Karnobol is a very fishy dive site located to the east of Banda Besar Island. It is made up of many large rocks and underwater coral bommies that are covered with healthy hard and soft corals, sponges and gorgonian seafans. Currents are mild and visibility is excellent.
The usual large schools of snapper, fusilier and red tooth triggerfish are here. Parrotfish, including large bumphead parrotfish are common. There are also many different species of butterflyfish including ovalspot butterflyfish and Meyer's butterflyfish. Napoleon wrasse are often seen here.
Karang Hatta is a coral atoll off the south coast of Hatta Island and is a dive not to be missed. The reef here starts shallow but slopes down beyond 40m. There is no need to go deep to see the fish though as the entine reef is full of schools of fish so think you will not be able to see the way ahead. Shoals of fusiliers, snappers and surgeonfish seem to block your path, only to part as you swim through and close ranks again behind you.
It is possible to see blacktip reef sharks, swimming along the west side wall, plus white tip reef sharks resting on the bottom. Turtles are common as are large wrasse and titan triggerfish. In the blue look out for giant barracuda and giant trevally. Schools of dog tooth tuna threaten the smaller fish. Eagle rays and devil rays often show up for a plankton feed and lucky divers may get to see scalloped hammerheads.
As you would expect from a dive site with so much pelagic action, Karang Hatta is subject to strong currents and is not a dive for beginners. Visibility averages around 25m and can be better.
Gunung Api is a small volcanic island located to the west of Banda Neira and is another "must dive" in the Banda Sea. When the volcano last erupted in 1988, lava flows destroyed the reef but since then the regeneration of the hard coral reef on top of the solid lava platform has been phenomenal, amazing scientists with the speed of growth. Huge fields of table corals and cabbage leaf corals are packed together with other hard coral species filling every available space.
Large schools of fish cover the reef including snapper, fusilier, butterflyfish and batfish. Longnose hawkfish can be seen in gorgonian seafans. A more unusual species are the black triggerfish which are numerous here. Napoleon wrasse can be seen as can clown triggerfish.
Pelagics to look out for include dogtooth tuna, and bluefin trevally. Mobula rays also visit the reef on occasion.
<< Back to Banda Sea Dive Sites Main Index
<< Back to Indonesia Dive Sites Main Index
Indonesia Diving Special Offers
|
