DIVE TRAVEL

In this article: 

Traveling There | Exploring Sakatia Island | Snorkeling with Green Sea Turtles | Scuba Diving | Madagascar’s Wildlife | Snorkelling & Excursions

Nosy Sakatia, a hidden gem off Madagascar’s northwestern coast, is where time slows down and nature thrives. This tiny island offers world-class diving, a renowned sea turtle sanctuary, and encounters with Madagascar’s unique wildlife. For nature lovers and diving enthusiasts seeking an authentic escape, it provides an unforgettable journey into an untouched corner of the world.

Traveling There

As our boat cut through clear waters, the sacred mountain of Nosy Sakatia rose majestically. This tiny island in the vast Indian Ocean has drawn nature enthusiasts and divers worldwide.

Approaching from Nosy Be, I welcomed the cool sea breeze after our journey from the airport in a sweltering van (its air conditioning more wishful thinking than reality). Travelers were excitedly chattering, wide-eyed exploring the tropical island life that played through our windows. It was a long 50-minute drive from the airport on a narrow winding road through the villages, plantations, and forests of Nosy Be.

The journey showed us snapshots of daily Malagasy life: women carrying goods on their heads, children playing, people chatting, and roadside stalls offering local fruits, food, and handicrafts. Then the village ended and tropical plants and tall trees appeared. Most striking were the ylang-ylang plantations, their bent trees producing the fragrant flowers that make Madagascar a world-renowned essential oil producer.

Essential Travel Information:

• Currency: Malagasy Ariary (MGA)
• Languages: Malagasy (official) and French (widely spoken in tourist areas)
• Local Time: GMT+3
• Visa: Available on arrival for most nationalities

Here, time drags its feet, a welcome change from the rushed modern life.

After the drive and a short boat ride, we arrived at Nosy Sakatia. The Sakatia Lodge staff waited on the beach to welcome us. A postcard-like island vibe hits you the moment you step foot on the island.

Exploring Nosy Sakatia Island

Nosy Sakatia is a small island reachable by a 10-minute boat ride across a narrow channel from Nosy Be. It has unique wildlife and feels untouched because it hasn’t been overrun by tourists.

Panther Chameleon (Furcifer pardalis)

The lodge’s gardens are a living museum of Madagascar’s famous wildlife. Day geckos flash their neon scales, and we loved watching chameleons perform their slow-motion dance through the branches. I quickly learned to keep my camera nearby. Early mornings and around sunset, local lemurs play and call in the tall trees.

Black lemur (Eulemur macaco)

A sacred mountain on the island, its slopes covered with thick forest, has become a refuge for endemic wildlife. No one accesses the mountain because it’s a religious site. We would have loved to explore that forest for interesting animals.

At its base, a vast seagrass meadow stretches into the clear waters, creating one of Madagascar’s sea turtle sanctuaries. The variety of sealife around this patch is wonderful to explore. This area is large and mainly explored snorkeling.

The sacred mountain on Sakatia Island.

Snorkeling with Green Sea Turtles

After our second dive, we returned to a sun-beaten beach at low tide, happily treading the long way in shallow water back to the lodge, feeling tired and lazy.

Despite our tired muscles, the promise of encountering Sakatia’s sea turtles was irresistible. Our guide suggested 3 o’clock as the optimal time for turtle watching.

Divers returning from a dive.

A brief boat ride took us to the seagrass sanctuary, where our experienced skipper quickly spotted several turtles. I adjusted my snorkel gear and grabbed my camera, the last one in the water. The late afternoon sun pierced through the clear water surface like long fingers reaching down. What a magical and surreal scene.

This was a super comfortable snorkel experience for everyone. The water was warm and no more than 1.5 meters deep, unless you swam farther out. There were coral reef patches surrounding the deeper seagrass patch. Snorkeling here kept us busy for hours.

I was called to a spot where they found a turtle feeding. We approached him slowly, a large male grazing on the seagrass. As I dove down to be at eye level, I saw him staring back at me. I gave him space and stayed quiet and calm to take a few shots. I didn’t want to scare him off or impose on his feeding, but he didn’t seem bothered.

