Komodo Dive Sites
Dive site name : Banta Island (Gili Banta)
Banta Island - or Gili Banta has an incredible amount of healthy hard corals that will greet you at the entry point which is at the northern tip of the headland. Cold water from the Flores basin in the north is forced through this channel, which often attracts big pelagic. Excellent site to find frogfish on the sponges of the reef slope, as well as many varieties of marine life.
GPS Point - is named because you need GPS to find it (located to the north of Banta). Currents can be very strong here and care is needed to time the dive when currents are less fierce. The submerged sea bank attracts barracuda, dogtooth tuna, spanish mackerel and sharks. One may identify more than 4 species of sharks in a single dive. Other schooling fish include snappers, fusilier, surgeonfish. Moray eels, lionfish, and scorpion fish are also prolific.
Galley Rock - to the south of Banta is another big fish dive suitable only in the right conditions when the surface is calm. Topography is a gentle slope which changes into a wall, then flattens out at around 30m with large sponges abundant. One may spot sharks as well as large pelagics such as dogtooth tuna and barracuda.
Dive site name: Gili Lawa Laut
The northeast tip of Gili Lawa Laut is always a great site to dive. A submerged rock at high tide which offers great fish life and good coral cover. A couple of valleys play home to oriental sweetlips and there are some big groupers around. On the corner of the reef, you will find a very large rock with a drop off covered in boulders with many holes behind it. There are a few other interesting dive sites in the area, including Lighthouse, which has a "honey hole" on the point that is home to sweetlips and batfish with mantas often spotted on the safety stop.
Strong currents and choppy water surface conditions often make this dive challenging, and it's certainly nor for the beginner. Visibility averages from 20 metres and is often 30 metres plus.
Dive site name: Darat Passage
Located between Komodo and Gili Lawa Laut is the Darat Passage. There are good dives available here when current is forgiving. The south passage is home to some larger species such as tuna, trevallys, potato grouper and Malabar grouper. Garden eels can be found on the bottom and there may also be the odd whitetip resting on the sand. Schools of fusilier and snappers are always present. The best time to dive it is when the current runs east to west through the narrow strait.
The north passage is a nice drift dive. The reef slopes down to around 15 metres before dropping down to 35 metres and below. Best time is just before or after slack water when the flow is not too strong. On approach to the channel keep an eye out for turtles and a family of giant sweetlips that live in a grotto near the surface. Shallow areas have better fish life. Fire gobies can be found, as can numerous shrimps and nudibranchs
Dive site name: Batu Tiga
Batu tiga, situated southeast of Tanjung Kuning in Linta Strait is without a doubt one of the most current affected in Komodo. the submerged rocks in deeper water to the west offer excellent habitat for grouper and other big fish such as Napoleon wrasse. An excellent big fish dive, trevally, barracuda and other big pelagic are often seen here along with the occasional manta.
Best place to enter is at the northwestern side of three rocks. Down in the deeper water reaching some big boulders at 33 metres depth. The big boulders in this area offer an excellent habitat for groupers and other marine life.
Dive site name: Tatawa Besar & Kecil
Tatawa besar, starting at the northwestern tip of Tatawa is a good drift dive down the western side in about 15 to 20 meters of water. Excellent fish life and an endless line of orange soft corals, sponges and small boulders harboring a wide range of fish life awaits you. Mantas are often seen in this area also. It is also possible to drift down the north coast of Tatawa from the same entry point.
Tatawa Kecil, is a small island south of Tatawa Besar. When currents are favourable diving can be good here, the best dives are down the western side of the island where rocks, caves and beautiful coral gardens in the shallows can be found. Tatawa kecil is probably the anthias capital of the world. There is abundant fish life, including large groupers, snappers, sweetlips, jacks and sharks.
Dive site name: Pantai Merah (Red Beach)
Also known as "Red Beach" this dive site has an abundance of fish life and critters, including scorpion fish, nudibranchs and ribbon eels. Large coral outcrops are at around 25 meters with a slight vertical drop where glass fish swarm in the cracks and crevices. There is an amazing dive site in a small area around a rock that breaks the surface only at low tides. There is a great variety of marine life here and with a wide selection of critters such as leaf scorpion fish, Blue ribbon eels and more. Pantai Merah represents a transition between tropical waters of the north and the temperate seas of the south.
Dive site name: Loh Namu
The Loh Namu peninsular has a nice spot for finding big groupers. The best way to dive it is south to north at around 25 meters, just before the high tide. Coral trout, snapper, fusilier and butterfly fish can also be seen around boulders. There are a couple of small caves housing other interesting species and a number of large coral trout and napoleon wrasse that visit this area to breed.
Dive site name: Tanjung Loh Sera
Tanjung Loh Sera off the south east coast of Komodo Islands is subject cooler south Komodo water. The cooler waters in this area offer some great diving as one might see big fish such as tuna, barracuda, giant trevallys, bumphead parrotfish and grouper. Several submerged large rocks and pinnacles form valleys to swim through. However, the current can be strong here. Turtles can also be seen here as can moray eels, lionfish and scorpion fish. There is also a wall closer to shore that is a little more sheltered.
Dive site name: Langkoi Rock
This submerged pinnacle just off Langkoi Island to the Southwest of Komodo can be an exhilarating dive. It's a deep dive with strong currents for experienced divers only. The topography drops off dramatically into deep water. The maximum depth is 45 metres, and visibility is usually 20 to 30 metres. The highlight of these dive sites is the grey reef sharks which come here to breed in the month of April. Whitetip reef sharks, hammerheads and bronze whalers aggregate around this site from July to September.
For more information see: |
|
