Rote Island · Indonesia · Channel & pass · Reef
Dana Channel
A channel where the flow swings from light to strong
Area photo: Mujiono Leo · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dana Channel is a channel off Rote with a reef floor, a maximum depth of 25 m and most of the dive around 15 m. The water moving through it ranges from light to strong, so conditions change markedly from one dive to the next. Spanish mackerel join the reef fish here.
0Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Rote Island and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The dive follows the reef floor of the channel to a deepest point of 25 m. The current decides how it runs, light on some days and strong on others, and the reef holds snapper, fusiliers, barracuda, groupers and moray eels.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Rote Island: May to October is the dry high season; November to March brings most of the rain. No month is a peak for the diving itself.
Know before you go
- Current in the channel can run strong, varying from light to strong between dives.
Sources
- Dive Rote Indonesia — Anugerah Surf & Dive Resort
More dive sites in Rote Island
A current-free muck dive at the island's ferry port
A soft-coral slope off Bo'a beach
Reef
Rock formations where sharks and turtles turn up
Reef
Rote's best bet for reef sharks and seasonal oceanic mantas
A sandy slope with coral bommies off the north tip of Ndao Island
Reef
A calm rocky slope with room to go deep
Similar dives elsewhere
Swim-throughs in volcanic rock and cuttlefish hunting in sandy channels
Often-strong current turns the channel into a drift
Drift the channel either way, depending on flood or ebb
A year-round manta point at 19-25 m inside the channel