Yuko diving the wall

 

Keoki & Tube Sponges

 

Reef-top Leather Corals

 

Orange Soft Corals

 

Clownfishes

Amphiprion ocellaris

 

Clownfishes

Amphiprion ocellaris

 

Clownfishes

Amphiprion ocellaris

 

Clark's Anemonefish

Amphiprion clarkii

 

Coral and Fishes

 

Commensal Shrimp on Hell's-fire Anemone

Periclimenes brevicarpalis

 

Chromis & Crinoids

Imperial Shrimp on Sea Cucumber

Periclimenes imperator

 

Commensal Shrimp on Bubble Coral

Periclimenes holthuisi

 

Purple Gorgonian

Muricella sp.

Yuko photographing Anthias

Anthias & Soft Coral

 

Map Puffer

Arothron mappa

 

Lionfish

Pterois volitans

Wakatobi Bigeye

Bigeye and Hard Corals

 

Pyramid Butterflyfishes

Hemitaurichthys polylepis

 

Lionfish

Pterois volitans

 

Commerson's Frogfish

Antennarius commerson

Commerson's Frogfish

Antennarius commerson

 

Pearly Monocle Bream

Scolopsis margaritifera