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GENERAL REPORT OF DIVING SITES IN MARATUA,KAKABAN AND SANKALAKI

ISLANDS. '

Date : 19th February — 3rd March, 2005

Between 19th February to 26th March, 2005, 36 exploratory dives on different sites of the above islands were made. These included the known points of “THE CHANNEL” near Mabucco Resort about 30 minutes away, the “BARRACUDA POINT” and the famous “JELLY FISH LAKE” in Kakaban island and the countless of manta at “MANTA POINT” in Sangkalaki Island .‘ As for the diving from the house reefs to the nearby areas wither 20_ minutes from the Maratua Paradise Resort, we have basically named a few point like the “CABBAGE COROL”, “THE TWIN PILLARS” and the “LIGHTHOUSE”. The rest we just called them the “HOUSE REEF S”. In total, we have explored 25 points to far, out, of which we have brought the first batch of Taiwanese divers to dive in 12 of the above points.

GENERAL DISCRIPTIONS OF EACH KNOWN POINT:

1. “MANTA POINT” AT SANGKALAKI ISLAND:

Perhaps this in the most excited point among all. The only thing when you dive at this point, you have to go when there in a high-tide. Otherwise, you ‘can only spot a few mantas under water. But on a high-tide, you can just loose count of the mantas on the surface, not to mention when you dive underwater from 5 meters to 15 meters. I can safely say, in one dive, you can easily spot about 30 to 50 mantas. Visibility: 20 to 25metres. Current: Mild.

2. “BARRACUDA POINT” AT KAKABAN ISLAND

This point is not for the beginner and those who have weak legs, because of the strong current there. Again, you have to dive this point during the high-tide. The dive begins with moderate current but as you go round the corner, the current become stronger. It is recommended that you bring along a hook so that you can station yourself to observe the schools of barracuda and jackfish, rainbow runners, batfish and if you are lucky, you may see hammerhead sharks as well. You can also find more than half a dozen of mini-pigmy seahorses in one sea-fan about the depth of 13 metres. Because this is a deep dive and the strong current, you can have a 30 or 35 minutes bottom time only. Visibility: 20 to 25 metres.

3. “THE CHANNEL” NEAR MABUCCO RESORT:

This is perhaps one of the strongest current point among all. A hook is strongly recommended as the current can easily blow you away. To dive in this particular point, you must go when the tide begins to come up. So you have to station yourself at the junction or entrance to the channel at about 30 meters . There you have to hold on to something or use your hook to hook on some solid rock so that you can hang in there to observe the most exciting fish feeding. There you can see many grey reef sharks and white tips, big school of barracuda and jackfish, also you can see giant groupers, schools of filsiliers, surgeant fish, rainbow runners and the biggest surprise to me was to find for the first time in my life , a big school of large size mullet fish. Again because of the depth you are staying to watch the action and the strong current, you have to let go after around 20 minutes and let the current drift you inside channel at a shallower depth and do your safety stop. Visibility: 15 to 20 metres.

4. “THE JELLYFISH LAKE” AT KAKABAN ISLAND:

The jellyfish lake is just 5 minutes away from the “Barracuda Point”. There are two trails to get to the lake, the first one was built with wooden planks all the way to the lake. It goes up a small hill and down all the way to the lake which will take you 10 to 15 minutes by walking. The second trail at the back of the lake is slightly longer. You have to climbs up a small lime store rock hill and then walk along a small jungle track which is going gradually downhill to the lake. In a glance, it is at least twice the size of the “Jellyfish Lake” in Palau, Micronesia. The visibility was about 6 to 8 meters and there are all together 4 different types of jellyfish. Whereas at the shallow bottom, you can see green fungus growing healthily.

5. THE “CABBAGE CORAL” REEF NEAR THE MARATUA PARADISE

RESORT:

This point is just 2 minutes from the resort among the house reefs. This is perhaps one of the most spectaculars sites that I have seen. This undamaged cabbage corals with the size of a football-field with the depth ranging from 5 metres to around 16 meters. As your go further out, the drop-off first go down to around 40 meters, then there in the next deep drop to more than 200 meters. On the first time when we check out this point two of my buddies saw 2 Mantas and a Eagle-Ray at around 30 meters deep. You can also spot a few turtles but the turtles here are very scared of divers. Each time you spotted one, it swam as fast to get away from you. Visibility: 20 to 30 metres. Current: Mild.

