Destino: Isla de Siaba

About the Green Turtles

The residents of Turtle City are green turtles, Chelonia mydas — the only sea turtle that grazes a mostly plant diet as an adult, which chains them to seagrass meadows like Siaba’s. An adult can hold its breath for long stretches while resting, which is why you will see turtles parked motionless on the bottom between breaths: they are not stuck, they are napping. Green turtles are protected in Indonesian waters, and the etiquette in our briefings — side approaches, clear surface lanes, no touching — is what keeps a wild meadow behaving naturally with swimmers in it.

A Night at Anchor in Turtle City

Siaba’s shelter is why it appears on so many of our overnight itineraries: the boat barely swings, dinner goes on deck, and the meadow is yours at first light before any day boat clears the harbor — usually the glassiest, most turtle-dense swim of the entire trip. Squid and baitfish gather under the anchor lights after dark, an unadvertised second aquarium off the swim platform. On route, Siaba usually takes the calm-evening slot after a Manta Point drift.

Snorkeling the Meadow: a Short Checklist

• Enter away from the turtles. Slip in off the tender a courteous distance out and let the current walk you over the meadow.
• Float, don’t stand. The meadow is the food source — fins down on seagrass is the one real damage a swimmer can do here.
• Look at the sand between patches. Blue-spotted rays, garden eels and the occasional resting shark use the open lanes.
• Save ten minutes for the coral edge. Where the meadow meets the patch reef the fish density doubles — a fine finish before the tender pickup.

Plan your visit: Komodo Luxury (PT Komodo Bahari Nusantara, sailing Komodo since 2015) operates 9 owned phinisi and works with 200+ vetted partner yachts, rated 4.9/5 by more than 1,500 guests. Message our team on WhatsApp at +62 811-3823-875 or email [email protected] and we will match the right boat and route to your dates.