reef

Log This Dive

Apollo

Chicken Reef is one of those places that, on paper, sounds like a lot of other Raja Ampat sites – shallow, coral reef. But it consistently delivers something genuinely different. What we really love here isn't the big stuff, it’s the sheer density of the small, weird, and wonderful. Dive in and you're immediately enveloped by the usual suspects: schools of fusiliers and surgeonfish thick enough to dim the light, darting between the healthy coral heads. But get close, really close, and the macro life reveals itself. We've spent entire dives here with our noses practically pressed against a bommie, finding Pygmy seahorses, tiny blennies peeking out of coral crevices, and more nudibranchs than you can shake a stick at. Look for the delicate Snakehead Cowrie or the almost invisible Seastar Shrimp. The currents can be quite frisky, so it’s a dive where you want to be comfortable with your buoyancy and happy to tuck in behind the reef when things pick up. It's a spot for patient divers, the ones who get a thrill from spotting a Minute Triplefin or a Flame Cardinalfish camouflaged perfectly against the reef. We'd suggest going slow, letting the current carry you gently past, and keeping your eyes peeled low on the corals.