A large Green Sea Turtle in the shallows.

He was massive. How old was he and what had he seen and experienced? I’d love to write that story.

I took a few pictures and then we moved on, encountering more turtles while exploring.

The turtle encounters were pleasantly surprising, showing that conservation efforts were working.

Smaller individuals were more skittish; they moved off at the slightest approach. The large turtles were calm and tolerant of humans, having learned they were safe here.

I didn’t want to leave, but we decided to return to the boat. As the sun started to set, the sacred mountain cast its long shadow across the seagrass patch, leaving me with too little light for pictures.

This is a highlight of the island. It’s an exceptional experience.

Scuba Diving

• Water temperatures are usually around 27°C, generally consistent throughout the year.
• Best diving seasons: Visit from March-April to November-December for optimal weather and sea conditions. Whale sharks are visible from September to December. For manta rays, visit from April to mid-July or mid-September to November.

Diving off Sakatia Island offered varied options, dependent on tides and currents. The diving was relaxed. We walked in shallow water to the boat where our gear was loaded. Then, we cruised on a calm sea to the dive sites with deep blue water whisking past.

Divers ready to leave for the morning dive.

Open Water divers would be comfortable diving here, with many dive sites within their certification and skill limits.

Advanced Open Water divers can explore deeper reefs and wrecks, where most dives require comfort and skill to descend quickly to avoid being swept away by the top current. If a diver doesn’t descend quickly with the group, everyone needs to surface, get back on the boat, and return to the reef.

Diving on the Inside of Sakatia Island

• Typical site depth ranges from 10 to 17 meters.
• Certification requirements: Open Water Diver certification

The sheltered channel between Nosy Be and Sakatia Island allows diving most of the time. Sometimes, visibility isn’t as good as on the island’s outer side. By ‘not good’ I mean slightly milky or 15 meters visibility, which still makes for an amazing dive.

These dive sites are nearby, accessible, and beautiful. The reef has varied corals, tropical fish, and interesting small animals like ornate ghost pipefish, cowfish, cuttlefish, whip coral gobies, nudibranchs, and seahorses.

Wire Coral Goby (Bryaninops yongei)

Orange and green whip corals swirl up into the blue, along with hard and soft corals and swaying sea anemones that provide homes for anemone fish.

Diving Sakatia Island’s Outer Side

• Typical site depth ranges from 18 to 30 meters.
• Certification requirements: Advanced Open Water Diver certification

The beautiful colors of the coral on the deep reefs.

When you dive on the island’s outer side, you leave the sheltered inside channel and move to the Mozambique Channel. Here the dive sites are deeper and rely on the currents.

Drift dives here offer a great experience. It’s wonderful to glide weightlessly over the vast expanse of the reefs, hardly having to fin throughout the dive. If you haven’t done this before, I recommend it.

These dive sites have vibrant reefs decorated with large plate corals and gorgonian sea fans, creating a colorful underwater landscape.

A diver with a large sea fan.

Large schools of snapper graced the reef like a yellow tornado spinning upward to the surface. Smaller barracudas zipped past like silver darts and rushed over the reef into the blue. Small schools of dotted sweetlips hid under giant plate corals. A trickle of dotted snappers flowed through the reef like a little yellow river.

A large school of snappers on a deep reef.

All the usual smaller sightings like the mantis shrimp, scorpion fish, colorful paper fish, and flathead flatfish are found here.

Listening to whale conversations during our dives felt otherworldly. It made one feel small. As I immersed myself in their world, I imagined characters from the different voices. Perhaps a mom with loud, deep vocalizations followed by her baby’s shrill sounds.

I felt ecstatic looking up into the blue. Maybe that day, we’d see them. Unfortunately, they never appeared, but listening to their conversations was a treat.

Madagascar’s Wildlife

Madagascar’s wildlife is renowned for its diversity and uniqueness. Over 90% is found nowhere else, including iconic species like lemurs, fossas, and chameleons.

