Tulamben, the area around Segara

Tulamben · Indonesia · Muck & macro · Artificial reef · Sand slope

Segara

Coral-grown structures at nine metres, dived for shrimp and nudibranchs

Area photo: Bernd · CC BY 2.0

Segara is a shallow shore dive on a gentle slope where artificial reef structures were placed at around nine metres in 2008 and have since grown over with coral. It is worked as a muck site: nudibranchs, flatworms and crustaceans including durban shrimp, harlequin shrimp and boxer crab are what divers come here to find.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Segara: typical dive to 9 m (to 30 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit9 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

8.2875° S, 115.6053° EPublished position for this site.

The dive

Entry is straight off the shore into shallow water, and the slope is gentle enough that you can drop onto the sand and start looking almost immediately. The artificial structures sit at around nine metres and are the spine of the dive: overgrown with coral now, they give the slope relief and hold the animals in a small enough area that a whole tank goes on a short stretch of bottom.

This is a slow dive done at arm's length from the sand. Many species of nudibranch and flatworm are found here, along with crustaceans including durban shrimp, harlequin shrimp and boxer crab, which is what has made it one of the muck sites macro divers in this area ask for. With the deepest point at nine metres, the dive ends when the gas does, and the long shallow profile suits repeated dives across a day.

Background

The reef at Segara is not natural. Artificial structures were placed here at around nine metres in 2008, and in the years since they have been overgrown with corals, turning a plain sandy slope into relief that holds animals. That growth is what made the site one of the muck dives preferred by macro divers working this stretch of the Tulamben coast, and it is why the structures, rather than the open sand, are where the dive is spent.

Marine life and season

  • Nudibranchs
  • Macro critters
Month-by-month season rating for Segara
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
GoodGoodGoodGoodPrimePrimePrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodGood

Season follows Tulamben: Diveable year-round with modest seasonal shift; April–October dry season typically gives calmer surface conditions.

Questions divers ask

How deep is Segara?+

The artificial reef structures sit at around nine metres, and the dive is a shallow shore entry onto a gentle slope. Depth is never the limiting factor, so bottom time is long.

What can you see at Segara?+

Many species of nudibranch and flatworm, and crustaceans including durban shrimp, harlequin shrimp and boxer crab. It is dived as a macro site rather than for anything large.

Sources

  1. Segara - Dive Site — SSI/Scubago

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