Named after an eccentric sea-loving scientist, Mark’s treasure was the favourite dive site of Dr. Mark Erdmann who was working for Conservation International’s Bird Head Seascape programme in the area. Whilst working here, he dived at this site and it was eventually named after him. Called a treasure for good reason, this gorgeous wall dive site is perfect for divers of all levels and is easily accessible by boat.

Mark’s treasure is a deep sea wall dive with brilliant coral walls lining many mystic caves and cutbacks dense with marine fauna. Approachable from Cenderawasih Bay, its spectacular hard fringing corals stand out against the schools of fish and large barrel sponges. One of the few dive sites where you are guaranteed at least one turtle sighting, this dive site is a must if you have these gentle reptilians on your bucket list. The consistent water temperature of 26-29C/79-83F makes it a perfect year-round site with a monsoon season that lasts from July to September. The maximum depth is only 30 metres so novice divers will be comfortable here as it leads to an average dive depth of around 10 metres.

The healthy coral reef consisting of plenty of hard coral and overlapping table corals are home to many fish like surgeonfish, turtles, shrimps, crabs, pufferfish, batfish, blennies, flatheads, barracudas, wrasses, sweetlips, unicornfish, blacktip reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, fusiliers, snapper, jackfish, and countless nudibranchs. Many of these are found in schooling numbers and many different types of rays are also spotted here frequently.