Turtle Patch

Turtle Patch is a wall and reef dive site on the eastern side of Sipadan Island, Malaysia, sitting at a depth of 5 to 12 metres. The site is all too often overlooked in favour of Sipadan's more famous locations, but it rewards those who visit with a number of impressive table corals and a lively reef. Under the right conditions, divers can combine it with other eastern sites in a single dive, letting the current carry them along towards Barracuda Point.

The eastern sites, including Turtle Patch, are best dived in the morning when the sun illuminates this side of the island while the west remains in shadow. Visibility reaches up to 30 metres in good conditions, and the best visibility across Sipadan as a whole — often up to 50 metres — occurs during the dry months of March to July. Water temperature ranges between 26 °C and 32 °C year-round. Current along the east side can be strong enough to carry divers between multiple sites in one dive, though Turtle Patch itself suits Open Water-certified divers.

The site lives up to its name: sea turtles are frequent visitors, and both green turtles and hawksbill turtles can be encountered here. Manta rays, devil rays, spotted eagle rays, barracuda, giant tuna, large trevallies, parrotfish, batfish, and white-tip reef sharks also cruise through or alongside the reef, making this a productive site for large marine life despite its modest depth.