Dili · Timor-Leste · Muck & macro · Sand slope · Night
Tasi Tolu
Seahorses, spider crabs and coconut octopus on a sandy slope close to Dili.
Photo: Andrepiazza · CC BY-SA 3.0
Tasi Tolu is the best-known muck dive in Dili, a small sandy slope very close to town with soft corals and sponges scattered across it. Seahorses, spider crabs, shrimps and eels are regular finds, and the site is at its best at night, when crabs, crustaceans and cephalopods come out of the sand to feed.
Also known as Tasitolu.
Where it is and how deep
8.5550° S, 125.5092° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The entry is easy at any time, over a gradual sandy slope that runs from 2 m down to 20 m. The site itself is small and hard to find without a guide or earlier dives there: it centres on a small patch of coral reached by heading north-west from the beach. Away from that patch there is little else to see.
Soft corals and sponges sit here and there on the sand. Seahorses, spider crabs, shrimps and eels are very often found, along with nudibranchs, flatworms, pygmy pipehorses and frogfish, and rhinopias and harlequin ghost pipefish are not unusual. After dark many burrowing crabs, crustaceans and cephalopods come out of the sand to feed, which makes it a good choice for a night dive to find coconut octopus and bobtail squid.
Marine life and season
- Frogfish
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Squid
- Nudibranchs
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair |
Season follows Dili: The dry season runs from May to October and the rainy season from November to April; mid-September to November is the high season, when trip prices carry a surcharge.
Know before you go
- The gradual sandy slope makes it easy to drift too deep; check depth regularly.
- The beach is public and thieves target the area.
Photos from Tasi Tolu
Andrepiazza · CC BY-SA 3.0
Andrepiazza · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dive videos
Tasi Tolu and La Casa Epic Muck Dives · Keith’s Coral Creatures on YouTube
Tasi Tolu Night Dive · Keith’s Coral Creatures on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Tasi Tolu?+
The sandy slope runs from about 2 m to 20 m. It is gradual, so depth needs watching to avoid going too deep.
Is Tasi Tolu a good night dive?+
Yes. At night burrowing crabs, crustaceans and cephalopods come out of the sand, and divers look for coconut octopus and bobtail squid.
What critters live at Tasi Tolu?+
Seahorses, spider crabs, shrimps and eels are very often found, along with nudibranchs, flatworms, pygmy pipehorses and frogfish.
Sources
- Diving in Timor-Leste — Wikivoyage
- Local Dive Sites Near Dili – Tasi Tolu — Dive Timor Lorosae
Photo credits
- Red ornate ghost pipefish hovering in blue water above the reef, a diver blurred behind by Andrepiazza, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Spotted moray eel emerging from a crevice in an encrusted rock at night by Andrepiazza, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Pale sea anemone with bulb-tipped tentacles on a sandy reef by Andrepiazza, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
More dive sites in Dili
A field of garden eels on the sand at the end of a shallow wall dive.
Reef
A coral slope below the Jesus statue with a resident turtle.
A bommie at 16 to 25 m ringed by snappers, trevallies and batfish.
Coral to 15 m, then sand with barrel sponges, fans and whip corals.
A coral wall a few metres off a shaded beach, with grass beds that sometimes draw dugongs.
Sponge-covered pylons with schooling sweetlips, barracuda and batfish in the shade.
Similar dives elsewhere
Mimic and blue-ringed octopus over Anilao's best-known muck slope
Black sand to 27 metres, at its best after dark
Debris slope from 3 to 18 m, dived for frogfish and nudibranchs
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Zebra crabs sheltering in the spines of purple heart urchins