Viral Komodo seabed video links cracks to NTT quake but lacks proof

Labuan Bajo — A viral Instagram video showing apparent cracks on the seabed, described as being in waters around Komodo, Flores and Labuan Bajo at a depth of 24 to 35 metres, has drawn attention online after the uploader linked the formations to the 15 August 2026 earthquake in Nusa Tenggara Timur. According to entertainment outlet Suara.com, the footage was posted by the account @tarsisabat and circulated widely on 20 August 2026, with the caption suggesting the quake had affected not only land but also the seabed.

The video shows a diver moving along the seabed while a camera follows elongated gaps and uneven sections of the underwater surface. Suara.com reports that the formations are described in the caption and comments as cracks and changes to the seabed, but the coverage does not include a survey, measurements, underwater coordinates or a geological assessment of the site.

In the comments under the Instagram post, one user asked about the depth of the location. Suara.com notes that the account that uploaded the video replied that the scene was recorded at a depth between 24 and 35 metres, but this depth is presented as the uploader’s statement rather than an independently verified measurement.

The location in the video is broadly described as being in the Komodo area around Flores and Labuan Bajo. This general description does not establish whether the site lies within any specific zone of Komodo National Park or along a particular underwater fault or shoreline, and no official coordinates are cited in the available report.

What the footage establishes

The recording clearly shows visible gaps and irregularities on the seabed surface that are described as cracks in social media captions and subsequent coverage. The material confirms that such formations are present in the video, but it does not, on its own, establish when the footage was taken, how recently the formations appeared or what processes created them.

Suara.com’s report does not identify the person who recorded the footage beyond the Instagram handle, and it does not provide details of the equipment used to determine depth or whether the surrounding area was surveyed systematically.

Without coordinates, dated comparative images of the same site and measurements of the structures, the available information is insufficient to determine whether the formations are new features, long‑standing seabed structures or the result of recent geological activity.

Earthquake link remains unverified

The uploader of the video associated the apparent cracks with the earthquake that struck Nusa Tenggara Timur on Saturday, 15 August 2026. Suara.com reports that this claim has contributed to the clip’s viral spread and public concern.

According to Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), a tectonic earthquake with an updated magnitude of 7.7 occurred on 15 August 2026 at around 04:58 WIB, with its epicentre about 30 kilometres northeast of Mbay in Nagekeo Regency, at a depth of roughly 15 kilometres. BMKG issued a tsunami warning and recorded tsunami waves at multiple coastal locations, including Labuan Bajo, where a change in sea level of about 0.36 metres was detected.

BMKG explains in its official releases that such an earthquake can generate tsunami waves and cause deformation along geological faults, but its communications focus on coastal impacts and aftershock activity rather than specific underwater crack formations at individual dive sites.

Suara.com notes that any direct connection between the cracks seen in the @tarsisabat video and the 15 August earthquake would require scientific verification and examination by geological experts. Establishing causation would need precisely located seabed images or survey data from before and after the quake, on‑site geological observations and confirmation that the site experienced deformation linked to the event.

No such investigation is reported by Suara.com, and BMKG’s public information does not mention the viral video or an inspected underwater crack site near Komodo or Labuan Bajo. As a result, the claim that the cracks in the video were caused by the 15 August earthquake remains an allegation by the uploader rather than an established fact.

Outstanding questions

The available reporting leaves several points unresolved:

• The precise location of the dive site has not been publicly identified, beyond a general description of being in the Komodo–Flores–Labuan Bajo area.
• The exact date when the footage was recorded is not stated, making it unclear whether the images were captured on or after 15 August 2026.
• The depth of 24 to 35 metres is based on the uploader’s comment rather than an independently documented measurement.
• No statements have been reported from BMKG, marine scientists, geologists or Komodo National Park officials specifically addressing the formations seen in the video.
• There is no published geological evidence directly linking the visible seabed features in the video to the 15 August earthquake.

Given these gaps, the current coverage supports only a limited conclusion: a widely circulated video shows underwater formations described as cracks, and the uploader connects them to the 15 August earthquake in Nusa Tenggara Timur, but that connection has not been verified by scientific or official assessments.

Sources

• Suara.com
• BMKG official tsunami early warning update
• BBC News Indonesia – NTT earthquake impact explainer