Famous for sightings of up to 50 manta rays, Makassar is a 2 km drift dive located in the middle of the Lintah Strait. Due to strong currents, many corals find it hard to hold on and grow. Thus, the surface of this dive site greatly resembles a lunar landscape with vast craters and towering dunes. Mantas aren’t the only attraction, Makassar offers numerous species of sharks, schools of bumphead parrotfish, marble and eagle rays, and a surprising amount of macro life found in the rubble and sparse yet vibrant coral bommies.

Castle Rock is definitely in the ‘Top 3’ of the park. Prone to current, this seamount rises from depths of 75 metres to about 3-4 metres under the surface. We usually dive into this site by dropping in the split via negative entry. Quickly descend to 25 metres, where you can hold onto a rock in the current as sharks, giant trevally, tuna, and mackerel swim in massive schools above your head. As you make your way around the site, propelled by the current, you can see soft coral growth and numerous fans that are host to pygmy seahorses.

The very shape of this dive site has given The Cauldron its name; it is split into 2 sides. On the one side there is a bowl, deep and round, with a sandy bottom and walls covered in gorgonian fans and soft corals… like a cauldron! At one end of it there is a shallow and narrow pass that could propel you out to the other side! Once there, it's a world of channels, edgy canyons running parallel to one another. The atmosphere of the first half of the dive site is that of a stroll, a wandering; glide along the walls, check out the fans and the soft corals. A slight trough on the North side just before the pass is actually covered in orange! Absolutely breathtaking! If you’ve got a bit of time, scan through the gorgonian fans, some of them host a few pygmy seahorses… The second half is completely different in every aspect, and it can be quite challenging! When the current is pushing (you do this dive when the tide is coming up or down, not when it’s slack), you cannot hover in place or glide around the canyons: you have to hold on to the edges of the canyons and wait… As a matter of fact, the manta rays come at this very place to effortlessly ventilate, get cleaned and feed with the flowing water! Watch out for the coral and venomous fish when you put your hands to hold on to the canyons, and enjoy: the manta rays can come up within arm reach if you’re relaxed and don’t scare them away with too much bubbles or noise. A real treat!

Crystal Rock is one of the North’s gems. This site is similar to Castle Rock, yet much larger. This rocky pinnacle breaks the surface at low tide, displaying an array of soft and hard corals. This is a very colourful dive which is also prone to current. We often use a negative entry on this dive, swim down quickly, grab hold of a rock in the split, and watch the show. Tons of trevally, jacks, sharks, Napoleon wrasse and the occasional eagle ray frequent. This site also experiences very clear water, hence its name – Crystal Bommie. There is a small mound north west of the rock where different species of fish school seasonally. Tuna and mackerel frequently buzz this site. This is an excellent dive site and usually worth doing twice.