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Hotels, dive operators, gear, and how to get here are on the Komodo National Park location page.
Overview
A high-energy channel drift between Gili Lawa Laut and Gili Lawa Darat in north Komodo. Divers start over coral gardens and a bowl-shaped sandy basin, then time the tide for the fast Shotgun section, where the current funnels through the pass. Reef mantas, sharks, giant trevally and dense reef fish can appear when the flow is right.
Briefing note
This is one of Komodo's signature current dives and should be treated as advanced-only. The same tide that creates the memorable ride can also make depth control and group contact difficult, so follow the local guide's timing, entry point and abort call.
What you'll see
5 species curated- seasonalReef manta rayPeak: Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov
- year-roundWhitetip reef shark
- year-roundGiant trevally
- year-roundHawksbill turtle
- year-roundSchooling snapper
Sightings evidence
1 record on file- medium confidenceReef manta ray
- Last confirmed
- May 2026
- Recent records
- 45 within 25 km
- Cluster months
- Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov
Sources & methodology
How we summarise this
We aggregate confirmed occurrence records from GBIF and OBIS within a fixed radius of each dive site. Occurrence records confirm presence and reveal seasonality clustering, but they DO NOT measure per-dive probability — there is no eligible-effort denominator. We deliberately do not publish a numeric '% chance of sighting' from this data.
Sources
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility — GBIF Secretariat
- Ocean Biodiversity Information System — IOC-UNESCO
- iNaturalist — California Academy of Sciences & National Geographic Society
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature
- Manta Trust IDtheManta Database — Manta Trust
- OBIS-SEAMAP — Duke University Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab / OBIS
- WoRMS — World Register of Marine Species — Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)
- FishBase — FishBase Consortium
- Atlas of Living Australia — CSIRO / GBIF Australia
- REEF Volunteer Fish Survey — Reef Environmental Education Foundation
Conditions
| Month | Water | Visibility | Current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27–29 °C | 8–18 m | strong |
| Feb | 27–29 °C | 8–18 m | strong |
| Mar | 27–29 °C | 10–22 m | strong |
| Apr | 27–29 °C | 15–25 m | strong |
| May | 26–28 °C | 15–25 m | strong |
| Jun | 26–28 °C | 15–25 m | strong |
| Jul | 25–27 °C | 15–25 m | strong |
| Aug | 25–27 °C | 15–25 m | strong |
| Sep | 26–28 °C | 15–25 m | strong |
| Oct | 27–29 °C | 15–25 m | strong |
| Nov | 27–29 °C | 12–22 m | strong |
| Dec | 27–29 °C | 8–18 m | strong |
Season calendar
Peak season highlighted · current month outlined
Gear for this site
Beyond the basic kit- SMB — The final drift can separate divers from the reef, and boat pickup is often in moving water.
- Reef hook — Some guides permit hooks on dead substrate for brief holds near manta or shark action, but only use one if the briefing allows it.
Next step
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