The Shotgun, Komodo: Riding the Cauldron

The Shotgun, also called the Cauldron, lies between Gili Lawa Laut and Gili Lawa Darat. It is the most talked-about dive in Komodo, and the one most dependent on getting the timing right.

Why it is called the Shotgun

Current accelerates through a narrow gap between the islands and fires divers out across a sandy bowl. Done on the correct tide, it is a controlled and exhilarating ride. Done on the wrong tide, it is simply a current dive with none of the effect, which is why the site is entirely dependent on the cruise director reading the water.

What you see

Mantas frequently feed in the bowl where the flow slows and plankton collects. Reef sharks hold along the edges, and large schools of fish stack up at the mouth of the gap. The sand bowl also gives divers somewhere to settle and watch rather than being swept onward.

Experience level

Advanced. Divers need to be relaxed about being moved by water they cannot resist and disciplined about staying with the group through the acceleration.

Conditions

Water temperature in central and north Komodo runs 26–30°C, generally warm and calm. A 3mm long wetsuit is the most versatile choice; bring a 5mm or a neoprene hoodie if you feel the cold. The Komodo season is June to September, departing from Labuan Bajo. Open Water divers are limited to a maximum depth of 18m by law and insurance.

Diving it with Teman

The KLM Teman carries 12 guests in 5 ensuite cabins with a crew of 10, which keeps groups small on sites where spacing matters. This site features on our Komodo itineraries from 4 days upward.

More Komodo dive sites

• Tatawa Besar
• Siaba Besar
• Sebayur Kecil
• Cannibal Rock
• Yellow Wall

See all itineraries and dates on our Komodo liveaboard page.

Salah Teman

Salah writes for Teman Liveaboard, the owner-operator of the KLM Teman. The Teman is a 36-metre Indonesian phinisi, handbuilt in Sulawesi and launched in 2017, carrying 12 guests in 5 ensuite cabins with a permanent crew of 10 and a Cruise Director. The team behind her has more than 20 years sailing the Indonesian archipelago. The boat works Komodo National Park from June to September out of Labuan Bajo, Raja Ampat from November to April out of Sorong, and runs Banda Sea and Ring of Fire crossings between the two seasons. The dive site guides on this blog are written from the operator's own logs and itineraries, with conditions, seasons and equipment guidance checked against the dive team who work these sites every week. Where a detail depends on the day — depth on a given tide, or where a current will take you — we say so rather than guess, because that is a briefing the Cruise Director gives on the boat, not something a web page can promise.

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