Tatawa Besar

West Manggarai Regency, Komodo, Siaba Besar, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesiareef14 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 BesarSiaba Besar

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

14 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 0.1 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 Besar is a reef dive site in the Central Komodo zone of Komodo National Park, reachable by day boat from Labuan Bajo within one to three hours. It sits in one of the park's most accessible diving areas and is suitable for all certification levels, including beginners.

The reef reaches a maximum depth of 30 m with generally good visibility and light currents that shift with the tide; diving is best timed to the falling tide or the rising slack period. Water temperature runs between 26 and 29°C. The site lies in a protected area and is considered sheltered, making it a natural fit for the calmer end of a multi-site day when currents ease.

Marine life at Tatawa Besar includes hawksbill turtles, green turtles, black-tip reef sharks, white-tip reef sharks, eagle rays, manta rays, fusiliers, trevally, batfish, snappers, red-tooth triggerfish, anthias, and soft corals. The site is diveable year-round, with the main season running from approximately April through November.

Read the full guide

Access is by boat; Tatawa Besar is frequently paired with other Central Komodo sites on three-dive day-trip schedules, often as the final stop once currents have settled.

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.

Sea turtleSea turtleReported here · unconfirmed
Reef sharkReef sharkReported here · unconfirmed
AnthiasAnthiasReported here · unconfirmed
Clark's AnemonefishAmphiprion clarkiiReported here · unconfirmed
Oblique-banded SweetlipsPlectorhinchus lineatusReported here · unconfirmed
Boring Giant ClamTridacna croceaReported here · unconfirmed
Bluefin TrevallyCaranx melampygusReported here · unconfirmed
Sixband AngelfishPomacanthus sexstriatusReported here · unconfirmed
Napoleon WrasseCheilinus undulatusReported here · unconfirmed
Blue LinckiaLinckia laevigataReported here · unconfirmed
Titan TriggerfishBalistoides viridescensReported here · unconfirmed
Yellow BoxfishOstracion cubicumReported here · unconfirmed
Giant MorayGymnothorax javanicusReported here · unconfirmed
BatfishBatfishConfirmed present · 4 independent sources
SnapperSnapperConfirmed present · 4 independent sources
OctopusOctopusConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
AngelfishAngelfishConfirmed present · 3 independent sources
TrevallyTrevallyConfirmed present · 3 independent sources
TriggerfishTriggerfishConfirmed present · 3 independent sources
FusilierFusilierConfirmed present · 4 independent sources
NudibranchNudibranchConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
BarracudaBarracudaConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
PufferfishPufferfishReported here · unconfirmed
MandarinfishMandarinfishReported here · unconfirmed
Napoleon (humphead) wrasseNapoleon (humphead) wrasseConfirmed present · 3 independent sources
SurgeonfishSurgeonfishReported here · unconfirmed
SweetlipsSweetlipsConfirmed present · 5 independent sources
Eagle rayEagle rayConfirmed present · 4 independent sources
Manta rayManta rayConfirmed present · 9 independent sources
FrogfishFrogfishConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
WrasseWrasseReported here · unconfirmed
ParrotfishParrotfishReported here · unconfirmed
DamselfishDamselfishReported here · unconfirmed
GrouperGrouperReported here · unconfirmed
LionfishLionfishReported here · unconfirmed
Bumphead parrotfishBumphead parrotfishReported here · unconfirmed
Ghost pipefishGhost pipefishReported here · unconfirmed
ClownfishClownfishReported here · unconfirmed