Bangka Island · Indonesia · Pinnacle · Drift · Coral garden
Sahaung
Elephant ear sponges and soft coral on rocks that break the surface
Photo: Marwan Mohamad · CC BY-SA 4.0
A row of boulder pinnacles off Pulau Sahaung that just break the surface and step down to 35 m, carrying a proliferation of green and golden-brown soft corals and huge elephant ear sponges. It is dived as a drift with a negatively buoyant entry, and the fish stack up on the rock: redtooth triggerfish, snappers and bannerfish, with whitetip reef sharks along the deeper steps.
Where it is and how deep
1.7431° N, 125.1576° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The entry is negative: you go in off the boat and drop straight onto the rock rather than sort yourself out on the surface. The site is a row of underwater boulder pinnacles that just break the surface and continue below as giant steps, so the profile follows the terrain — down the stepped face towards 35 m at the deep end, then back up along it as the drift carries you.
The rock is upholstered rather than encrusted. Green and golden-brown soft corals grow over the boulders in a continuous cover, with huge elephant ear sponges standing off the faces and branching and table corals filling the ground between them. Redtooth triggerfish hang in a cloud above the crest, while midnight snappers, blue-striped snappers and long-fin bannerfish hold along the rock in the slower water.
Whitetip reef sharks turn up along the rock and the pelagic traffic is passing rather than resident, so the diving rewards attention to the reef itself. Coming shallow, the same boulders carry the macro Bangka is known for, pygmy seahorses and frogfish included, and the stop is done on top of the pinnacles. Visibility runs 10 to 25 m depending on how much water is moving.
Marine life and season
- Pristine corals
- Reef sharks
- Reef fish swarms
- Pygmy seahorses
- Frogfish
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Bangka Island: Mar–Nov is the settled season with the calmest channels; the north-west monsoon from December to February brings wind and swell.
Know before you go
- The negative entry has to be ready before you leave the boat: a hesitant descent puts you off the rock and into open water, so the group drops together on the guide's signal.
- The current varies with the tide, and the same rock that is a gentle swim in the morning can be a firm drift a few hours later — check the plan for the tank you are on rather than the one before it.
Dive videos
The Best Dive Site on Bangka Island: Sahaung #scubadiving #indonesia #bangka · Scuba Diving and Dogs on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Sahaung?+
The site runs from about 5 m on top of the boulders down to 35 m at the deep end of the stepped rock. Most of the dive is spent in the middle of that range, working back up the steps as the drift carries you.
Is Sahaung suitable for beginners?+
Not really. It is dived as a drift with a negatively buoyant entry and the rock steps down to 35 m, so an advanced certification and some experience of moving water make for a far better dive.
Sources
- Diving Sites at Bangka Island, Indonesia — Dive The World
- Diving Bangka: The Ultimate Guide — Murex Resorts
- Nominatim search: Sahaung — OpenStreetMap
Photo credits
- Pulau Sahaung seen from the water, a forested island with a white sand beach and moored boats by Marwan Mohamad, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
More dive sites in Bangka Island
Pinnacle
Vertical cracks and caves in volcanic pinnacles, sharks below
Wall
Coral slope from 3 m to a wall that drops to 30 m
Pinnacle
A canyon-cut plateau at 15 m before the drop to 40 m
Pinnacle
Three pinnacles stepping from 5 m down to a base near 30 m
Coral garden
Three coral blocks on a garden falling from 3 m to sand at 30 m
Coral garden
Healthy coral garden from 3 m down to 18 m off the village
Reef
Coral blocks on sand, with schooling fish over a slow slope
Coral garden
Coral garden from 1 m to sand at 13 m, straight off the beach
Similar dives elsewhere
Two lava tubes through the reef top, exiting in a cave at 35 m
A swim-through at 22 to 25 m lined with crinoids
Manta cleaning stations in the channels between three pinnacles
An offshore pinnacle topping out at 5 m