Crystal Rock, Komodo National Park
In the next installment of our Komodo National Park series we take a look at Crystal Rock. Crystal Rock, also known as Easy to Find Rock, is a series of large pinnacles located near the island of Gili Lawa Laut in the northern area of the park. This area is well known for strong currents so a knowledgeable guide is required to navigate the site properly. The typical dive starts on the exposed “Crystal Rock” with divers descending a sloping rubble and coral reef teeming with fish. Large schools of surgeonfish and fusiliers are typically found in the water column here along with trevally and napolean wrasse hunting for food. After rounding the corner of this pinnacle, a large valley opens up and leads to two deeper pinnacles which are easy to reach when the current is right. A resident eagle ray has long been found in this area and often offers great opportunities for photo and video. Schools of sweetlips, large angelfish, clouds of anthias, and a variety of butterfly fish are also found on this site. The dive typically ends back at the first pinnacle and lucky divers can spend a quality safety stop with a friendly hawksbill turtle in the shallows.
Crystal Rock is certainly high on the “must do” list of Komodo sites and it’s the perfect companion site to dive in conjunction with Castle Rock which is located very close by.
To see more brief summaries of the top dive sites in the Komodo National Park have a look at “10 Foot Reef”, Manta Alley, and the Famous Rock dives on our previous entries. If you are interested in joining one of our Underwater Tribe trips to the Komodo National Park then we also have space on a great trip in October 2016 on the Mermaid.
