Turtle Tomb

Verified2026-09-30 checkedCave

A limestone cave inside Sipadan with the skeletons of turtles that went in and did not come out.

Depth: 18–24 m59–79 ft
Difficulty: Technical
Entry: Boat
Typical current: Light
Coordinates: 4°6.786′N 118°37.590′E
Activities: Scuba · Technical

The entrance is a hole in the wall at 18 m and the cave runs back into the island in tunnels and chambers. Turtles swim in to rest, some take a wrong turn in the dark, and their remains are on the floor — which is where the name comes from and why nobody treats this as a novelty. It is a genuine overhead environment: no light, silt that does not settle, and passages that look alike. Cave or cavern certification and a guide who knows the line, or the entrance from outside and nothing more.

Boat from Mabul or Kapalai to Sipadan. Only operators with cave-qualified guides run it.

Best season

ExcellentApr–Jul
GoodAug–Mar

Before you get in

An overhead environment: there is no direct ascent to the surface. Not a dive to make without the training, a guideline and redundant gas.

Taken from this site’s recorded depth, type and current, and nothing else. An empty list is not a safe site — the sea on the day, the local geography and the boat traffic are not in it. The briefing on the spot comes first.

Conditions

Water temperature: 30.9°C88°F
Wave height: 0.3 m1 ft
Air temperature: 28.7°C84°F
Wind speed: 9.1 km/h5.7 mph

Updated 2026-10-07 16:15 UTC · Source: Open-Meteo

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0)

Conditions are reported for information only. Assess the site yourself and follow your guide and your training.

No live conditions for this site yet.

We only show numbers we can attribute to a source.

Sea state and tide

On a date

Tide · 10/8

High03:481.54 m
Low10:08-0.18 m
High16:131.48 m
Low22:16-0.16 m

Forecast heights against mean sea level. Real tides in a bay, a harbour or over a flat can differ — check an official tide table before you get in.

Pick a day to see its tide

Only wave height and wind are scored, because those are what close a boat ramp or a shore entry. Water temperature is reported and never scored: 12°C is an ordinary dive in a drysuit and punishing in a 3 mm, and a number that cannot see your suit has no business marking it down. Stars do not decide whether you get in — you and your guide do, on the day.

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0)

Marine life you may see

Green turtleChelonia mydasCommon
Whitetip reef sharkTriaenodon obesusSeasonal
NudibranchNudibranchiaCommon
Feather starCrinoideaSeasonal

From divers

What people who were in the water reported. Not a forecast, and not a judgement about whether the site is safe to dive.

No recent reports from divers. If you dived here in the last two weeks, you can say how it was.

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