Macro
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.
- Max size
- 19cm
- Habitat
- Clings to gorgonians, sponges and rubble on reef slopes; often on pinnacles like Richelieu Rock
Best places to dive with Tigertail Seahorse
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
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.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Seahorses cling to seagrass and debris on the Dauin sanctuary sites; regularly found by guides but small and well camouflaged.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Seahorses are found on the reefs and wreck but are small and easily missed; a spotter helps.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
A macro highlight at Stonehenge and Koh Talang; found among soft coral and rubble.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
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.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
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.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | rare |
| February | rare |
| March | rare |
| April | rare |
| May | rare |
| June | rare |
| July | rare |
| August | rare |
| September | rare |
| October | rare |
| November | rare |
| December | rare |
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.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | rare |
| February | rare |
| March | rare |
| April | rare |
| May | rare |
| June | rare |
| July | rare |
| August | rare |
| September | rare |
| October | rare |
| November | rare |
| December | rare |
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.
Sources & last checked
Checked July 2026
Research is source-backed, but conditions and fees should still be confirmed locally.
View 2 sources and checking notes
- Tigertail seahorse (Hippocampus comes), Wikipedia
- Richelieu Rock — seahorses, Dive The World