Selayar Island

Selayar Island is the main island of the Selayar Islands (Kepulauan Selayar). It lies off the coast of Cape Bira of South Sulawesi Province. The Selayar Straits separate it from the mainland of Sulawesi. Its main city is Benteng, towns Bonelohe, Padang, Barangbarang, over 50 miles long and very narrow; area, 248 mi². Benteng is the starting point for diving tours.

Dive Sites near Selayar Island

From Benteng, there is:

• Pulau Kambing (Goat island), located in the Selayar Straits. It has white tipped and black tipped sharks, bumhead parrotfishes, scorpionfishes, cuttlefish or a octopus and with luck the zebra batfish.
• Selayar Atoll: 10 min to 1 hour, slopes down to 16 m, sandy bottom, sea slugs, napoleon fishes, pipe fishes, Dugong.
• Selayar East: 1 to 2 hours, pelagic fishes, sometimes manta rays.

See Selayar Islands for dive sites not in the immediate region around the island.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.