6. THE “TWIN PILLARS” OR “EAGLE RAY” POINT

This point as about 15 minutes from the Maratua resort. The story of these two pillars as told by the villagers who live nearby was the remains of a Japanese watch tower after it has been boomed during the Second World War. At this point, you can find perhaps the most varieties of Seafans and Black Corals. It begins at 45o down to about 30 - 40 meters, then the sharp, almost vertical drop-off to 70 meters. The barrel drum coral are huge. The Seafans began at around 25 meters up to around 40 meters and from 30 meters down, you will find plenty of huge Black Corals. We also called this point “Eagle-Ray” point, because every time we saw eagle-rays when we dived there. Visibility: 30 to 50 metres. Current: Moderate.

7. THE “LIGHTHOUSE” :

This point is about 20 minutes from the resort and is about 5 minutes from the “Twin Pillars”. Here the drop-off slopes gradually to around 40 meters where you will find the sandy bottom. The current here is mild and you can see a big school of batfish at around 30 meters, two times we saw a leopard-shark at around 30 meters. There at the shallow 5 to 6 meters of water, you can see a lot of grouper and red snappers around. Visibility: 30 to 40 meters.

8. “HOUSE REEF” JUST AROUND THE FRONT OF MARATUA RESORT

It’s best to dive at high tide because there current will be very slow. This is a good point to do early morning, sunset or night dive. You can see leaf fish, many kind of lionfish and crocodile fish. Ghost-pipe fish was said to be spotted by the resort dive master. Depth: 2 to 5 metres. Visibility: 20 metres.

9. “THE FIRST LAGOON”, ONE OF THE HOUSE REEFS

It’s just 100 meters from the resort and this point is good for night dives. It’s a long semi-circle lagoon-shape. It begins with a sandy bottom where you can find a lot blue spotted sting-rays and a lot round-jellyfish. As you go along, you will find beautiful staghorn corals along the bottom. Other thing you can see at night including stick pipefish, sea snake and big moray eels. Depth: 8 to 15 metres. Current: Mild.

10. “THE SECOND LAGOON”

It’s almost the same shape as the first lagoon which is next to each other. The only difference was that in this second lagoon, you find only beautiful Cabbage Corals and the depth range from 12 to 18 meters. This point is good for afternoon or sunset dives. I do not recommend for night dive is because there is not much activity at night here. During the day dive, you can see quite a few crab-eye gobby, nuddy branch, flatworm and other types of gobbies. Visibility: 15 to 20 metres. Current: Mild.

CONCLUSIONS:

I must say that during my 12 days stay at Maratua Paradise Resort have been exciting and enjoyable. The chalet are spacious and it’s fitted with air-conditioner. The shower room is 4m x 3m complete with bathtub and separate showers with hot water facility. The food at the resort is excellent and there is no lack of fresh water all year round.

Of all the sites or points that we have checked a lot of corals have been devastated by fish booming. Of course there are still so many nice and beautiful points are yet to be discovered and also there are so many points are yet to be named. In the near future, the micro heaven at Derawan Island will probably be included in the Maratua diving package because going to Derawan Island is less than an hour away. And with the boat transfer to and from Maratua to Tarakan or Berau will be more comfortable with the new 16-seater catamalan expecting to be ready soon. I can foresee that the diving in Maratua and the surrounding islands will become very popular for divers in the coming near future.

Prepared by:

Danny K.K. Chin

MSDT#54710,

Sangalaki

Manta Point

sangalaki dive spot

Sangalaki Island: (VIP Hunt: Manta Ray)
Dive Sites (labelled on map above):   

  1. Cleaning Station   
  2. Manta Parade   
  3. Manta Run

Perhaps this in the most excited point among all. The only thing when you dive at this point, you have to go when there in a high-tide. Otherwise, you ‘can only spot a few mantas under water. But on a high-tide, you can just loose count of the mantas on the surface, not to mention when you dive underwater from 5 meters to 15 meters. Visibility: 20 to 25metres. Current: Mild.

