Komodo · Indonesia · Reef
Pink Beach
Sloped coral, rubble and weed in the central park
Area photo: Siharaditia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Pink Beach, or Pantai Merah, is the dive site off the beach of the same name in the central part of Komodo National Park. The bottom is a slope of mixed coral reef, rubble and vegetation reaching a maximum of 30 m, and the catalogue rates it for all levels of divers, which is unusual in a park better known for current.
Also known as Pantai Merah.
Where it is and how deep
8.6007° S, 119.5171° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The bottom here is a slope rather than a wall, a mix of coral reef, rubble and patches of vegetation running from the shallows down to 30 m. The dive works along that gradient: drop in over the shallow coral, follow the slope down to whatever depth the plan allows, then turn and work back up the same ground, keeping the shallows for the end of the gas.
The catalogue rates the site for all levels, and it sits in the central part of the park where day boats from Labuan Bajo spend most of their time. That makes it a common first or last dive of a three-dive day. It is still planned on the tide like everything else in Komodo, but without the flow that sets the pace at the northern pinnacles.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| 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
- Nothing here is rated demanding, but the slope bottoms out at 30 m, well below the depth you spend most of the dive at: watch gas and no-stop time if you follow it all the way down.
- No current strength is published for this site, and the whole park is dived on the tide: treat the briefing, not the rating, as the guide to what the water will be doing.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Pink Beach?+
The maximum depth is 30 m, on a sloped bottom of coral, rubble and vegetation. Most of the dive is shallower than that, and the site is rated as suitable for all levels of divers.
Sources
- Pink Beach Komodo - Scubago — Scubago
More dive sites in Komodo
A holed rock at the surface, a coral-covered pinnacle below
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
Similar dives elsewhere
Shore-entry house reef from 5 to 30 metres with structures at 15 m
A jukung-only reef of bommies and soft coral away from the crowds
A no-take reef since 1982, with turtles on nearly every dive
The protected shallows where Balicasag's turtles are thickest