Ambon · Indonesia · Wall
Pintu Kota
A wall past 30 m below the city-gate arch
Area photo: Truite agile · CC BY-SA 4.0
Pintu Kota is the outer-coast wall dive on Ambon, named for the rock formation at the surface that resembles a city gate. The wall drops to over 30 metres and is encrusted with sea fans, gorgonians and black corals, with cracks and overhangs cut into the face. Tuna and barracuda visit; moray eels, lobsters and nudibranchs live in the rock.
Also known as The City Gate.
Where it is and how deep
3.7706° S, 128.1524° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The landmark makes the site easy to find from the boat: the rock formation at the surface that gives Pintu Kota its name, a gate of stone rising out of the sea on the outer coast. This is the other kind of Ambon diving, rock and structure instead of the bay's sand, and the wall below the formation drops away to over 30 metres.
The face is the dive. Sea fans, gorgonians and black corals cover it, and the cracks and overhangs cut into it shelter moray eels, lobsters and nudibranchs, so the profile is a slow run along the rock with the wall on one shoulder. It is worth turning to the blue as well: tuna and barracuda pass here as occasional visitors rather than a fixture of the site.
Marine life and season
- Tuna
- Barracuda
- Nudibranchs
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Good |
Season follows Ambon: Oct–Apr is the main season; June to August brings wind and rain that make the outer sites rough, though the bay stays divable.
Know before you go
- This is an exposed outer-coast site rather than sheltered bay diving, so check the surface conditions at the arch with the crew and agree a pickup before you drop.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Pintu Kota?+
The wall drops to over 30 metres. Most of the dive is spent along the face rather than at the deepest point, and no operator publishes a figure beyond that, so plan a recreational profile on the wall.
Sources
- Ambon Dive Sites — Dive The World
- Ambon — Wikivoyage
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