:: Sangalaki - Derawan - Maratua Islands - East
Kalimantan Travel Guides ::
There are several good reefs
off the coast of the eastern side of Kalimantan. Out in
the Makassar strait lie a number of sites are famous for
the large gatherings of manta rays and breeding grounds
of turtles. There is also a unique biological wonderland
in the form of a brackish inland lake at Kakaban. All
the islands are relatively close together so can be
visited in the same trip.
Visibility is often lower here than other parts of
Indonesia due to silt from the river in Tanjung Redeb.
Samama or Derawan usually have the lowest visibility,
Sangalaki a bit better because it is a little further
offshore, and Kakaban and Maratua even better because
they are even further out.
For Diving Package to
Sangalaki, Samama, Nabucco, Kakaban and Derawan Islands,
Please email us at :
info@lombokmarine.com
DIVE SITES OF SANGALAKI - DERAWAN - KAKABAN AND
MARATUA ISLANDS
Sangalaki
The tiny island
of Sangalaki was opened for diving in 1993, it is famous
for large groups of mantas that come here to feed on the
plankton. Sangalaki's shallow reef system extends over
200 meters from the island, apart from some steep coral
ridges in places, generally falls away gradually and
most diving is undertaken in water up to a depth of 25
meters.
Sangalaki and it's surrounding reefs are protected as an
Indonesian Marine Park. Without the destructive effects
of explosives and cyanide fishing, Sangalaki has
remained a pristine example of an untouched tropical
marine ecosystem. The island itself is a breeding ground
for green turtles. At night female turtles come ashore
and lay their eggs and small baby turtles can be seen
regularly as they hatch and desparately struggle their
way to the sea whilst dodging hungry birds.
Sangalaki can be reached via Balikpapan, Indonesia or
via Tawau, Sabah by an hour flight to Berau and two hour
boat ride down the scenic Berau River.
The Dive Sites
To the east of the island are Manta Avenue, Manta
Parade and Manta Run - where the manta rays can be found
feeding, gills wide open, on a rich supply of plankton
minutes from the beach. The mantas can sometimes be seen
cruising down these manta highways, whilst other rays
forage around for food under the sand together with the
goatfish. Their wing tips break the surface at regular
intervals as they circle around you. They prefer to swim
close to the surface, so snorkeling or free diving is
also a good way to interact with them. The best time to
see them seems to be full moon when there might be as
much 20 mantas hovering over the cleaning stations.
Manta Avenue starts just east of the The Lighthouse
where
the
coral steps its way down to the first sandy tracks which
is an ideal environment for the beautifully coloured
Fire Goby, Elegant Fire Goby and Dancing Goby together
with the Jaw Fish and Ribbon Eels. There are also two
small wooden boat wrecks here. Across the marine
highways at Manta Avenue and Manta Parade, the coral
reef forms into an intriguing set of ridges, appearing
to rise and fall like hilltops. These isolated reefs
form mini ecosystems abounding with life in all its
complexity.
As Manta Parade joins into Manta Run, the underwater
terrain flattens out to reveal numerous coral outcrops
and bommies of various
shapes
and sizes. Each is adorned with colourful soft corals
and sponges, usually topped with an elaborate display of
Feather Stars and Gorgonians. With their overhangs and
crevices, these underwater tenement blocks provide the
ideal environment for Leaf Fish and Frogfish, which prey
on unsuspecting Cardinal Fish. Sandy Ridge lies at the
end of Manta Run and is home to the Garden Eels,
Cuttlefish and some gloriously coloured Gobies and
Nudibranchs.
To the west of the island are the dive sites at Coral
Gardens and Turtle Town. Here turtles can be seen
frolicking around and cavorting with one another. The
turtle mating season is generally all year round.
Kakaban
Kakaban island
lies around 20 minutes from Sangalaki and offers 2 very
different diving experiences.
In addition to some spectacular wall diving, where
pelagics can be found, Kakaban also features a massive
landlocked marine lake supporting 4 different species of
non-stinging jellyfish and some marine life not found
anywhere else in the world. These include the upside
down Cassiopeia ornate, Mastigias Papua, Aurelia Aurita
and Tripedalia Cystophora. These jellyfish are quite
special; unlike their sea-living counterparts, they have
been living in a lake, protected from their natural
predators such as turtles and barracuda. Through time
therefore, they have lost their ability to sting simply
because they have had no need for them.
