Makassar Reef

Makassar Reef, also known as Manta Point, is a shallow sandy plateau dotted with coral bommies in Central Komodo, rated as one of the top dive sites in the region and accessible as a day trip from Labuan Bajo. The site functions primarily as a manta ray cleaning station and feeding ground, where bluestreak cleaner wrasse groom visiting reef mantas (Mobula alfredi) at specific bommies, with the peak manta action occurring between 8 and 12 metres depth over a maximum bottom depth of around 18 metres.

Reef mantas are present year-round, but numbers vary strongly by season: December to April is the peak, when plankton blooms driven by the wet season concentrate food and 10 to 30 mantas per dive are common, occasionally exceeding 50; May to July typically yields 3 to 10 per dive; August to September sees 2 to 6, with mantas more spread out; and October to November numbers build again to 4 to 10 per dive. Manta behaviours documented at the site include cleaning station hovers lasting 2 to 5 minutes, chain feeding formations of 5 to 10 individuals filtering plankton, cyclone feeding, and courtship trains during breeding season.

Entry is by boat using a drift entry — the boat drops divers upstream and picks them up downstream — with dive times typically running 50 to 60 minutes. Current is moderate to occasionally strong, and the site is also snorkel-compatible, with mantas visible from the surface.