Adelaar Cruises
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Imagine yourself diving inside the caldera of a volcano without ever having to climb above sea level to get there. Gili Banta (Banta island) is an ancient, uninhabited, partially submerged volcano off the Northwest coast of Sumbawa. Very little is known about this island, no villagers live there but for liveaboards diving between Bali and Komodo National Park it’s a popular “stop” on their itineraries. Some call it home for a night, so eager night divers are able to dive Banta’s famous night dive.
I know you are thinking, “you can’t throw a rock without hitting a volcano in Indonesia; dive operators and liveaboards dive at the base of them all the time!” True, but doing a dive on Gili Banta takes it one step further. Here you’ll be diving inside a partially submerged volcano. There aren’t many places in the world where you can dive a volcanic cinder cone. Don’t worry; it is unlikely you’ll see any fireworks from eruptions because Gili Banta has been dormant since her last submarine eruption in 1957. But the nutrient rich substrate continues to feed a plethora of marine life that thrives in this type of environment.
Nearly the entire North coast consists of a large bay, called Oiungke bay, which makes for an excellent anchorage. This bay lies inside of what is left of the crater. Look around and marvel at the remaining volcanic rim that surrounds and shelters the bay. The dive sites in and around the bay vary; from fringing reef to muck to an advanced dive on a vast, submerged seamount (could this possibly be what’s left of the northern rim of the crater?). The southern side has cliffs and white sand beaches, with a stretch of reef off the shore.
The topography of Gili Banta offers a mix of breathtaking current swept reefs and more protected reefs in the shallows. Some of the notable dive sites around Gili Banta are:
Star Wars
Slope gently down to 30 meters, has excellent small fish numbers that look like they’re taking part in some epic space battle, very good coral growth and the occasional manta gliding by in the shallows. Pygmy seahorses may be found if you closely inspect the gorgonians at this dive site and frogfish have been spotted blending into the sponges. Many species of nudibranch are also spotted here.
GPS Point
Located to the northeast of Banta. The submerged seamount attracts barracuda, dogtooth tuna, spanish mackerel and sharks since the currents are usually strong. While unfortunate fishing practices have had some adverse affects, if you dive it at the right time you will still see some amazing sights.
Tanduk Rusa (Roller Coaster)
Running southwest from the northern most peninsula of Banta, it consists of steep slopes to 40 meters swept with vertical as well as horizontal currents. The large rock formations and deep canyons attract a variety of sharks to this dive site including grey reefs, whitetips, and blacktips. This spot, which is home to two different species of barracuda is also often referred to as Highway to Heaven. The fierce currents that can flow here make for an exhilarating dive.
K2
Located inside the bay and has a nice submerged ridge running to the north. While the west side is a gentle slope with bommies and hard corals the northern point and eastern side of the ridge has is a mini wall covered in sea fans and black coral bushes. Whether you go reef left or right spend some time in the shallows looking for juvenile sweetlips, barramundi, midnight snapper, giant frogfish, leaf scorpionfish, ribbon eels and nudibranch.
Small World (Gazer Beach)
If you are on an itinerary diving between Bali and Komodo, this night dive is a must. Located in the sheltered bay you’ll find a sand slope with patch reef on both sides. Don’t just swim over the sand and go straight to the reef, if you look closely you will find stargazers buried in the sand waiting for prey to come within striking distance. If you are lucky and patient, you may have the opportunity to see them feed. Some species have a worm-shaped lure growing out of their mouths, which they can wiggle to attract prey’s attention.
Off the south coast of Banta are two more big fish dives possible only in the right conditions when the surface is calm. The topography is a gentle slope that changes into a wall and then flattens out at around 30m with abundant large sponges.
Gili Banta has long been a popular stop for liveaboards diving between Bali and Komodo because it has something for everyone. Whether it’s big fish or macro, reef or muck it’s not every day you get to do such a range of great diving in the partially submerged cone of a volcano!
The waters around Gili Banta have been proposed as an extension to Komodo National Park. This is because of the high level of coral and fish diversity, the associated aesthetic value, the extension of a key biological corridor, and the areas importance for the migration of cetaceans. The total size of KNP is presently 1817 km2. Proposed extensions of 25km2 land (Banta island) and 479 km2 marine water will bring the total surface area up to 2321km2. No one knows what the future holds for Gili Banta but in the meantime, if you have a chance to dive here, go for it!
If you missed Part I – Satonda I Diving Between Bali and Komodo please go back and take a look at our older blog and underwater video of this amazing stop on our itinerary.
