Wakatobi Resort is a boutique vacation retreat located on a small island in central Indonesia.

Idyllic waterfront villas and beachside bungalows are complemented by five-star service and fine dining, but the real attraction for most guests is what lies under the water. This region is at the centre of the ocean’s most biodiverse ecosystem, home to thousands of unique spaces of marine life and colourful corals.

Divers come from around the world to explore the pristine reefs that lie within Wakatobi’s private marine preserve, but you don’t need SCUBA tanks to capture the experience. Some of the liveliest sites in the preserve lie at shallow depths, with corals rising to within a few metres of the surface.

The most popular of these venues is the House Reef, which is a vast expanse of seagrass meadows and shallow coral formations that begin right at the resort’s beach and culminate in a dramatic underwater cliff that plummets into the depths. The House Reef has been named the “World’s Best Shore Dive” for its rich variety of fish life and underwater beauty.

Snorkelers have equal access to this underwater showplace and can spend entire days seeking out interesting marine life in the calm, sunlit shallows. Safe, secure water entries and exits can be made from the beach or from the resort jetty and the site is monitored from shore by Wakatobi’s dive team. There is also a fleet of small boats available to ferry snorkelers to more distant parts of this huge site. Some guests have spent entire weeks snorkeling the House Reef, but that’s just one option available to all.