Dive site · access from Banda Sea
Lava Flow (Gunung Api Banda)
The 1988 eruption of Banda Api sent lava down the flanks into the sea and wiped out the reef under it.
- Depth
- 5–30m
- Current
- Mild
- Minimum level
- Open water
- Access
- Boat
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The case for it
Why dive here
- Reef grown on the andesitic flow from the 1988 eruption — 124 coral species and 61.6% cover recorded five years afterwards
- Plate corals in near-continuous cover from about 5m to 30m, usually with little current
- Pygmy seahorses on the sea fans at the deeper end
Check before booking
What may rule it out
- Conditions can change. Confirm depth, current and access with a local operator.
Access and timing
Plan this through Banda Sea
Best overall months: Sep, Oct, Nov. Check the destination planner for operating season, wildlife and other matching sites.
Wildlife
Seen around Banda Sea
rareoccasionalcommonly seenpeak seasondestination closed
These are destination-level records, not confirmed sightings at Lava Flow (Gunung Api Banda).
Humphead wrasse
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | destination closed |
| February | destination closed |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | destination closed |
| June | destination closed |
| July | destination closed |
| August | destination closed |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Bigeye trevally
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | destination closed |
| February | destination closed |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | destination closed |
| June | destination closed |
| July | destination closed |
| August | destination closed |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Bumphead parrotfish
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | destination closed |
| February | destination closed |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | destination closed |
| June | destination closed |
| July | destination closed |
| August | destination closed |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Grey reef shark
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | destination closed |
| February | destination closed |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | destination closed |
| June | destination closed |
| July | destination closed |
| August | destination closed |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Hawksbill turtle
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | destination closed |
| February | destination closed |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | destination closed |
| June | destination closed |
| July | destination closed |
| August | destination closed |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Nearby alternatives
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Sources & last checked
Checked August 2026
Research is source-backed, but conditions and fees should still be confirmed locally.
View 2 sources and checking notes
- Rapid coral colonization of a recent lava flow following a volcanic eruption, Banda Islands, Indonesia, Coral Reefs 15: 169-175
- Report on Banda Api (Indonesia) — June 1988, Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program
Note on the data: Coordinates are approximate; not surveyed dive-site GPS.