Derawan & Sangalaki · Indonesia · Reef · Sand slope
Turtle Trafic (Payung Payung)
Sleeping turtles at low tide on the west-coast slope
Area photo: Fahrian44 · CC BY-SA 4.0
A sloping reef in the middle of Maratua's west coast, about 45 minutes from the Nabucco Islands and dived for its turtles. Low tide is the time to go, because that is when the turtles are sleeping and can be watched rather than followed. The reef runs to 30 m and holds peacock shrimp and nudibranchs.
Also known as Payung Payung.
Where it is and how deep
2.2402° N, 118.5624° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site is in the middle of the west coast of Maratua, about 45 minutes by boat from the Nabucco Islands, and the reef slopes down to 30 m. Timing matters more than routing: the best time to dive it is at low tide, when the turtles are sleeping and can be approached instead of chased. It is dived with the left shoulder to the reef, which keeps the slope on one side and open water on the other.
Turtles are what the site is named for, but the reef itself carries hard and soft corals and the kind of small life that fills the back half of a dive — peacock shrimp and nudibranchs on the hard and soft coral. Since the deep end is only 30 m and the interest sits on the slope rather than below it, the profile stays comfortable and gas runs out before no-stop time does.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
- Nudibranchs
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Derawan & Sangalaki: April–October dry season gives the clearest water and most reliable manta encounters at Sangalaki.
Questions divers ask
When is the best time to dive Turtle Trafic?+
At low tide. That is when the turtles on the reef are sleeping, which is what makes the 45-minute boat run from the Nabucco Islands worth planning around the tide table.
Sources
- Turtle Trafic (Payung Payung) — Scubago
More dive sites in Derawan & Sangalaki
Channel & pass
Hook in on the channel edge and let the current run
Wall
Slope to a 40-50 m wall, finished on the reef top next door
Wall
Pygmy seahorses on the wall, marlin out in the blue
Wall
Bumphead parrotfish schools and a wall of gorgonian sea fans
Reef
Feather stars and sponges on a slope to 40 m
Dived on current for eagle rays, threshers and whale sharks
Reef top at 5-10 m, then a wall to a 70 m sand floor
Muck & macro
Mandarinfish at dusk, then straight into the night dive
Similar dives elsewhere
Ghost pipefish and pygmy seahorses on a calm coral slope
Panglao's critter slope, five minutes off Alona Beach
A shallow coral bowl between two soft-coral mini walls
Sea apples scattered across the reef between 15 and 25 metres