Tatawa Kecil

West Manggarai Regency, Komodo, Tatawa, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesiareef30 m maxbeginner

Conditions & tides

Channel site — tidal current funnels through here and can run fast, changing quickly with the tide. It is usually strongest around mid-tide and eases near the slack windows below. Dive with a local operator who knows the timing.

Tatawa KecilTatawa

Good · 5/5

conditions visualisation

Good5/5

Calm and diveable right now — best window today 8 AM–6 PM.

Wind3 kn NE

Current~0.2 kn WNW · model

Swell

0.1 m · 6s · SW

Water

30 °C

Max depth

30 m

Conditions through the day

7 AM7 PM

Calmest current near slack — 17:30 & 06:30 local

Sunrise 05:31 · Sunset 17:59 local

Show details

Tide · local

Outlook — select a day for full conditions

On-face swell 0.0 m — the component of the swell aimed at this site’s exposed face. Strong-current reef: plan a drift and enter near the slack windows above. Current is a regional model value (Copernicus, ~9 km grid) — a guide to the area, not a precise reef measurement. Imagery © Esri · not depth or visibility.

Scored by DiveConnect's site-physics model

Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.

Dived here today? How were conditions vs. what we showed?

About this site

Tatawa Kecil is a small, rocky islet in central Komodo National Park, located just south of its larger sibling Tatawa Besar. The site sits squarely in a major current channel, and the underwater terrain is dramatically rugged: massive boulders, drop-offs, swim-throughs, deep caves, and arches carve into the rock faces, with a broad plateau on the western side. The entire structure is heavily encrusted with hard corals, soft corals, and large gorgonian sea fans. Bottom depth reaches 30 m with an average around 15 m.

Because of its position in the current channel, Tatawa Kecil draws large concentrations of schooling fish and pelagic predators. Regular sightings include schooling jacks, giant trevallies, bluefin trevallies, barracuda, dogtooth tuna, giant tuna, and schooling fusiliers. White-tip reef sharks and grey reef sharks patrol the site, hawksbill turtles move along the reef slopes, and sweetlips, batfish, Napoleon wrasse, marbled groupers, moray eels, octopus, lionfish, and scorpionfish are all recorded here. The sheltered nooks and crevices shelter pygmy seahorses and leaf scorpionfish, and sea snakes including banded sea kraits and olive sea snakes are present.

Currents here are strong to very strong and are the site's defining characteristic as well as its primary hazard. The site is notorious for complex split-currents, downcurrents, and sudden shifts in water direction, all of which make timing critical — dives must be planned around slack tide or the beginning of the incoming tide. Water temperature sits between 26–28 °C (79–82 °F). The site is more exposed than Tatawa Besar. Despite being classified as advanced due to current complexity, it is accessible year-round, with peak conditions running March through November.

Read the full guide

The site is rated advanced and is not suited to inexperienced divers; the currents demand solid skills, good buoyancy, and experience reading tidal conditions. Carrying a surface marker buoy and whistle is required. Hazards beyond the currents include wild topography and the sea snakes noted above.

AI-written site guide

Marine life here

Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.

ButterflyfishButterflyfishReported here · unconfirmed
NudibranchNudibranchConfirmed present · 5 independent sources
Napoleon (humphead) wrasseNapoleon (humphead) wrasseConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
TriggerfishTriggerfishReported here · unconfirmed
AngelfishAngelfishReported here · unconfirmed
Manta rayManta rayConfirmed present · 4 independent sources
Leaf scorpionfishLeaf scorpionfishReported here · unconfirmed
SnapperSnapperConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
Eagle rayEagle rayReported here · unconfirmed
GrouperGrouperReported here · unconfirmed
OctopusOctopusReported here · unconfirmed
ScorpionfishScorpionfishReported here · unconfirmed
LionfishLionfishConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
TunaTunaReported here · unconfirmed
Bumphead parrotfishBumphead parrotfishReported here · unconfirmed
SweetlipsSweetlipsConfirmed present · 4 independent sources
BarracudaBarracudaConfirmed present · 3 independent sources
BatfishBatfishConfirmed present · 3 independent sources
FusilierFusilierConfirmed present · 5 independent sources
WrasseWrasseReported here · unconfirmed
Clark's AnemonefishAmphiprion clarkiiReported here · unconfirmed
Moorish IdolZanclus cornutusReported here · unconfirmed
Oblique-banded SweetlipsPlectorhinchus lineatusReported here · unconfirmed
Sixband AngelfishPomacanthus sexstriatusReported here · unconfirmed
Napoleon WrasseCheilinus undulatusReported here · unconfirmed
Yellow BoxfishOstracion cubicumReported here · unconfirmed
Boring Giant ClamTridacna croceaReported here · unconfirmed
Titan TriggerfishBalistoides viridescensReported here · unconfirmed
Bluefin TrevallyCaranx melampygusReported here · unconfirmed
Blackback ButterflyfishChaetodon melannotusReported here · unconfirmed
Blue LinckiaLinckia laevigataReported here · unconfirmed
PufferfishPufferfishReported here · unconfirmed
Garden eelGarden eelReported here · unconfirmed
SurgeonfishSurgeonfishConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
Hammerhead sharkHammerhead sharkReported here · unconfirmed
TrevallyTrevallyConfirmed present · 7 independent sources