
Maumere Bay · Indonesia · Reef · Wall
The Crack (Pulau Babi)
An earthquake fissure split into the reef off Pulau Babi
Area photo: Rachel Crane · CC BY 4.0
The Crack is a drop-off on the north side of Pulau Babi in Maumere Bay, named for the scar that the 1992 earthquake left in the reef. The fissure is about 70 cm wide and runs perhaps thirty metres back into the coral, and the corals growing across the opening are gradually sealing it.
Also known as The Crack, The Crack at Pulau Babi.
Where it is and how deep
8.4211° S, 122.4958° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The reef runs from 5 m to 30 m, a drop-off covered with corals, gorgonians and small crevices sheltering a rich diversity. Nobody goes inside the fissure: divers hang above it and look down into the internal structure of the reef. Out in the blue, sharks, turtles and giant trevallies pass by.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
- Trevally & jacks
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good |
Season follows Maumere Bay: April to October is the calmest and clearest window; January to March brings rougher crossings, though the sheltered inner bay still dives.
Sources
- Maumere diving guide — Neptune Liveaboards
- Diving - Santai Divers Maumere — Santai Divers
- The Crack at Pulau Babi — ScubaGo
More dive sites in Maumere Bay
A drift past huge sea fans and sponges on an island coral slope
Channel & pass
Maumere Bay's one fierce current, squeezed between mainland and island
Wreck
A coral-covered wartime freighter reached from the beach
Similar dives elsewhere
The protected shallows where Balicasag's turtles are thickest
Schooling barracuda and trevally when a current is running
The island's most reliable edge for grey reef and whitetip sharks
Seagrass, dense reef and wall on one protected slope



