Sipadan · Malaysia · Reef
Turtle Patch
Large table corals with turtles and whitetips over them
Area photo: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE · CC BY-SA 2.0
Turtle Patch is a reef site dived deep, between 25 and 40 m, with light or no current and visibility past 30 m. Large table corals give it its structure, and the name is earned: turtles are the constant, with whitetip sharks and shoals of parrotfish over the same ground.
Where it is and how deep
4.1075° N, 118.6366° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
This is a deep reef rather than a wall, and the profile reflects that: the dive runs between 25 and 40 m over the coral, with light or no current to move you along. Still water at that depth is a mixed blessing — it makes the site calm and easy to photograph, but nothing carries you, so you swim the whole thing and the gas plan has to account for it.
The ground is built around large table corals, which is what gives the reef its shape and its shelter, and with visibility past 30 m you can see the layout of them rather than meeting one at a time. Whitetip sharks use the site and shoals of parrotfish work across it, alongside pufferfish and sweetlips. Turtles are the reason for the name and they are seen throughout the dive.
Because the current is light, the ascent is unhurried and you can shallow up gradually over the reef rather than being pushed off it. Watch the clock rather than the coral: 40 m on a site with nothing to hurry you along is an easy place to lose track of no-decompression time.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
- Reef sharks
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Sipadan: Diving runs all year; March to May brings the calmest seas and clearest water, while wind and rain can cloud it from December to February and in August.
Know before you go
- A 25 to 40 m reef with no current gives no natural cue to move shallower — set a turn pressure and a depth ceiling before you drop in.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Turtle Patch?+
It is dived deep for a reef site, between 25 and 40 m, and it is listed for advanced divers even though the current is light or absent.
What will I see at Turtle Patch?+
Turtles are the constant, alongside whitetip sharks, shoals of parrotfish and large table corals, with visibility usually past 30 m.
Sources
- Turtle Patch Dive Site — Divezone
- Sipadan Dive Sites — Scuba Junkie
In The Logbook
- Where to see reef sharks on your first divesBig animals · 14 min read
- Where to dive with sea turtlesBig animals · 15 min read
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