The island is a coral atoll that has been uplifted by
geologic
al
forces, turning the lagoon into a landlocked lake. The 5
square-kilometer lake, surrounded by a 50-meter ridge,
occupies most of the interior of this uninhabited
island, which has been declared a government nature
reserve. The shoreline is fringed with a tangle of
mangroves. Their sturdy roots are carpeted with sponges,
seaweeds and tunicates. Visibility is around 10-12
meters and at its deepest point the lake is 18 meters
with tidal amplitude of about 0.2m, this is a result of
a network of underground fissures that connect to the
ocean. Marine creatures found here include brilliant
blue flatworms on the mangrove roots together with tiny
molluscs and colonial bivalves. The shy file snake, a
non-poisonous fish eating snake, prefers a darker
habitat under the roots, where it waits for the
schooling cardinal fish and gobies. A green marine algae
dominates the lakebed and provides a foothold for a
voracious jellyfish eating sea cucumber. This truly is a
biological paradise.
The Dive Sites
Around the outer rim of the island steep limestone
cliffs drop to the waters edge which then plummets to
around 200 meters deep in places. This underwater
terrain makes for some great drift wall diving.
Barracuda Point offers an exhilarating drift dive as it
follows the top of a sheer wall around the point. The
two walls do not exactly meet at a corner, they taper
off into the depths. As the corner beckons, the
concentration of pelagic sea life intensifies. Swirling
school of chevron barracuda and big eye trevally fill
the sea, with tuna and shark sightings also common.
Blue light
cave
is for experienced divers since the exit is quite deep.
The cave starts at a hole accessible at low tide on the
top of the wall at 2 meters and descends through a
narrow chimney. At about 21 meters the chimney opens
into a large cavern with the bottom at 30 meters.
Swimming along the ceiling of the cave for about 120m is
also possible and as you approach the exit of the cave,
the blue light of the sea can be seen. The exit is a
long vertical crack in the wall and about 2 meters wide
which lies at 44 meters, there is also another exit at
64 meters. The dive is finished on the wall.
Derawan
Derawan has
several diving terrains ranging from walls to caverns
and fringing reefs. The pear shaped island is closer
inland so visibility often isnt as good, this shouldnt
deter the macro enthusiast though. One of the more
popular spots is the excellent house reef beneath the
jetty where the shallow water plays home to all manner
of critters such as cuttlefish, lobster, ghost pipefish,
seahorses and nudibranchs. Blue Trigger Wall is where a
number of red-toothed triggerfish can be found, it drops
down to around 20 meters. The island is also popular
with green turtles that use it as a breeding ground
laying their eggs at night.
Samama
Samama island is
also very close to Sangalaki and Kakaban so is easily
accessible from both. The dive sites here have been
described as an underwater naturalists dream teeming
with macro life. The waters surrounding Samama are
shallow and ideal for beginners and photographers
looking to capture that magical undersea lighting. Large
swathes of colourful soft corals and sponges
intermingled with hydroids and sea whips give way to
massive cabbage, staghorn and plate coral colonies.
Around the edges of the sand patches iridescent blue
ribbon eels can be seen along with many juvenile fish
that take shelter in the islands mangrove root system
labyrinths. Pygmy seahorses have been found here and
there are myriad nudibranchs to be discovered.
Maratua
Maratua is an
island with a massive lagoon situated around an hour
away from Sangalaki. The island rims part of the lagoon
the rest of which is surrounded by coral reef. There are
several impressive drop offs and a great drift dive can
be done through the channel into the lagoon. The channel
entrance is at 27 meters and strong currents sweep by
attracting large pelagics such as eagle rays, mantas,
barracuda, tuna, mackerel and sharks. Best time to dive
the channel is on an incoming or slack tide where marine
life reaches a crescendo of activity. Coral growth is
not as spectacular here due to the strong currents,
diving should also be carefully planned. The island is
inhabited hence unfortunately some of the reefs have
been fished.
Nabucco is a recently developed island inside Maratua
lagoon. It is a good dive spot for critters such as
frogfish, shrimps, scorpionfish, ghost pipefish,
mandarin fish and nudibranchs.
Come and Discover Indonesia Islands with us!
