Dive with

Best places to dive with Tigertail Seahorse

Hippocampus comes

A small seahorse with a banded tail, one of the macro highlights of the Andaman pinnacles. Found holding onto sea fans and structure. IUCN lists it Vulnerable, largely due to the dried-seahorse and aquarium trade.

Destinations ranked by how reliably tigertail seahorse is seen. The bars show the likelihood by month — never a guarantee. See the full species page for more.

Atauro Island & the Dili Coast (Ombai Strait), Timor-Leste
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januaryoccasional
Februaryoccasional
Marchoccasional
Apriloccasional
Mayoccasional
Juneoccasional
Julyoccasional
Augustoccasional
Septemberoccasional
Octoberoccasional
Novemberoccasional
Decemberoccasional

Seahorses are a documented draw at Tasi Tolu, the muck site west of Dili, on the silty slope and in the seagrass. Sources say 'seahorses' without naming the species, so the identification here is inferred from the Indo-Pacific range and should be confirmed.

Dauin, Philippines
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januaryoccasional
Februaryoccasional
Marchoccasional
Apriloccasional
Mayoccasional
Juneoccasional
Julyoccasional
Augustoccasional
Septemberoccasional
Octoberoccasional
Novemberoccasional
Decemberoccasional

Seahorses cling to seagrass and debris on the Dauin sanctuary sites; regularly found by guides but small and well camouflaged.

Koh Chang, Thailand
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januaryoccasional
Februaryoccasional
Marchoccasional
Apriloccasional
Mayoccasional
Juneoccasional
Julyoccasional
Augustoccasional
Septemberoccasional
Octoberoccasional
Novemberoccasional
Decemberoccasional

Seahorses are found on the reefs and wreck but are small and easily missed; a spotter helps.

Koh Lipe, Thailand
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januaryoccasional
Februaryoccasional
Marchoccasional
Apriloccasional
Mayoccasional
Juneoccasional
Julyoccasional
Augustoccasional
Septemberoccasional
Octoberoccasional
Novemberoccasional
Decemberoccasional

A macro highlight at Stonehenge and Koh Talang; found among soft coral and rubble.

Nha Trang, Vietnam
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januaryoccasional
Februaryoccasional
Marchoccasional
Apriloccasional
Mayoccasional
Juneoccasional
Julyoccasional
Augustoccasional
Septemberoccasional
Octoberoccasional
Novemberoccasional
Decemberoccasional

Seahorses are a standing feature of the shallow rubble and seagrass at Mama Hanh Beach and Moray Beach. Operator reports rarely specify the species, so treat the identification as probable rather than confirmed.

Phi Phi & Koh Lanta, Thailand
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januaryoccasional
Februaryoccasional
Marchoccasional
Apriloccasional
Mayoccasional
Juneoccasional
Julyoccasional
Augustoccasional
Septemberoccasional
Octoberoccasional
Novemberoccasional
Decemberoccasional

Tigertail seahorses cling to soft corals and rubble at Koh Haa and the sheltered reefs; a macro highlight but easy to miss without a guide.

Mergui Archipelago, Myanmar
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januaryrare
Februaryrare
Marchrare
Aprilrare
Mayrare
Junerare
Julyrare
Augustrare
Septemberrare
Octoberrare
Novemberrare
Decemberrare

Seahorses are reported on the sea fans and rubble at Shark Cave and Fan Forest Pinnacle. Operator accounts rarely identify to species, so treat the tigertail attribution as the likely Andaman species rather than a confirmed record. A guide who knows the site is the difference between seeing one and not.

Similan Islands, Thailand
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januaryrare
Februaryrare
Marchrare
Aprilrare
Mayrare
Junerare
Julyrare
Augustrare
Septemberrare
Octoberrare
Novemberrare
Decemberrare

A macro find rather than a reliable sighting — depends on a sharp-eyed guide, mainly at Richelieu Rock and similar sites. Present in the open season only.