 

 

 

 

Sanglaki is located about 120 miles of Tawau and 90 miles south-east of Tarakan, Indonesia which is approximately 2 degree above the Equator. This densely forested white sandy beaches island can be circumscribed in less than 30 minutes, the reefs extend out to about 600 meters from shore and tropical bushes around provide ideal hideouts for turtles to lay eggs. Currently about 11 dive sites has been identified with depth ranges from 10 feet (3m) to 80 feet (24m). Catch the moment of the life time wawtching turtles crawl on shore to nest each night, Manta Rays, Squid and Cuttle Fish, Giant Clam, Grouper, Lobsters, Stingrays, Sharks, huge corel fans, Tube Sponges and etc. All diving are boat dives and mostly drift diving.

 

The Island of Sangalaki is located off the East coast of the Indonesian portion of Borneo.

The Sangalaki Dive Lodge resort is uncrowded, the diving is spectacular, and exotic marine life that you've probably only seen in National Geographic is plentiful. You'll see Cuttlefish, Blue Ribbon Eels, Frogfish, Turtles, Manta Rays, Sharks, DOZENS of Species of Nudibranchs, HUNDREDS of species of hard and soft corals schools of brightly colored Fusaliers and ZILLIONS of colorful reef fishes.

The Island of Sangalaki and its’ 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. In a world where every resort claims to be situated in a "diver’s paradise", Sangalaki truly deserves the honor.

Unlike other Island resorts in the area, Sangalaki has its emphasis on Conservation & Ecology; less that 3% of the Island is built upon, leaving the Tropical Rainforest to its’ natural inhabitants and visiting guests.

Sangalaki is the prime nesting site for Green Sea Turtles in South East Asia.

Sangalaki is surrounded by a shallow lagoon and the reefs start a distance out from the Island. Since there is so much shallow reef here, there is a vast diversity of marine life, and since the area is a protected marine park, the reefs are quite pristine. Most Dive sites are shallower than 65 feet (20 M.) The reef slope gently and all dive sites have excellent shallow areas for the end of your dive. The hard and soft corals at Sangalaki are amazingly prolific with over 500 species present around the island (compared to only 67 species in the ENTIRE Caribbean). Fish life and invertebrates are also prolific. Sangalaki is a good place to see both large and small marine creatures. When you look up after watching a colorful Nudibranch, don't be surprised to see a Turtle or Manta Ray swimming by.

 

The majestic Manta rays have been aptly compared to stealth bombers. This is especially true of the glistening all black ones which can be seen here at Sangalaki Island. They usually swim in the upper waters, somersaulting and gambolling, their massive wings breaking the water as they soar into the air and come crashing loudly down into the water so snorkelling or free diving is a wonderful way to observe them, and they will often come over to greet you. These amazing creatures are strong, swift swimmers and may even cross the open ocean, their sandpaper skin and wide wingspan attract Remora and other parasites, which they remove regularly at reef-side ‘cleaning stations’ as well as by their crashing dives. They live off the plankton which they filter through the many rows of teeth on their lower jaw. These are so plentiful around Sanaglaki that the Mantas rarely have to seek in deeper waters for food, which is probably why they can be found here in large numbers throughout the year.

Giant Green Turtles nest on the sandy beach all year round and you can see them in all sizes swimming under ledges and in the gullies throughout the reef. The rare Hawkbill turtle can also be found here and there have been occasional sightings of the Leatherback Turtle as well.

There are over 500 varieties of soft and hard coral in the reefs surrounding the island (the entire Caribbean has only 67) and the invertebrate and fish life of all sizes is just as prolific, so you ned not fear running out of things to see. The reef is riddled with small ridges and gullies which form individual mini ecosystems, each with its own population of exotic fish and coral including stingrays, cuttlefish, batfish, barracuda, triggerfish, angel fish, and a variety of grouper.

Destination

Remember to bring

Water activities

Part of the Marine Heritage Park, Sangalaki Island is one of the richest diving grounds in Indonesia,

Sangalaki is part of Indonesia and you will need to fulfil that country's entry visa requirements. Please note the border crossing from Tawau in Malaysian Borneo is not one which currently issues visas on arrival so please ensure that you obtain a visa prior to your trip.

A day-trip to snorkel in the freshwater lake teeming with non-stinging jellyfish is another experience which will stay with you forever.

 http://www.dive-the-world.com/diving-sites-indonesia-sangalaki-island.php

Manta Point

The manta rays are found in huge numbers at the dive sites found on the east coast, namely Manta Avenue, Manta Parade and Manta Run. Usually, you'll find these graceful creatures near the surface with their gills wide open as they feed on the rich plankton to be found in these waters. The mantas can also be found cruising the seas or less often foraging for sustenance down on the sea beds. They may not be huge oceanic manta rays but you will have no complaints if you find yourself in the middle of 6 or 7 mantas swooping all around you.