Mouse Lemurs (Genus Microcebus).

WHALES

Madagascar’s coast has a variety of whales, making it a prime whale-watching destination. We saw many whales from our dive boats.

Humpback whales migrate to Madagascar’s eastern coast to breed and calve. They start arriving in July and stay around Nosy Be until November, with the high season between August and October. These giants are known for their acrobatic displays, including breaching and tail slapping.

In deeper offshore waters, you can spot sperm whales, Bryde’s whales, and occasionally blue whales. Madagascar’s location in the Indian Ocean makes it a vital habitat for these marine mammals, contributing to the island’s allure as a wildlife hotspot.

LAND ANIMALS

Madagascar Ground Boa (Acrantophis madagascariensis), found in a tree on our forest walk.

Madagascar has diverse landscapes, from lush rainforests to arid spiny forests. The absence of large predators has allowed unusual species like the aye-aye and the bizarre leaf-tailed gecko to thrive.

Some of the smallest lizards, like the Minute Leaf Chameleon (see below), are here. This guy is smaller than most insects and reaches a maximum length of 3.4 cm (1.3 in) for females and 2.8 cm (1.1 in) for males. This was the most interesting animal we found on our guided walk through the Nosy Be Wildlife Preserve, and I have no idea how the guide spotted them.

Madagascar is a significant global biodiversity hotspot.

Minute Leaf Chameleon (Brookesia minima), is the third-smallest lizard ever described.

SEA TURTLES

Several sea turtle species inhabit Madagascar’s coastal waters, which are an important nesting ground. These include the critically endangered Hawksbill, endangered Green, and vulnerable Loggerhead.

Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata).

However, threats like poaching, habitat destruction, and accidental capture in fishing gear challenge their survival. Conservation efforts, including protected marine areas and community-based initiatives, are vital to safeguarding Madagascar’s sea turtle populations for future generations.

WHALE SHARKS

Whale sharks, the biggest fish in the ocean, frequent Madagascar’s coastal waters. These gentle giants, known for their distinctive spotted patterns and enormous size, are often spotted near the surface, especially around Nosy Be.

Madagascar is an important seasonal feeding ground for these migratory sharks, drawn by abundant plankton and small fish.

Snorkelers and divers have unforgettable encounters with these awe-inspiring creatures, which can reach lengths of 12 meters or more. Despite their size, whale sharks are harmless filter feeders, posing no threat to humans.

Unfortunately, we didn’t encounter them during our stay. But it’s all the more reason to return soon.

Conservation efforts, including research and responsible tourism, are essential to protecting these animals.

They are seen around Nosy Be from late September to December.

Snorkelling & Excursions

There’s a turtle sanctuary off Sakatia Island. You can walk there at low tide and swim out at high tide, though it’s a long swim. In the afternoons, the boat will take snorkelers to the area.

Bright and beautiful trinkets sold at local markets.

Numerous excursions to other islands for swimming, fishing, snorkeling, local village experiences, and whale watching are available. Inquire at the lodge for a suitable excursion.

The lodge owner organized a special day trip for our group to a wildlife preserve on Nosy Be since we were interested in exploring Madagascan wildlife. We traveled far by boat, taxis, canoes, and on foot to get there. This excursion ended up being a huge adventure with great memories. Read the story of our Nosy Be Adventure.

Conclusion

This vacation left its mark. We’ll return to explore more of Madagascar, a paradise for nature and marine life enthusiasts. The island’s unique blend of biodiversity makes it a must-visit destination for adventurous travelers and for those who just want a quiet island breakaway.

Madagascar offers exceptional experiences, from the songs of humpback whales to tiny leaf chameleons hiding in dense forests. Future visits might reveal whale sharks gliding through crystal waters or rare lemurs swinging through ancient trees. Until then, the memories of Madagascar would have to suffice.

Join us for a trip to Nosy Sakatia.

We Protect what we Love. Join the movement!

by Madelein Wolfaardt
Images ©️ by @sealife_madeleinwolf

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