Belongas Bay & South Lombok · Indonesia · Pinnacle · Pelagic & blue water
The Magnet
Hammerhead schools around a surge-washed rock in the open sea
The Magnet is an offshore rock in Belongas Bay that rises from around 80 m to just above the surface, with the open sea breaking over its top. Strong current, sudden downcurrents and heavy surge make it one of the most demanding dives in Indonesia, and divers take it on for the schools of scalloped hammerheads that gather around the rock.
Also known as Magnet, Magnet Point.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Belongas Bay & South Lombok and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
Boats drop divers close to the rock, and the entry is made negatively buoyant so the group can descend quickly to about 15 m, below the worst of the surge, and on down to 20-25 m. From there the dive holds beside the rock and watches the open water, where hammerheads pass, often below the divers and sometimes in schools; nothing is guaranteed.
Tuna, barracuda and schools of mackerel circle the rock with white-tip and black-tip reef sharks. When conditions allow, the dive goes right around the pinnacle, and a cave at 20 m shelters resting white-tip reef sharks.
Marine life and season
- Hammerheads
- Tuna
- Barracuda
- Reef sharks
- Mobula rays
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair |
Season follows Belongas Bay & South Lombok: Hammerheads peak from August to November; Belongas is calmest from March to mid-June and in October and November.
Know before you go
- Sudden downcurrents and strong current run along the rock, and heavy surge fills the shallows above about 15 m.
Dive videos
Scuba Diving the ‘Magnet’, South Lombok · Wild Scuba Indonesia on YouTube
Scuba Diving with Schooling Hammerheads - The Magnet - South Lombok · Wild Scuba Indonesia on YouTube
Sources
- Belongas Bay Diving: Hammerheads of South Lombok — Scubalo
- Diving at Magnet Point — Belongas Bay Retreat
- The South Coast — Bottles Up Diving
- KUTA Mandalika & South Lombok — Scuba Froggy
More dive sites in Belongas Bay & South Lombok
Cave & cavern
A cave entrance that opens into a huge dark cavern
Wall
Hard coral formations along a wall near Kuta
Pinnacle
Giant trevally working the current lines over open-sea pinnacles
Coral garden
A soft coral garden at the foot of a reef slope
Wall
A massive cave in the wall of a small island east of the Magnet
Similar dives elsewhere
An isolated ocean ridge whose point pulls in barracuda and jacks
Pinnacle
Rayners Rock
Pulau Aur & Pulau Dayang · Malaysia
Schools of jacks and barracuda just off a lone boulder in open water
Big pelagics turn up on the pinnacles when the current runs.
A holed rock at the surface, a coral-covered pinnacle below