Bangka Island · Indonesia · Pinnacle · Reef
Batu Gosok
Vertical cracks and caves in volcanic pinnacles, sharks below
Area photo: Fabio Achilli · CC BY 2.0
A group of steep volcanic pinnacles on the eastern shore of Bangka, split by vertical cracks and small caves and dived in moderate to strong current. Yellow, green and red soft corals hold the faces and the schooling fish sit above them, while whitetip and blacktip reef sharks, turtles, groupers and dog-tooth tuna work the rock down towards a base reported at 40 m.
Also known as Batu Goso, Batu Gasoh.
Where it is and how deep
1.8041° N, 125.1806° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
These are steep volcanic pinnacles rising from the ocean floor on the eastern shore of the island, and the structure shapes the dive: vertical cracks split the faces and open into small caves, so you work down and along the wall rather than circling a flat top. The dived depth runs to about 35 m with the base reported at 40 m, and the current is moderate to strong, so the descent goes straight down onto the rock rather than drifting in from the surface.
Soft corals in yellow, green and red cover the faces, and the schooling fish sit above them — bannerfish, sweetlips, red-tooth triggerfish and platax batfish. Morays, scorpionfish and Spanish dancers are on the rock itself, so the pinnacles reward looking close as well as out into the blue.
The larger animals use the same moving water. Whitetip and blacktip reef sharks patrol the deeper part of the rock, turtles and groupers work the same ground, and mackerel and dog-tooth tuna hang off the corners where the current splits. The dive finishes shallow on top of the pinnacles, out of the worst of the flow.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- Sea turtles
- Groupers
- Tuna
- Reef fish swarms
- Pristine corals
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Bangka Island: Mar–Nov is the settled season with the calmest channels; the north-west monsoon from December to February brings wind and swell.
Know before you go
- Moderate to strong current on exposed pinnacles: a prompt descent onto the rock keeps the group together and off the deeper base, which is reported at 40 m.
Dive videos
Batu Gosok - underwater diving · stasis333 on YouTube
Sources
- Diving Sites at Bangka Island, Indonesia — Dive The World
- Diving Bangka: The Ultimate Guide — Murex Resorts
- Pulau Batu Gosok, Minahasa Utara — OpenStreetMap
More dive sites in Bangka Island
Wall
Coral slope from 3 m to a wall that drops to 30 m
Pinnacle
A canyon-cut plateau at 15 m before the drop to 40 m
Pinnacle
Three pinnacles stepping from 5 m down to a base near 30 m
Coral garden
Three coral blocks on a garden falling from 3 m to sand at 30 m
Coral garden
Healthy coral garden from 3 m down to 18 m off the village
Reef
Coral blocks on sand, with schooling fish over a slow slope
Coral garden
Coral garden from 1 m to sand at 13 m, straight off the beach
Elephant ear sponges and soft coral on rocks that break the surface
Similar dives elsewhere
A holed rock at the surface, a coral-covered pinnacle below
Whitetips, blacktips and marble rays on an atoll pinnacle
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A mid-ocean cay dived only when the crossing stays calm
Pinnacle
Pinnacles
Pulau Aur & Pulau Dayang · Malaysia
Three rocks topping out just under the surface, ringed by batfish and jacks