Siaba Besar

Siaba Besar (Komodo National Park)

Welcome to Siaba Besar, often affectionately known as "Turtle City", a true gem within Komodo National Park. This dive site is renowned for its tranquil conditions and abundant marine life, making it an ideal destination for divers of all levels, particularly beginners. We consider it a quintessential Komodo experience, offering both vibrant reef ecosystems and fascinating muck diving opportunities.

Diving Conditions

Siaba Besar is celebrated for its generally mild currents, providing a relaxed and enjoyable diving experience. While currents are typically gentle, we advise divers to be aware that they can occasionally strengthen, particularly further south within the bay. Recreational depths at this dive site typically range from a shallow 4 m in the coral gardens to a maximum depth of 22 m, with an average dive depth around 14 m. The reef crest itself begins in very shallow water, sometimes as little as 1 to 2 m, making it excellent for snorkelers and introductory dives alike. Divers will find the water temperature consistently warm, ranging from 26°C to 29°C, perfect for extended dives.

An Open Water certification is required to explore this beautiful dive site. Its calm and forgiving nature also makes Siaba Besar an excellent location for check-out dives, refresher courses, or even Discover Scuba Diving experiences, allowing new divers to comfortably acclimate to the underwater world of Komodo.

Marine Life

The highlight of Siaba Besar is undoubtedly its thriving turtle population. Divers will frequently encounter dozens of both Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas) and Hawksbill Turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) gracefully gliding over the coral gardens or resting on bommies and sandy patches. This consistent presence has earned the site its famous nickname.

Beyond the turtles, Siaba Besar offers a captivating blend of reef and macro life. We encourage divers to keep an eye out for:

• Sharks and Rays: Look for Whitetip Reef Sharks (Triaenodon obesus) and Blacktip Reef Sharks (Carcharhinus melanopterus) patrolling the reef, and spot Blue-spotted Ribbontail Rays (Taeniura lymma) resting on the sandy bottom.
• Macro Critters: The sandy areas and coral patches are a treasure trove for macro enthusiasts. Divers can search for the elusive Hairy Frogfish (Antennarius striatus), the vibrant Flamboyant Cuttlefish (Metasepia pfefferi), and the intricately camouflaged Ornate Ghost Pipefish (Solenostomus paradoxus). Tiny Pygmy Seahorses (Hippocampus bargibanti) are often found clinging to gorgonian fans.
• Reef Fish: Expect to see a dazzling array of reef fish, including schools of sweetlips, unicornfish, pufferfish, and various wrasses and butterflyfish, adding a kaleidoscope of color to the coral gardens.
• Rare Sightings: While not guaranteed, there are occasional rumors and confirmed sightings of Dugongs (Dugong dugon) in the seagrass areas, making every dive a potential for a truly special encounter.

Potential Hazards

While generally calm, divers should be mindful of potential hazards. We advise caution regarding boat traffic, especially when surfacing. As with any vibrant reef, coral contact should be avoided to protect both the delicate ecosystem and yourself. Although currents are usually mild, we recommend staying aware of changing conditions, as they can occasionally pick up.

The shallow bay and its coral garden in diver accounts

Dive Concepts places the Siaba Besar dive site in a sheltered bay with coral seamounts on the north-west side of the island, and describes a reef 4 to 6 metres deep with healthy corals and sand patches. Dive Happy, whose photographs are dated August 2024, describes a calm, shallow bay of bright white sand with large growths of lettuce coral, and turtles that let divers come quite close if they approach slowly. Dive Happy says the site is only around four to six metres deep, while Dive Concepts' 4 to 6 metre figure refers to the reef; the same Dive Concepts page gives a maximum depth around 22 metres.

Dive Happy notes that, given its calm conditions, Siaba Besar is a very popular site for liveaboard check-out dives and for day boats bringing brand-new divers, and that it is pretty busy underwater with other divers. It also describes snorkellers meeting turtles when they come up to breathe.

Teresa Zubi's starfish.ch Komodo guide describes a dive that starts in the north and drifts along corals, gorgonian sea fans, black coral bushes and sponges before ending in a coral garden. There she reports mandarinfish living under and between staghorn coral branches. They are well hidden in daylight, but she says they start to forage around 5 o'clock as dusk falls, when they are easier to find, and that after dark divers may see the courtship display before a pair rises together to spawn. She does not say whether operators routinely schedule dusk dives here.