Derawan Islands (Kakaban / Sangalaki)
An archipelago of 31 islands, only two of them inhabited. Its coral diversity is the second highest in Indonesia after Raja Ampat — more than 460 coral species and 870 of fish — with a fraction of the divers. Each island has its part to play: Sangalaki for the manta rays and turtle nesting, Maratua for schooling fish, Derawan for macro life and turtles, and Kakaban for the lake and the outer wall.
Depth
3–30 m
Recommended level
Open Water
Average visibility
15 m
Water temperature
28 °C
Current
Weak to moderate
Access
Boat
Best time
All year round
Recommended certification
Open Water
Approx. price
70 USD / dive
A remote Bornean archipelago with its own lake of stingless jellyfish and one of the highest turtle densities in Asia.
Did you know
Sangalaki acoge la mayor población de tortuga verde nidificante de Indonesia: más de 15.000 hembras vuelven cada año. Kakaban es un atolón levantado —desde el aire es un anillo de selva alrededor de un lago— cuyo interior se llenó de agua salobre hace milenios y alberga medusas sin capacidad urticante; el lago tiene unos 17 m de profundidad. En Maratua, la inmersión estrella es The Channel: con marea entrante, miles de barracudas chevron forman un tornado bajo el que se puede permanecer toda la inmersión.
Sources consulted: ZuBlu Diving; liveaboardindonesia.com; White Manta; Explorer Ventures; Neptune Liveaboards
Location
See on the interactive map63 species documented in Derawan Islands (Kakaban / Sangalaki)
Critically EndangeredAlmeja gigante
Tridacna gigas
Least ConcernBarracuda
Sphyraena barracuda
VulnerableManta de arrecife
Mobula alfredi
Critically EndangeredTortuga carey
Eretmochelys imbricata
EndangeredTortuga verde
Chelonia mydas
Anguila jardinera moteada
Heteroconger hassi
Anguila serpiente de bandas
Myrichthys colubrinus
Anémona alfombra gigante
Stichodactyla gigantea
Anémona disco
Discosoma nummiforme
Anémona magnífica
Heteractis magnifica
Babosa de mar española (Spanish dancer)
Hexabranchus sanguineus
Babosa de mar verrugosa
Onchidium verruculatum
Ecosystem
Similar spots
Which other dive sites are like this one?
Kri Island (Raja Ampat)
Indonesia
Hasta 30 m · Open Water
Giant manta rays · tasselled wobbegongs beneath the table corals
View dive siteMismo país: Indonesia
Komodo National Park
Indonesia
Hasta 40 m · Advanced, strong currents
Reef manta rays all year round · grey reef sharks
View dive siteMismo país: Indonesia
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about Derawan Islands (Kakaban / Sangalaki).
Your rating
How many stars would you give Derawan Islands (Kakaban / Sangalaki)?
Comments
Share your experience diving or sailing at Derawan Islands (Kakaban / Sangalaki).
Be the first to comment.