Cannibal Rock, Komodo

A dive site with an atmosphere all of its own, Cannibal Rock is one of Komodo’s don’t miss dive sites in one of Komodo’s most spectacular remote locations

Cuttlefish in Cannibal Rock landscape, August 2024 © chris@divehappy.com

Located in the far south of Komodo National Park at the southern end of Rinca island, Cannibal Rock is deservedly one of Komodo’s most famous dive sites. The site is within Horseshoe Bay which – you guessed it – is a bay shaped like a horseshoe due to the presence of Nusa Kode island, which gives the bay its distinct U shape. As such it’s an area largely protected from the open ocean.

Featherstars at Cannibal Rock, Komodo, August 2024 © chris@divehappy.com

Topographically Cannibal Rock is a big seamount that tops out around 3 metres and it’s absolutely covered in a dense carpet of corals and featherstars. The featherstars are what give Cannibal Rock its unique appearance, as they are absolutely everywhere, in florescent green and yellow along with blacks, whites, yellows and dark red.

Sea apple, Cannibal Rock, Komodo, August 2024 © chris@divehappy.com

Hidden within this overload of corals and featherstars are tons of macro subjects – giant and not-so-giant frogfish, leafy scorpionfish, Coleman shrimps, seahorses, nudibranches and the signature sea apples. It’s also unsurprisingly a gathering spot for lots of different reef fish and bigger stuff out in the grey blue.

Green corals, Cannibal Rock, Komodo, August 2024 © chris@divehappy.com

There’s also the eerie atmosphere created by the way sunlight shines down on Cannibal Rock – everytime I’ve dived it over the years, there’s a distinct, darker shade of grey-blue-green at Cannibal Rock, which gives it an unearthly feel. It feels very different to diving anywhere else in Komodo.

Frogfish, Cannibal Rock, Komodo, August 2024 © chris@divehappy.com

More practically, the water at Cannibal Rock and the other Horseshoe Bay dive sites are colder than dive sites in central and northern Komodo. Temperatures typically are around 25 degrees Celsius, but it can get colder. Wear an extra layer for warmth, as the site’s large shallow areas means you can spend a full hour there if you’re not too cold.

Pook and the cuttlefish, Cannibal Rock, Komodo, August 2024 © chris@divehappy.com

Why is it called Cannibal Rock? Because the site lies just off shore from Horseshoe Bay’s beach, and this is where Komodo Dragons roam. The legend is that the divers on the boat that originally discovered Cannibal Rock as a dive site saw one Komodo Dragon attacking and eating another dragon on the beach, and this grisly sight gave rise to the name.

Komodo
Komodo Dragons, Horseshoe Bay, Rinca, Komodo, August 2022 © chris@divehappy.com

Thankfully the dragons have found plenty of other sources of food so they’re usually easy to spot on the beach. There’s nothing else around in Horseshoe Bay. No houses or ranger station or other sign of human life, besides a big sign on the beach warning about the Komodo Dragons.

Turtle amongst the featherstars and coral, Cannibal Rock, Komodo, August 2024 © chris@divehappy.com

So within the wild, undeveloped surrounds of the Bay where there’s usually no one else around it feels different to see the Dragons than at the busy ranger stations on Komodo and Rinca.