Turtle Patch
Turtle Patch is great for turtles, but also whitetips, parrotfish shoals and large table corals.
Turtle Patch, on Sipadan's southeast side, is truth in labelling: a shallow, sunlit 5–12 metre reef where the island's green and hawksbill turtles gather to graze, rest and ignore divers at extraordinarily close range. Around them, whitetip reef sharks lie on the sand, parrotfish move through in noisy shoals, and enormous table corals plate the reef like terraces — all of it in the 30-metre visibility that makes Sipadan's shallow sites feel lit from within.
Long bottom times, nitrox-friendly profile
The gentle profile is the point. This is the island's great long-bottom-time dive: 70-plus relaxed minutes are normal, which is exactly what turtle behaviour rewards — settle low, stop chasing, and within minutes the animals resume their day around you as if you were furniture. It's the site where non-photographers finally understand why photographers carry all that gear, and where photographers fill cards.
The perfect closing tank of a permit day
We recommend Turtle Patch as the closing dive of a permit day: after the walls and the adrenaline, an hour in the turtle shallows sends everyone up the boat ladder grinning. Snorkelling partners get nearly the full experience from the surface here, too.
Sipadan access runs on the 254-per-day permit system — contact us to plan your days, and tell us if turtles are the priority; we'll weight the rotation accordingly.
Contact us to dive at Turtle Patch
- Depth
- 5-12 metres
- Visibility
- 30 metres (100 feet)
- Location
- Southeast of Sipadan.
| Dive site | Min depth | Max depth | Level | Dive Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barracuda Point | 5m 16ft | 40m 131ft | AOW | Wall, Reef |
| Coral gardens | 10m 33ft | 23m 75ft | OW | Wall, Reef |
| Hanging Gardens | 5m 16ft | 40m 131ft | OW | Wall, Reef, Sharks |
| Lobster lairs | 25m 82ft | 40m 131ft | AOW | Wall, Reef, Big Fishes |
| North Point | 25m 82ft | 40m 131ft | AOW | Drift, Wall, Reef, Sharks |
| South Point | 20m 65ft | 40m 131ft | AOW | Wall, Reef |
| Staghorn Crest | 20m 65ft | 40m 131ft | AOW | Wall, Reef, Sharks |
| The Jetty | 3m 10ft | 40m 131ft | OW | Wall, Reef |
| Turtle Cavern | 14m 46ft | 23m 75ft | AOW | Cave, Reef |
| Turtle Patch | 5m 16ft | 12m 39ft | OW | Wall, Reef, Sharks |
| Turtle Tomb | 17m 56ft | 23m 75ft | Divemaster | Cave |
| West Ridge | 18m 59ft | 40m 131ft | OW | Wall, Reef, Sharks |
| Whitetip Avenue | 17m 56ft | 40m 131ft | OW | Wall, Reef, Sharks |
| Midreef | 5m 16ft | 40m 131ft | AOW | Wall, Reef |
| The Drop Off | 5m 16ft | 40m 131ft | AOW | Wall, Reef |
Divers: book your Sipadan permits in advance!