No permit fee

 

Lighthouse Reef - is a site located on the eastern part of Sangalaki Island. Your dive boat will be moored at the lighthouse which gives this reef its name, and this is where your dive will begin.

Within this site there are 2 small wrecks. The older one is identified by the proliferation of more soft corals of the dendronephthya species and magnificent sea anemones, where you'll find sweetlips, gobies, scorpionfish, anemonefish and clownfish, jawfish,ribbon eels and groupers lurking furtively under the wreck. 

Among the gorgonian fans, keen eyesight will allow you to spot pygmy seahorses. While on the sandy bottom watch out for tridacna giant clams dotted around, always a pleasure to find.

 

Lighthouse Reef - is a site located on the eastern part of Sangalaki Island. Your dive boat will be moored at the lighthouse which gives this reef its name, and this is where your dive will begin.

Within this site there are 2 small wrecks. The older one is identified by the proliferation of more soft corals of the dendronephthya species and magnificent sea anemones, where you'll find sweetlips, gobies, scorpionfish, anemonefish and clownfish, jawfish,ribbon eels and groupers lurking furtively under the wreck. 

Among the gorgonian fans, keen eyesight will allow you to spot pygmy seahorses. While on the sandy bottom watch out for tridacna giant clams dotted around, always a pleasure to find.  Show less

Manta Parade - As the name of this dive spot indicates, majestic manta rays parade up and down this manta highway, coming to you from all directions. More often than not, you'll find them just breaking the surface as they feed on the rich plankton to be found in these waters. For that reason, snorkelling at this site is just as good as diving at it.

Located at the north of Sangalaki Island, Manta Parade is actually one of the 3 dive sites which form manta highway land. If the mantas are not feeding in the waters, they're usually being preened by cleaner wrasse at cleaning stations. 

The sight of the manta rays is awe inspiring. They glide and swoop by you; the friendlier and more inquisitive will come right up to you. Watching their sleek movements underwater, one is reminded of fighter jets in the skies - in fact, black manta rays look just like a stealth bombers (if you use your imagination!). 

The topography of this Sangalaki scuba diving site starts with Manta Avenue which is a set of coral steps where, besides mantas, you'll find elegant fire gobies and dancing gobies. It then continues onto Manta Parade where the reef is a set of ridges which rise up and down like little underwater hills. Here small coral heads, gorgonian fans and large barrel sponges lie on a flat sandy bottom, littered with alabaster sea cucumbers and feather stars. Within them, you'll find sea anemones with clownfish, flat worms, fan worms, sea stars, cushion stars and reef fish like frogfish, crocodilefish, parrotfish, angelfish, triggerfish, snappers, fusiliers, sweetlips, lionfish, scorpionfish and stonefish. 

When you start seeing rocky coral outcrops and bommies, you're at Manta Run. Here, you'll find more gorgonian fans, soft corals and barrel sponges, all topped off with feather stars. Within the numerous crevices and overhangs, there are leaf fish and frog fish which, if you happen to stumble upon them during feeding times, you'll witness preying on the somewhat gullible cardinalfish.  Show less

Turtle Town - Green turtles are the main attraction at this Sangalaki diving site, as implied by its name. You'll either find them feeding, mating or resting. When you bare in mind that an annual average of 20 - 30 turtle nests are laid on the beaches each night, you'll have a better idea of the size of the mating activities of the turtles.

Turtle Town is the more famous of the 2 sites in Sangalaki where you will come across its famous green turtles. Located in the southwest corner of Sangalaki, there are gullies and stony ridges all over the place at this rather flat dive site, which make this place ideal for green turtles to stop for a bite to eat or rest up for a while. 

Along with them, you'll also find reef fish like pufferfish, moorish idols as well as sea stars and feather stars. Other marine life which you'll see here include octopus, giant cuttlefish, popcorn crabs, catfish, shy mandarinfish and for lovers of macrolife,flamboyantly coloured nudibranchs

 

 

 

Manta Point (Sangalaki)

Perhaps this in the most excited point among all. The only thing when you dive at this point, you have to go when there in a high-tide. Otherwise, you ‘can only spot a few mantas under water. But on a high-tide, you can just loose count of the mantas on the surface, not to mention when you dive underwater from 5 meters to 15 meters. Visibility: 20 to 25metres. Current: Mild.

