Komodo · Indonesia · Pinnacle · Reef
Batu Bolong
A holed rock at the surface, a coral-covered pinnacle below
Photo: Justin Philbois · CC0
At the surface Batu Bolong is a small rock with a hole in it. Underwater it is a giant rock covered in hard and soft coral and broken by cracks, with the slope dropping away into the blue to 70 m. The normal diving depth is 10 to 25 m, and the current across the site can be very strong, so it is rated for advanced divers.
Also known as Hollow Rock.
Where it is and how deep
8.5361° S, 119.6140° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
From the boat all you see is a small rock with a hole through it. A few metres down the shape resolves into a giant rock full of marine life, its walls carrying a thick cover of hard and soft coral and split by cracks. The current here can be very strong and divers must be experienced and take care, so how the dive runs is decided on the day by which way the water is moving.
The normal diving depth is 10 to 25 m, and that band is where the coral is worked. Whitetip reef sharks lie on the slope and turtles graze the coral, while the pelagic fish hold in the current off the rock: dogtooth tuna, giant trevally and Napoleon wrasse. Barracuda pass along the edge of the blue.
Below the recreational profile the rock keeps going, dropping deep into the blue to 70 m, so the profile is set by the plan rather than by a bottom you can see. Dives finish shallow on the coral cover, where visibility runs to 20 m and more. Batu Bolong can be dived all year long.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- Trevally & jacks
- Tuna
- Napoleon wrasse
- Sea turtles
- Barracuda
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Good | Prime | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Prime |
Season follows Komodo: Liveaboards run all year: April is often rated the best month, July to September is the big-fish peak, and the rainy months bring the best visibility and the mantas.
Know before you go
- The current across the rock can be very strong; the site is rated for advanced divers, and the answer is to dive it with an operator reading the tide and to stay tight to the rock.
Photos from Batu Bolong
Alexander Vasenin · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dive videos
Mind blowing Batu Bolong. Scuba Diving Komodo Islands. · Reef Nomad on YouTube
Diving BATU BOLONG, Komodo, Indonesia · Javier Cubedo on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Batu Bolong?+
The normal diving depth is 10 to 25 m. The rock itself keeps dropping into the blue to 70 m, so the profile is set by the dive plan rather than by the bottom.
Do I need to be an advanced diver?+
Yes. The site is rated for advanced divers, and the current across the rock can be very strong, so experience in moving water is expected before you dive it.
Sources
- Batu Bolong dive site — Divezone
- Batu Bolong dive site — PADI Travel
Photo credits
- Whitetip reef shark cruising low over hard coral near Batu Bolong. by Justin Philbois, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Green sea turtle swimming up through a school of small fish. by Alexander Vasenin, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In The Logbook
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More dive sites in Komodo
Reef
Big-fish habitat in a current that usually runs strong
Soft coral and macro on a rock in the cold south of the park
A submerged pinnacle where the sharks hold in the current
Coral garden
The sheltered coral garden at the end of the Cauldron ride
A calm northern bay for skills practice near Crystal Rock
Soft-coral mound with sharks holding in the flow
Reef
A sloping northern passage dived on generally strong current
Rock corridors on the south coast where the mantas feed
Similar dives elsewhere
Pinnacle
Pinnacles
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Three rocks topping out just under the surface, ringed by batfish and jacks
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