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Last updated on June 15, 2026
Together with Mawan, Makassar Reef is one of the two most famous manta ray sites in Komodo National Park. Also known as Manta Point, this deep reef edge offers excellent opportunities to snorkel with reef manta rays, which often gather here in numbers to feed and visit cleaning stations. Most resorts in the area, as well as liveaboards exploring eastern Komodo, include Makassar Reef in their itineraries.
With more than 2.5 km long, Makassar Reef offers snorkelers a vast area to explore. Most snorkeling sessions occur on the reef’s eastern edge, along which snorkelers usually drift with the north-south current.
Depending on the sea conditions at the time of your visit, your guide may decide to drop you in a different area. The nearest island to Makassar Reef is called Palau Karangan, which is just east of Komodo Island.
Water entrance is from your tour boat.
Most snorkeling sessions in Makassar consist of drifting along the eastern edge of the reef. The snorkelers are dropped off in a deep area (where Manta observations are the most frequent), before reaching shallower reefs at the end of the session (see map).
The reef edging Pulau Karangan is identified as supporting Reef Manta (Mobula alfredi) both as a feeding location, and also because it has numerous cleaning stations.
The water depth is mostly greater than 16ft/5m depth, with much of it considerably more. Don’t worry about being close to the bottom to see these enormous animals however, as they are clearly visible from the surface.
Makassar Reef is also considered to support one of the largest expanses of Coralline Rhodoliths in the region. Rhodoliths are unattached calcareous nodules composed of crustose red algae.
These beds of coralline algae support a diverse range of species, although most of the associated fauna are generally quite small. They are also of importance because of their ability to fix CO₂ in the form of Calcium Carbonate.
The seabed in the area is also notable for small shoals and individuals of relatively large fish species, such as Titan Triggerfish, Humpback Unicornfish, and the Emperor species. You should also be able to see occasional patches of coral and associated species.
You will be very close to Komodo Island at Manta Point, so take the opportunity to pay the dragons a visit.
There’s no resort or restaurant on Pulau Karangan.
These spots are accessible to anyone with basic snorkeling skills, and feeling comfortable in the water and with his snorkeling gear. You will enter the water from the shore (beach, pontoon, ladder, rocks) or from a boat. The water height in the sea entrance area is reasonable, but you will not necessarily be within your depth. Moderate currents can occur in the area, even when the sea conditions are good. The distance to swim to reach the most interesting snorkeling areas of the spot does not exceed 200 meters. This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.
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Snorkeling spots are part of a wild environment and their aspect can be significantly altered by weather, seasons, sea conditions, human impact and climate events (storms, hurricanes, seawater-warming episodes…). The consequences can be an alteration of the seabed (coral bleaching, coral destruction, and invasive seagrass), a poor underwater visibility, or a decrease of the sea life present in the area. Snorkeling Report makes every effort to ensure that all the information displayed on this website is accurate and up-to-date, but no guarantee is given that the underwater visibility and seabed aspect will be exactly as described on this page the day you will snorkel the spot. If you recently snorkeled this area and noticed some changes compared to the information contained on this page, please contact us.
The data contained in this website is for general information purposes only, and is not legal advice. It is intended to provide snorkelers with the information that will enable them to engage in safe and enjoyable snorkeling, and it is not meant as a substitute for swim level, physical condition, experience, or local knowledge. Remember that all marine activities, including snorkeling, are potentially dangerous, and that you enter the water at your own risk. You must take an individual weather, sea conditions and hazards assessment before entering the water. If snorkeling conditions are degraded, postpone your snorkeling or select an alternate site. Know and obey local laws and regulations, including regulated areas, protected species, wildlife interaction and dive flag laws.
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