Sangalaki Island: (VIP Hunt: Manta Ray)
Dive Sites:   

  1. Cleaning Station   
  2. Manta Parade   
  3. Manta Run

Kakaban

kakaban dive spot

Kakaban island is part of the Derawan Islands, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. It can be reached about 20minutes boat ride from Maratua island. The island has an area of 774.2 hectares (1,913 acres). Its' limestone cliffs are covered with dense jungle right down to the water's edge. The wall drops to 180 metres (590 ft), and currents can be strong with upwelling, downcurrent and reversing directions. The most distinctive feature is the huge brackish water lake in the middle of the island teeming with non-stinging jelly fish. In the local dialect Kakaban means "hug" as the island hugs the lake from the surrounding seawater.

Kakaban Island: (VIP Hunt: Schools of Barracudas, Black Tip Sharks, Devil Ray, 4 types of non-stinging Jellyfish)

Dive Sites (labelled on map above):    

  1. West Point
  2. Barracuda Point
  3. Cabbages Coral
  4. Sea Wall
  5. Blue Light Cave
  6. Gorgonion Forses

Barracuda Point

This point is not for the beginner and those who have weak legs, because of the strong current there. Again, you have to dive this point during the high-tide. The dive begins with moderate current but as you go round the corner, the current become stronger. It is recommended that you bring along a hook so that you can station yourself to observe the schools of barracuda and jackfish, rainbow runners, batfish and if you are lucky, you may see hammerhead sharks as well. You may also find large pelagics like whitetip sharks, leopard sharks, tuna and snapper. Because this is a deep dive and the strong current, you can have a 30 or 35 minutes bottom time only. Drift diving can be done with the help of a grab line permanently secured at 24 metres (79 ft) across a relatively flat area on the upcurrent side of the point. Visibility: 20 to 25 metres.

Sea Wall

The drop-off point is also a wonderful dive. The wall drops down to 250m, and abounds in colourful fish, seahorses, and corals.

Blue Light Cave

The cave starts at a crack at 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) deep and descends through a narrow chimney. At about 21 metres (69 ft) the chimney opens into a large cavern that extends for about 120 metres (390 ft). The exit is a long vertical crack in the wall at 44 metres (144 ft). The name of the cave comes from the blue light of the sea which is seen from the cavern.

 

“THE JELLYFISH LAKE” AT KAKABAN ISLAND:

The Jellyfish Lake is actually a snorkelling site (you won't be allowed to dive here). It is just 5 minutes away from the “Barracuda Point”. There are two trails to get to the lake, the first one was built with wooden planks all the way to the lake. It goes up a small hill and down all the way to the lake which will take you 10 to 15 minutes by walking. The second trail at the back of the lake is slightly longer. You have to climbs up a small lime store rock hill and then walk along a small jungle track which is going gradually downhill to the lake. In a glance, it is at least twice the size of the “Jellyfish Lake” in Palau, Micronesia. The visibility was about 6 to 8 meters and there are all together 4 different types of jellyfish, which areCassiopeia 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. 

 

We conduct daily excursion to Kakaban subject to minimum 4 guests.

For diving ( Diver Package Guest ) /snorkelling ( Non-diver Package Guest ) activity following resort scheduled dive boat to Kakaban:

  • RP971,000 per person per trip (MINIMUM 2 PERSONS)
  • Above rates exclude Rental Equipment for both Divers & NON Divers (Snorkelling)

For Diver guest who purchased Non-diver package and wants to do diving at Kakaban following resort scheduled dive boat:

  • RP2,219,000 per person per trip (MINIMUM 2 PERSONS)
  • Above rates include usage of tank, weight and weight belt ONLY

Entry Permit Fee to Kakaban Island : The Indonesian Authority has started to impose a charge for entrance fee @ 25,000- for NON Indonesian and @Rp10,000- for Indonesian citizen per person per entry to Kakaban Island payable by all visitors.
In view of that, all visitors to Kakaban Island would have to pay the relevant fee direct to the resort accordingly.
Entry Permit Fees are payable by all guests direct to Maratua Paradise Resort in accordance with the number of visit to Sangalaki Island and / or Kakaban Island during guests’ stay at the resort.