Komodo · Indonesia · Coral garden · Reef
Siaba Besar
Hawksbill and green turtles grazing a hard coral garden
Photo: Justin Philbois · CC0
Siaba Besar is a reef and sandy-bottom site in central Komodo National Park, better known as Turtle City for the hawksbill and green turtles that feed in its hard coral garden. With little or no current it is one of the park's gentler dives.
Also known as Turtle City.
Where it is and how deep
8.5483° S, 119.6488° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The dive covers a hard coral garden and the sand around it, to a maximum of 25 m (82 ft). Hawksbill and green turtles are the reason for the nickname, and many are usually in view. Blacktip reef sharks and schools of barracuda are seen regularly along the reef.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
- Reef sharks
- Barracuda
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Good | Prime | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Prime |
Season follows Komodo: Liveaboards run all year: April is often rated the best month, July to September is the big-fish peak, and the rainy months bring the best visibility and the mantas.
Photos from Siaba Besar
Justin Philbois · CC0
Jakub Hałun · CC BY 4.0
Dive videos
Diving at SIABA BESAR, Komodo, Indonesia · Javier Cubedo on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Why is Siaba Besar called Turtle City?+
Many hawksbill and green turtles feed in its hard coral garden, and divers usually see several on one dive.
Sources
- Siaba Besar dive site — PADI
- Komodo dive sites — Pinta Liveaboard
Photo credits
- A long grey trumpetfish swims over dense branching and soft coral, with a blue cleaner wrasse and other reef fish nearby. by Justin Philbois, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A pale grouper with brown bands rests on a patch of sand and coral beside a fan-shaped sponge. by Justin Philbois, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A steep, rocky brown island fringed with green trees, seen across calm water with a speedboat offshore. by Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
More dive sites in Komodo
A holed rock at the surface, a coral-covered pinnacle below
Reef
Big-fish habitat in a current that usually runs strong
Soft coral and macro on a rock in the cold south of the park
A submerged pinnacle where the sharks hold in the current
Coral garden
The sheltered coral garden at the end of the Cauldron ride
A calm northern bay for skills practice near Crystal Rock
Soft-coral mound with sharks holding in the flow
Reef
A sloping northern passage dived on generally strong current
Similar dives elsewhere
Two different dives from one walk-in entry
Black coral garden on a gentle slope from 6 m to 25 m
Sponge-studded coral slope from 4 m to 25 m, usually currentless
Three coral blocks on a garden falling from 3 m to sand at 30 m