Hukurila Cave

Hukurila Cave lies off Hukurila beach on the south coast of Ambon, roughly 15 kilometres from the city. The dive is built around a chimney in the reef. Two rock arches lead to a swim through hole about 10 metres below the surface, and the chimney splits into three exits at its base. One of the entrances is a narrow slit only two to three metres wide. Divers can follow the structure down to around 20 metres. Visibility is usually near 15 metres and average depth over the dive is about 20 metres.

The cavern walls carry red, pink and orange gorgonian sea fans, sponges and whip corals, which catch the light coming through the openings. Dogtooth tuna, jacks, trevallies, sweetlips, snapper and barracuda shelter around the structure, and blue spotted stingrays rest on the sand nearby. Pygmy seahorses sit on the sea fans for divers who slow down and look. Water temperature runs between about 26 and 30 degrees Celsius, and the best season on this coast is usually given as May through September.