Biak is an island in Cenderawasih Bay off the northern coast of Papua, serving as the main transport hub for the Bird's Head region of western New Guinea. Travellers tend to pass through en route to the Cenderawasih Bay marine reserve or more remote parts of Papua, but Biak has its own claims on attention: superb coral reefs and diving, a significant legacy of Second World War fighting, and a landscape of limestone karst, forest, and coast that has barely been touched by tourism.
The diving here is considered among the best in eastern Indonesia, with walls dropping into the deep water of the bay, strong fish life, and several accessible wrecks from the Pacific War. The WWII history is woven into the landscape — caves used by Japanese forces, American war cemeteries, and rusting equipment still visible in the jungle.