Komodo dive sites explained: Manta Point/Karang Makassar, Batu Bolong, Castle Rock, Crystal Rock, currents, manta season, and day trip vs liveaboard planning.
By Asik Travel Editorial6/5/20268 мин чтенияKomodo diving is famous because the same currents that make the sites demanding also feed the reefs. You get manta cleaning stations, fish-packed walls, and open-water pinnacles, but the park is not a place to pretend every dive suits every diver. The best trip matches your certification, comfort in current, and boat style to the right part of the park.
For biodiversity context, WWF notes Komodo has more than 1,000 tropical fish species and strong tidal flows that feed the reefs. For manta context, the Marine Megafauna Foundation summarizes a 2022 study identifying 1,085 individual reef mantas from Komodo photo records.
Karang Makassar, commonly sold as Manta Point, is the site most non-divers ask about because it can work for snorkelers as well as divers. It is a shallow drift area with cleaning stations where mantas may circle while small fish clean them. Conditions still matter: current, visibility, and boat traffic can change the experience quickly, so treat it as a guided wildlife encounter rather than a guaranteed swim.
Let the mantas choose the distance
Stay calm, keep your fins away from coral and animals, and never chase, touch, or block a manta’s path. The park protocol also bans disturbing wildlife and diving without proper certification.
Batu Bolong, Castle Rock, and Crystal Rock are the names experienced divers usually chase. They can deliver sharks, trevally, dense schooling fish, and walls so alive that the reef seems to move. They also sit in water where current planning is the dive. A good operator will time the tide, brief the entry and exit, and change plans if your experience level or the day’s conditions do not fit.
| Dive site | What it is | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Manta Point / Karang Makassar | Shallow manta cleaning-station area | Snorkel / beginner when conditions fit |
| Batu Bolong | Fish-packed wall, strong current | Advanced |
| Castle Rock | Open-water pinnacle, sharks and schooling fish | Advanced |
| Crystal Rock | Pinnacle with exposed-current planning | Advanced |
Mantas are possible year-round in Komodo, but the way to phrase that honestly is probability, not promise. The strongest reported central-park aggregations often fall around November to April, while April to October is usually easier for sea conditions and general boat logistics. If mantas are the priority, give yourself more than one water day and use an operator that can adjust to current reports.
A day boat from Labuan Bajo is enough for many divers and snorkelers targeting central sites. A liveaboard makes more sense when you want multiple dives a day, better timing, and a wider route. We compare that choice in the liveaboard versus day-trip guide. For the whole park above and below the water, use the complete Komodo guide.
To match sites to your certification, dates, and comfort in current, plan a diving trip with us.
Written by
Asik Travel Editorial
Local travel editors
We write from the islands we sell, with first-hand notes from our guides and operators.
Yes. Karang Makassar, commonly sold as Manta Point, is a shallow drift area that can work for snorkelers as well as divers. Mantas may circle at cleaning stations while small fish clean them, though current, visibility, and boat traffic can change the experience, so treat it as a guided wildlife encounter rather than a guaranteed swim.
Batu Bolong, Castle Rock, and Crystal Rock are the sites experienced divers usually chase. They can deliver sharks, trevally, dense schooling fish, and walls so alive the reef seems to move, but they sit in water where current planning is the dive itself.
Mantas are possible year-round, but it is a matter of probability rather than a promise. The strongest reported central-park aggregations often fall around November to April, while April to October is usually easier for sea conditions and general boat logistics. If mantas are the priority, allow more than one water day.
A day boat from Labuan Bajo is enough for many divers and snorkelers targeting central sites. A liveaboard makes more sense when you want multiple dives a day, better timing, and a wider route across the park.
WWF notes Komodo has more than 1,000 tropical fish species and strong tidal flows that feed the reefs. For mantas, the Marine Megafauna Foundation summarizes a 2022 study identifying 1,085 individual reef mantas from Komodo photo records.
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