Kura Kura Marina Water Depth & Approach Explained

The Kura Kura Marina water depth is not yet a single official published figure: the existing marina basin at Serangan Island operates in relatively shallow, tide-sensitive water suited to cruising yachts, catamarans, and day boats, while the full 120–140 berth marina being developed under the Kura Kura Bali Special Economic Zone is being designed to international superyacht standards — which in practice implies dredged depths in the range of roughly 4 to 6 metres below chart datum at the deepest berths. Approach is from Badung Strait on Bali’s south-east coast, into the reef-fringed waters between Serangan Island and the Benoa channel. This page breaks down the numbers behind that answer — tides, drafts, berth dimensions, and approach considerations — as of 2026.

Transparency note: this is an independent information and marine-services page. We are not the official website of the Kura Kura Bali developer, and figures below marked as indicative are engineering estimates based on public reporting and standard marina design practice, not confirmed developer specifications. Always verify controlling depths with up-to-date charts, Notices to Mariners, and the marina office before passage planning.

What Is the Kura Kura Marina Water Depth as of 2026?

As of 2026, the marina at Kura Kura Bali operates as a working yacht stop on Serangan Island with berthing, a fuel dock, and support services for visiting vessels. The existing basin and its immediate approaches are shallow-draft territory: comfortable for sailing catamarans, motor yachts, and expedition tenders with modest draft, but deeper-keeled vessels routinely time their entries and exits with the tide. That is normal for this stretch of coast — Serangan sits on a broad reef-and-lagoon shelf at the mouth of Benoa Bay, where natural depths outside dredged channels can fall to a metre or less at low water springs.

The forward-looking answer is different. Kura Kura Bali received Special Economic Zone (SEZ) designation in 2023, and the master plan includes a marina of approximately 120–140 berths developed in phases, positioned as a superyacht-capable facility for the Bali gateway. No final dredged-depth specification has been formally published as of 2026. However, marinas designed to receive yachts in the 40–60 metre class are typically dredged to between 4.0 and 6.0 metres below lowest astronomical tide (LAT) in the main basin and alongside their largest berths, with shallower fingers of 2.5–3.5 metres serving the 15–30 metre fleet. If the Kura Kura marina is built to the standard its berth count and positioning suggest, those are the depth bands owners and captains should expect — subject to final engineering.

How Do Vessels Approach Kura Kura Marina at Serangan?

Serangan Island lies immediately south-east of Denpasar, connected to mainland Bali by a causeway, at the entrance to Benoa Bay and facing Badung Strait. The practical approach for visiting yachts is from the south through Badung Strait, then into the marked channel serving the Benoa–Serangan area. Key points for passage planning:

• Reef fringes on both sides. Serangan’s eastern and southern shores are fronted by drying reef flats. The safe water is in the channel — this is not an anchorage to approach casually off-axis or at night on a first visit.
• Adjacent commercial channel. The neighbouring Port of Benoa maintains a significantly deeper ship channel for cruise and commercial traffic. Yacht traffic bound for Serangan shares the same general approach corridor, so monitor VHF and keep clear of ships constrained by their draft.
• Current and swell. Badung Strait carries real tidal current, and south-east trade winds (roughly June–September) push swell up the strait. Slack water or a flooding tide makes for the easiest entry with a deeper draft.
• First arrival in daylight. Local marks and reef edges are far easier to read visually. Most experienced captains arrange arrival between mid-morning and mid-afternoon and confirm the latest controlling depth with the marina or a local agent beforehand.

What Is the Tidal Range at Serangan?

Tides around Serangan and Benoa Bay are mixed, predominantly semidiurnal — two highs and two lows daily, of unequal height. The practical numbers, referenced to chart datum (LAT):

• Spring tidal range: roughly 2.0–2.6 metres.
• Neap tidal range: roughly 0.7–1.2 metres.

This range is significant for depth planning, and it is why any single Kura Kura Marina water depth figure must be read against the tide. A channel section carrying 3.0 metres at datum offers well over 5 metres near high water springs — enough to move most 50-metre yachts through a window that would be closed at low water. Inside the marina itself, floating pontoons absorb the tidal range, so a vessel that clears the entrance sill at the right state of tide sits safely afloat at her berth around the clock, provided the berth pocket is dredged for her draft.

What Draft Limits and Vessel Sizes Is the 120–140 Berth Marina Designed For?

Draft scales with length. As a general naval-architecture guide for planning purposes:

• 24–30 m yachts: typically 2.0–2.7 m draft
• 30–45 m yachts: typically 2.5–3.5 m draft
• 45–60 m yachts: typically 3.2–4.2 m draft
• 60–80 m yachts: typically 4.0–5.0 m draft, occasionally more
• Sailing superyachts: often 4–6 m or deeper with fixed keels — the most depth-critical visitors in any tropical marina

A 120–140 berth marina positioned as Bali’s superyacht gateway would typically allocate the majority of berths to the 15–35 metre fleet, a dedicated quay or T-head berths for 40–60 metre yachts, and a small number of alongside positions for larger flagships. Realistically, motor yachts up to around 4.5–5 metres of draft are the natural design envelope for a dredged basin here; deep-keeled sailing superyachts will remain the case-by-case exception requiring tide timing and confirmed berth-pocket depth. For a detailed look at berth categories and what each vessel class can expect, see our guide to superyacht berths at Kura Kura Marina.

Kura Kura Marina Depth and Approach: Key Specifications

The table below consolidates the key Kura Kura Marina water depth and approach facts in one place. Items marked indicative are planning estimates pending final published engineering.

Why Depth Data Matters Before You Commit to a Berth

Depth is the least forgiving specification in yachting: power, provisioning, and paperwork can all be fixed after arrival, but a berth pocket half a metre too shallow for your keel cannot. Before committing a vessel to Serangan — for a season or a single stopover — captains and owners should confirm four things in writing: the current controlling depth of the approach at chart datum, the dredged depth at the specific berth offered, the tide windows required for your draft, and any squat or under-keel clearance requirements from your insurer or flag. We walk through exactly how to secure and verify this in our berth booking guide for Kura Kura Marina, including what to ask the marina office at each development phase.

Independent Berthing and Marine Support for the Kura Kura Bali Gateway

We publish this technical series as an independent information resource for owners, captains, and industry watchers following the Kura Kura Bali development — and we operate a marine services desk alongside it. That desk supports vessel owners across Indonesia with berth planning and superyacht berthing enquiries, yacht agency coordination, refit logistics, and traditional phinisi construction through our South Sulawesi boatbuilding network. Part of Juara Holding Group — operating from Bali across Indonesia since 2015.

Planning a passage to Bali or evaluating Serangan as a base for your vessel? Message our BD desk on WhatsApp at +62 811-3823-875 or email sales@komodoluxury.com for current depth intelligence, berth availability guidance, and marine support.