Laha (Twilight Zone)

Laha is the best known muck ground in Ambon Bay and is often called the Twilight Zone. The name comes from the strange look of the place. The bottom is dark rubble mixed with discarded junk, from car tyres to old filing cabinets, and the light on it feels flat and grey. Divers usually split the area into Laha 1, Laha 2 and Laha 3, each a short hop from the jetty at Laha village. Visibility runs from about 10 to 30 metres. Average depth is around 12 metres and the slope drops to roughly 30 metres.

In 2008 a new frogfish was found here while divers worked the rubble, and scientists named it Histiophryne psychedelica, the psychedelic frogfish. The site still draws photographers because of it. Other regulars include rhinopias scorpionfish, several kinds of frogfish, ghost pipefish, mandarinfish, harlequin shrimp, flamboyant cuttlefish, mimic and other unusual octopus, moray eels, stonefish and large colonies of catfish. Nudibranchs are everywhere. Because the site sits inside a sheltered bay next to the airport, it is an easy place to spend a full day working small subjects.