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Arborek Jetty, Raja Ampat: The Best Snorkel in the Strait

Arborek is a small village on an island in the Dampier Strait, and its jetty has become one of the most photographed places in Raja Ampat. The pilings are covered in soft coral and surrounded by fish, and the whole thing sits in water shallow enough to snorkel comfortably.

Why it suits non-divers

Guests who do not dive often have the best hour of their trip here. The coral starts at the surface, the water is calm and clear, and schools of fish move constantly between the pilings. It is also a rare stop where snorkellers see more than divers, because the interest is concentrated in the top few metres.

The village matters

Arborek is a working community that has chosen tourism and marine conservation over destructive fishing. Visits support that directly. Guests can walk the village, and locally made handicrafts are sold on the island.

What you see

Soft coral on the pilings, dense schools of fusiliers and batfish, mantas passing on occasion, and good macro life around the structure.

Conditions

Raja Ampat sits at 27–30°C, warm and pleasant year-round — a 3mm long wetsuit suits most divers, and shorties work for those who do not feel the cold. The Raja Ampat season runs November to April. Open Water divers are limited to a maximum depth of 18m by law and insurance.

Diving it with Teman

The KLM Teman carries 12 guests in 5 ensuite cabins with a crew of 10. Raja Ampat itineraries run November to April.

More Raja Ampat dive sites

See all itineraries and dates on our Raja Ampat liveaboard page.

Salah Teman

Salah writes for Teman Liveaboard, the owner-operator of the KLM Teman. The Teman is a 36-metre Indonesian phinisi, handbuilt in Sulawesi and launched in 2017, carrying 12 guests in 5 ensuite cabins with a permanent crew of 10 and a Cruise Director. The team behind her has more than 20 years sailing the Indonesian archipelago. The boat works Komodo National Park from June to September out of Labuan Bajo, Raja Ampat from November to April out of Sorong, and runs Banda Sea and Ring of Fire crossings between the two seasons. The dive site guides on this blog are written from the operator's own logs and itineraries, with conditions, seasons and equipment guidance checked against the dive team who work these sites every week. Where a detail depends on the day — depth on a given tide, or where a current will take you — we say so rather than guess, because that is a briefing the Cruise Director gives on the boat, not something a web page can promise.

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