Komodo dive site SPOTLIGHT this week: The Cauldron aka Shotgun

A weekly blog about the most famous dive sites in Komodo reachable by day boat and Komodo liveaboard cruise.

Enjoyed our last weeks SPOTLIGHT: Batu Bolong?
Well then fasten your seat belts and get ready for “The Cauldron aka The Shotgun”

Name: The Cauldron
Meaning of the name: Dive site topography
Maximum depth: 20m +
Temperature: 27 to 29 Celsius
Current: medium to very strong
Famous for: Rip currents, sharks, manta rays, reef fish, pygmy sea-horse

“Ok guys, get ready for the strongest currents you have ever been diving in” , that is probably the sentence you might be hearing from your dive guide while he is doing hi pre-dive briefing. And…he might be right!
The Cauldron or also called the Shotgun is a channel separating the islands Gili Lawa Darat and Gili Lawa Laut in the north of the Komodo National Park.

You would generally dive this site on a medium to strong falling tide. The then present rip current makes the dive as fun and exciting as it can get. This is how it goes:
You jump in the water, decent on the northern part of the coral slope and let the current bring you to the center of the channel “The Cauldron” that is named after its very unique bottom topography. The deepest point is the bottom of a sandy bowl, followed by a steep rock wall that indicates the entry gate to the “Komodo Shotgun”. What do we mean by shotgun? Well, it is the amazing rollercoaster ride that awaits you when the rip current grabs you and pulls you through the channel, just to spit you out on the other side.
But hey, it is not over yet!
Once safely passed the channel and ride in the current you will slowly end the dive in a very beautiful coral reef on the south-eastern tip of Gili Lawa Laut Island. It is so pristine that some other dive center actually declared as a separate dive site named “China Shop”.A perfect environment for beginner divers or dive guests who don’t like to seek the thrill of drift dives ;)

Sounds good, but what can i see except currents and corals?
Manta rays, sharks, marble rays, eagle rays, pygmy sea horse, garden eels, leaf scorpion fish, frog fish and much more.

Just jump on our Komodo liveaboard or day trip boat and explore this epic dive site by yourself.
You will want to do it over and over again!!!

Whats up next week on our Komodo dive site SPOTLIGHT?
Yes! Castle Rock!