Friwen

Friwen gets it’s name from the two islands where it is located, Pulau Friwin and Pulau Friwinbonda.

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Overview

Friwen wall is a great dive site located in the north eastern Dampier Strait in Raja Ampat. As the name suggests it’s a wall dive and actually the only wall dive in the central area of Raja Ampat. The dive site gets it’s name from the two islands where it is located, Pulau Friwin and Pulau Friwinbonda. 

The Visibility

The Marine Life

When there is a stronger current in the channel a few bigger fish species can be drawn in as well as some schooling fish, and there is an opportunity to find Moray Eels and Octopus here too, but this site is more well known for high concentrations of macro life. 

If you are a nudi lover, this is the place for you. We lose count of how many different varieties of Nudibranchs we see on this dive. The amazing macro photography opportunities at this site are amplified by the extensive hard and soft corals booming with colour on this site. 

The wall is also crammed top to bottom with Whip Coral, Gorgonian Fan Corals and Sponges. A word of warning though the visibility at this site can get a bit average, and sometimes light is not the best in the shadow of the cliffs so take your macro camera set up with lighting over your wide angle gear.

The Diving

We will drop into this site with a positive backroll entry at the northern tip of Friwinbonda, in the channel between the two islands close up to the Friwinbonda north face. Here we will drop down to 20 meters to start the dive. 

Right at the start there is actually 2 small caves in the wall which are quite cool to check out. As we make our way south west there are also some nice overhangs to take a look at and see what fish are hiding about in these spots. 

Once we get to the western end of the dive site, the wall changes to a sloping reef, here we can find a lot of hard coral housing plenty more macro subjects for our photographers. 

Also right at the western end are some great bommies a bit deeper off the slope. Some nice shallows right at the end make for a relaxed safety stop to end up a great dive.

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Dive site Location

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28 dive sites found
Arborek Jetty

Arborek Jetty

Arborek Jetty's location is perfect for those wishing to explore both the macro wonders of the area and the occasional larger pelagic visitors.

Jetty Dive
Blue Magic

Blue Magic

Blue Magic, One of the most famous and top rated dive sites in Raja Ampat, is located between the islands of Kri and Waigeo in the eastern Dampier Strait.

Pelagic Biodiversity
Cape Kri

Cape Kri

Cape Kri is well-suited for intermediate to advanced divers due to its currents, which can be challenging at times.

Marine Diversity
Chicken Reef

Chicken Reef

The reef's name comes from a story when the site was first being explored by Raja Ampat dive pioneer, Max Amer.

Marine Diversity
Citrus Ridge

Citrus Ridge

Citrus Ridge is located in the southern part of the Raja Ampat archipelago, off the coast of Gam Island.

Drift Dive
Friwen

Friwen

Friwen gets it's name from the two islands where it is located, Pulau Friwin and Pulau Friwinbonda.

Macro Diversity
Manta Ridge

Manta Ridge

Manta Ridge is one of Raja Ampat's most sought-after dive sites, famed for its incredible manta ray encounters.

Manta Rays
Manta Sandy

Manta Sandy

Located in the heart of Raja Ampat, Manta Sandy is a renowned dive site famous for its incredible manta ray encounters.

Manta Rays
Melissa's Garden

Melissa's Garden

The site can be found by looking for 3 very small islands sticking out from the ocean by Palau Keruwo, in the southeast of the Penemu chain, just west of the Dampier Strait.

Coral Garden
Mioskon

Mioskon

Another of the "don't miss" dive sites in Raja Ampat is Mioskon. The dive site gets it's name from the island Mioskon, located at the east end of the Dampier Strait in central Raja Ampat.

Lazy Dive
My Reef

My Reef

This site is known for its resident population of endemic Raja Ampat Tasselled Wobbegong Sharks that hide under the ledges and in crevasses in the coral and rocks.

Wobbegong Sharks Black Tips White Tips
Batu Lima

Batu Lima

Batu Lima, tucked away on the eastern side of Gam island in the northeastern parts of the Dampier Strait, is a diver's paradise noted for its enchanted night dives.

Macro Diversity
Eagle Rock

Eagle Rock

Eagle Rock, located off the southern coast of Kawe Island in Raja Ampat, offers divers an exhilarating dive experience among some of the richest marine biodiversity in the world.

Manta Rays Cleaning Station
Saonek Kecil

Saonek Kecil

This dive site is conveniently located just 5 minutes from Waisai, the capitol of Raja Ampat and the starting destination for all liveaboards. It's a small island, just 2 kilometres to the south of the main town.

Macro Diversity Pelagic Species
Tank Rock

Tank Rock

Tank Rock is a captivating dive site in Misool, Raja Ampat, eastern most of the small island chains extending from Fiabacet Island.

Dramatic Underwater Landscape
Andiamo

Andiamo

The site gets it's name from the liveaboard that Burt Jones went with during the early Raja Ampat exploration days.

Safety Stop
Boo West

Boo West

Boo West dive site does not get the recognition and fame of it's eastern cousin site and Boo Windows, but we think this is unfair as this is an amazing dive site.

Underwater Canyon
Boo Windows

Boo Windows

Boo Windows, a magnificent dive site in the middle of Raja Ampat, is famous for its remarkable underwater topography and incredible marine biodiversity.

Window Arch
Fiabacet

Fiabacet

Fiabacet epitomizes the Raja Ampat dive experience and is one of the premier dive sites in the Misool region.

Macro Diversity Pelagic Species
Four Kings

Four Kings

Four Kings is one of the most celebrated dive sites in Raja Ampat, offering a stunning underwater landscape that attracts divers from around the globe.

Panorama of Colors
Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope Dive Site is nestled at the western tip of Pele Island in the southeast Misool region of Raja Ampat.

Macro Diversity Pelagic Species
Magic Mountain

Magic Mountain

Magic Mountain is one of those dive sites that goes by many names, also called Shadow Reef or Karang Bayangan.

Underwater Seamount
Neptunes Fan Sea

Neptunes Fan Sea

Neptunes Sea Fan dive site (Sometimes also called Neptunes Fantasea dive site) located in the narrow passage between Walib and Wayilbatan Islands, in the Missol region of Raja Ampat.

Marine Diversity
Nudi Rock

Nudi Rock

Nudi Rock got its name from the rock feature above the water that looks like a Nudibranch. This one-of-a-kind feature adds a fun touch to a dive that is already very beautiful.

Macro Diversity Pelagic Species
Anchovy

Anchovy

This site is often mistakenly called Anchovy or Anchovies, but the site was actually named Antichovie.

Massive Anchovies
Keruo Channel

Keruo Channel

Keruo Channel dive site (also sometimes called Fam Wall) is located on the east side of Keruo Island, Raja Ampat.

Drift Dive
Piaynemo Jetty

Piaynemo Jetty

Piaynemo Jetty is located on the eastern side of Penemu island, just before the entrance to the lagoon for trekking.

Night Dive Critters
Batu Rufus

Batu Rufus

Batu Rufus means Rufus Rock, the name coming from the large limestone formation that extends out to the fringing coral reef that forms the dive site.

Great Walls

Friwen: Topography

A narrow channel separates the two small islands and the dive site actually starts on the northern tip of the smaller island Pulau Friwinbonda, and then takes you in a south westerly direction through the channel. 

The starting point is a collection of cliffs made out of limestone that sink down under the water to 25 meters depth and form the wall.

Max depth:

25 meters.

Typical Current:

Moderate

Topography:

Wall dive that turns into a sloping reef.

Itineraries that visit Friwen