Big Fish Country

Big Fish Country is a classic high-current drift dive centered on a deep channel on the northern side of Maratua Island. Steep coral slopes and drop-offs line a mostly bare-rock channel floor, creating a corridor that concentrates large pelagics; the site is renowned for huge schools of barracuda (often spiraling in a "barracuda tornado"), large trevallies, tunas, and frequent grey reef and blacktip reef sharks. Dives are by boat with entry off the reef slope and typically drift from the outer reef into the lagoon. Depths range about 15 to 30 m, with the channel entrance often near 25 to 30 m. Visibility is generally good, often 20 to 30 m in the dry season, and water temperatures stay around 27 to 30 °C year-round. Currents are very strong and can exceed 5 to 6 knots, so Advanced certification and current-diving experience are required; divers often use a reef hook or hold on to the wall to observe the large schools and must take care not to be pulled down-current or up-current. No overhead or entanglement hazards are reported.