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Kakaban&Kakaban Lake I Sangalaki I Maratua |
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There are several diving terrains ranging from walls to caverns and fringing reefs. The island is also popular with green turtles that use it as a breeding ground laying their eggs in the night time. With 9 dive sites around Derawan, there are diversity of marine life, such as white tip, leopard and nurse sharks, cuttlefish, Spanish mackerel, jacks, batfish and ornamental reef fish in varied terrain, huge lavender seafans, cuttlefish, nudibranchs galore, unusal tube anemones, blue ribbon eels and multi colored crinoids. A completely new species of coral is also found here named appropriately Acropora Derawanensis. Derawan's 656ft jetty is home to dumpling squids, crocodile fish, finger-sized purple crayfish, squat lobsters, decorator crabs, sea horses and various species of worms, tunicates and Dwarf scorpionfish. Shallow (10 metres) reef at Sea Garden is very healthy coral and abundance of flatworms and nudibranchs, ribbon eels, large blennies and anemones. |
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A sloping patchy reef that levels off to sand at around 20-22m on the northern side of Derawan. Descend along the coastline down to the sand then follow the reef along until you come to a large purple Sea Fan that has a family of Pygmy Seahorses living in it. Then gradually work along the reef coming shallower finishing the dive around one of the two jetties. Many different macro subjects can be found here including Ornate & Robust Ghost Pipefish, various species of Nudibranchs, juvenile Harlequin Sweetlips, Jawfish (with eggs at certain times of the month), Mantis Shrimps, Ribbon Eels, Rigid Shrimpfish, Stonefish, Crocodilefish and a resident pair of Black Sailfin Goby (Magnificent Shrimp Goby). |
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A sloping reef that levels off to sand at around 12-15m on the western side of Derawan. Start the dive at the reef top descending down to 10m working your way east to a coral bommey where you can see Purple Hairy Squat Lobsters in a Barrel Sponge, Whip Coral Shrimps, juvenile Frogfish, Leaf Scorpionfish and a Honeycombe Moray. As you go a little deeper you can find Flying Gurnard and various species of Goby in the sand including Black Sailfin and Rayed Shrimp Gobies. Working a little shallower you come to a broken coral and weedy bottom that is great for various species of Nudibranchs and Flatworms, plus a group of resident Flasher Wrasse are here where you can witness the males putting on a very colourful courtship display to the females, chasing them around flashing' their brightly patterned dorsal and anal fins. Finishing the dive you can see Jawfish in their burrows, Cuttlefish, Green Turtles and a myriad of different reef fishes as you ascend to the reef top at 5m for your safety stop. |
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A sunset/night dive not to be missed in shallow water enabling long leisurely dives, and there is so much to see 1 ? hours will have gone by before you know it! Start in 8m at sunset to watch the mating ritual of the colourful Mandarinfish wait besides their Staghorn Coral home for the males to flirt with the females before a pair slowly rise up above the coral together, then mate and disappear back into their branching coral abode. You may be lucky and get them in a good mode and see them mate 10 times or more. When the action is over you can hunt for critters around and underneath the jetty. Common sights of Longarm Octopus, Leaf Scorpionfish, Flying Gurnard, a huge variety of Nudibranchs, Rigid Shrimpfish, Jawfish, Crocodilefish, Squat Lobsters & Shrimps inside Crinoids, juvenile Cuttlefish, Stonefish, Bearded Scorpionfish, juvenile Lined Soles and also huge Green Turtles. Lucky divers may see Giant & juvenile Warty (Clown) Frogfish, Blue-Ringed Octopus, Cockatoo Waspfish, Bumble-Bee Shrimps, Pontohi Pygmy Seahorse, Twin-Spot Lionfish, juvenile Pinnate Batfish and more. A great macro dive for photographers. |
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On either side of the channel heading away from Derawan these sloping reefs are both great macro dives. Similar topography to Tuturuga being sloping reefs down to sand at around 20-25m. Here you can find various species of Shrimp Gobies together with lots of Masked Rays and possible Shovel-Nose Rays. As you search the reef you can find many Nudibranchs and Flatworms, Flasher Wrasse, Longnose Hawkfish in some Sea fans, plus occasionally Blue-Ringed Octopus and Denise Pygmy Seahorses. |
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Derawan II |
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Kakaban island lies around 20 minutes from and offers 2 very different diving experiences. In addition to some spectacular wall diving, where pelagics can be found. |
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The island of Kakaban is an isolated marine lake and unique in its own.† Thousands of years ago the island was naturally uplifted and then isolate the marine ecosystem from surrounding marine area making all biota in this marine lake become very unique and endemic critters such as four species of non-stinging jellyfishes and non-stinging anemones. †Marine biologists have also found a number of unknown species of anemones, tunicates, flatworms and crustaceans in the lake. 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. This truly is a biological paradise where everything can easily be seen snorkelling. |
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A great wall dive, this site offers lots of macro subjects. Start deep at around 30m to see the Decorated Dartfish (Purple Fire Goby) which are plentiful here, then ascend a bit to see if you can find any Denise Pygmy Seahorses in the numerous Sea Fans that adorn the wall. Look for the many species of Nudibranchs, Orang-utan Crabs, Longnose Hawkfish, Fire Dartfish, Flasher Wrasse. Maybe see a cruising Leopard Shark, Dogtooth Tuna or Spanish Mackerel in the blue. Finish your dive coming into the shallows where you can see Spine Cheek Aneomefish, Moray Eels, Leaf Scorpionfish and Ribbon Eels amongst the expanse of hard corals at reef top. |
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On the other side of Kakaban, this is a nice wall dive where you drift slowly along with the mild current admiring the expanse of Gorgonian Sea Fans that adorn the wall which drops into the depths below. There is a good chance of finding Denise Pygmy Seahorses, as well as many other macro subjects. Slightly colder water at Kakaban means there is always the chance of Scalloped Hammerheads coming up from the deep, so keep one eye on the blue! |
