Bangka Island · Indonesia · Coral garden · Reef
Busa Bora Kampung
Healthy coral garden from 3 m down to 18 m off the village
Area photo: Fabio Achilli · CC BY 2.0
Busa Bora Kampung is the reef in front of the village, one of several sites clustered around Busa Bora on Bangka. It is characterised by a healthy coral garden running from 3 m down to 18 m, and below that the ground gives way to a sandy bottom that holds a multitude of critters, so one dive covers a reef swim and a patch of critter ground.
Where it is and how deep
1.7447° N, 125.1400° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The site is a coral garden with a defined vertical range, from 3 m at the top to 18 m at the bottom, and the dive is usually run as one long traverse rather than a descent to a single feature. Teams drop in over the shallow coral, work down to the deep edge early while gas allows, then follow the garden along at a middle depth and climb gradually back towards the top as the dive goes on.
The garden ends at 18 m, but the site does not. Go deeper and the coral gives way to a sandy bottom holding a multitude of critters, which is worth a few slow minutes at the bottom edge rather than turning as soon as the coral runs out. Three sites sit close together here, so check with the guide which of the Busa Bora reefs you are actually on before the briefing stops matching what is underneath you.
Marine life and season
- Macro critters
| 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.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Busa Bora Kampung?+
The coral garden runs from 3 m down to 18 m. Below the garden the bottom continues onto sand, so 18 m is where the coral ends rather than where the site does.
Sources
- Busa Bora Kampung dive site — Scubago
More dive sites in Bangka Island
Pinnacle
Vertical cracks and caves in volcanic pinnacles, sharks below
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
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
Shallow invertebrate reef in a bay boats overnight in
A calm coral garden at 5–20 m, the island's easiest dive
Temple, cabbage and mushroom coral in 15 m of water
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Fusiliers and damsels wearing colours you would not expect