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Derawan I Kakaban & Kakaban Lake I Maratua |
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Sangalaki is known all over the world as the center of Manta Rays. Some of them are giant and gorgeous ray that have wing span up to 3 meters wide. 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. †Gently sloping patch reef frequented by manta rays. These giants, some with wing spans as great as 3.5 metres, fly in graceful circles while feeding in the current line, so they can be seen up close by snorkellers as well as divers. |
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As the name suggests this is a great site for Manta Rays, but also there is a high chance of encountering Leopard Sharks, Green Turtles & Marble Rays, together with the huge variety of Reef Fishes that live amongst the abundance of hard corals. Start the dive in the sandy channel in 17m with the current pulling you east to a shallower sandy area, checking out the various cleaning stations as you drift along. On a good day the Manta's queue up at the stations politely taking their turn to be cleaned. When a Manta is seen stay low slowly working towards it to witness the Blue-Streaked Cleaning Wrasse going about their business on these huge fish - an unforgettable sight. Also, keep looking up towards the surface, as they are regularly seen lined up feeding on plankton. |
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Similar to Manta Parade but a little bit further north from Sangalaki so a slightly deeper average depth to the dive. Again drift east with the current checking out the various cleaning stations looking for the Manta's plus also a chance of encountering Eagle Rays, White-Tip & Black-Tip Reef Sharks and maybe even mating Green Turtles. Watch as two of three of these giant turtles are stacked on top of each other with numerous suitors waiting around the edge of the action. |
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A great drift dive on the west side of Sangalaki heading south with the current that sometimes can be quite strong. Start in 8m maybe seeing Leopard or White-Tip Reef Sharks resting on the bottom, then let the current pull you along for 15-20 minutes until the topography changes from coral to sand and gets a little deeper. This is the area for the cleaning stations and best chance of seeing Manta's on the upcoming tide in the afternoon. Keeping low on the bottom wait by the cleaning stations for the Manta's to appear from down-current, effortlessly swimming towards you on its way to the cleaning station for its daily service. A good dive here can produce numerous sightings and is an awesome experience not to be missed! |
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These are our usual night dive sites at Sangalaki, both of them being protected from the currents and are fairly shallow. The topography of these sites is similar; coral reef with sandy patches in between. Lots of crustaceans can be found at night, together with Nudibranchs, Flatworms, Scorpionfish plus resting Green Turtles are common. You may be lucky and even see a Manta or Eagle Ray. For those that want a break from the Manta Ray action, these are good sight to see the Crab Eye Goby (Twin-Spot Shrimp Goby) during the daytime hours. |
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Derawan I Kakaban & Kakaban Lake I Sangalaki |
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On the western side of Maratua this is a great drift dive where you have the possibility of seeing Thresher Sharks. Start you dive up-current at the reef top descending down the sloping wall which goes down to 45-50m before it levels off to a sand/rubble bottom. Drop down to about 30-35m and let the current pull you along while keeping your eye out below for these majestic sharks. After 10 minutes of staying deep, once you have passed the cleaning station, move shallower and back closer to the wall before the current picks up and pulls you off the site. Now turn your attention to the smaller critters that live here, as you can find three different species of Pygmy Seahorses together with many different Nudibranchs, Flatworms, Leaf Scorpionfish, Porcelain Crabs, Flasher Wrasse and much more. You can also see groups of Bumphead Parrotfish and loads of Turtles, both Green & Hawksbill. Finish your dive at 5m on the reef top and you may see schooling Big-Eye Trevally. A great site for both Wide Angle & Macro Photography. |
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This is an awesome drift on the eastern side of Maratua going into the lagoon formed by the island itself and the coral reef system. Start the dive on the wall up-current from the channel opening; a negative entry and quick descent is needed to stop you getting swept over the reef flats! Level off at 25m and let the current pull you towards the channel opening and as you approach get ready to hold on or attach the reef hook. Look out into the blue for the chance of seeing Eagle Rays, Dogtooth Tuna, Spanish Mackerel, White-Tip & Grey Reef Sharks and maybe even a Great Hammerhead Shark on an early morning dive. Move along the channel entrance to find the Blackfin Barracuda, where they school in there thousands, forming amazing shapes and formations in the current. Occasionally joined by large schools of Big-Eye Trevally and Midnight Snapper the school can be so dense that it blocks out the sunlight. If the current eases off they may move into the channel entrance at around 15-18m and form a tornado' making the perfect photograph. You either spend all your dive here and then do you safety stop drifting back into the lagoon at a rate of knots or if you have air remaining stay at 17m and head into the lagoon to a trench where it is common to see Eagle Rays, sometimes in schools of 10 or more. End the dive with an adrenalin filled ride on the safety stop as the current increases in the shallows as you get further into the lagoon, but watch out for the whirlpools that are formed by the strong currents! An unforgettable dive that you will definitely want to do more than once! |
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On the northern tip of Maratua this site can be prone to currents so is normally dived on the slack water letting you have a relaxing dive hunting for macro subjects. The sloping reef drops down to 45-50m and is dotted with Sea Fans where you can regularly find Denise Pygmy Seahorses. On the wall it is possible to see the rarer Pontohi Pygmy Seahorse, together with many different Nudibranchs, Longnose Hawkfish, Fire & Decorated Dartfish, plus sometimes Dogtooth Tuna, Blackfin Barracuda and Spanish Mackerel in the blue. As you end the dive in the shallows you can regularly see Juvenile Rockmover Wrasse, Leaf Scorpionfish & Ribbon Eels. |
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