An archipelago off East Kalimantan (Borneo) in the Sulawesi Sea, the Derawan Islands pack a remarkable variety of diving into a small cluster: Sangalaki's reef-manta cleaning stations and green-turtle nesting beaches, Kakaban's rare stingless-jellyfish lake, Maratua's high-current channel with its famous barracuda 'tornado,' and macro-rich house reefs around Derawan itself.
Conditions, highlights, and the resident marine life.
Water and air temperature across the year.
The Derawan Archipelago sits on the continental shelf off the northern tip of Berau Regency, East Kalimantan, within the Coral Triangle's western edge. Four main islands anchor the diving — Derawan, Sangalaki, Kakaban, and Maratua — each only 20–45 minutes apart by boat, which lets a single trip mix resort house-reef shore diving, day-boat excursions, and liveaboard itineraries. Water is warm and stable year-round (roughly 27–29°C, with cooler upwellings to the low-20s°C in Maratua's channels), so most divers wear a 3 mm suit. Visibility commonly runs 15–25 m and can exceed 30 m at Maratua in calmer months, dropping to 10–15 m during plankton blooms. The signature draws are biological rather than current-driven: Sangalaki is a year-round reef-manta cleaning-station hub and one of the largest green-turtle rookeries in the Celebes Sea; Kakaban holds a landlocked marine lake of stingless jellyfish (one of only a handful worldwide); and Maratua's single deep reef channel — 'Big Fish Country' / 'The Channel' — funnels tide-driven pelagic action including a large resident school of chevron barracuda. Conditions range from gentle shallow manta and turtle dives suitable for beginners to advanced high-current drift dives at the Maratua channel and Kakaban walls.
What makes this dive worth the trip.
27 species you’re likely to encounter on a dive here.
7 signature sites at this destination.
A shallow, flat reef-and-sand site off the southwest of Sangalaki where large numbers of green turtles feed, mate and rest, supported by the island's year-round nesting beaches. Dives are shallow and easy, with sandy patches that also hold macro life such as nudibranchs and pufferfish. On good days divers report dozens of turtles in a single dive, especially around low tide.
Maratua's signature dive: a deep tidal channel cutting through the C-shaped atoll's reef, generating strong, sometimes extreme drift conditions. Divers descend to the channel entrance — often hooking in around 25–30 m — to watch a large resident school of chevron barracuda swirl into a 'tornado,' alongside grey reef and whitetip sharks, jackfish, giant trevally, rainbow runners and occasional eagle rays, mantas or hammerheads. Nutrient flow through the channel fuels rich coral growth. A reef hook and solid current experience are strongly recommended.
A drift dive over a reef plateau on Kakaban that drops away into a steep coral wall plunging hundreds of metres into the blue. Strong currents sweep pelagics across the plateau: schooling chevron and pickhandle barracuda, jackfish, grey, whitetip and blacktip reef sharks, leopard (zebra) sharks resting on the sand, eagle rays and occasional mantas or threshers. The combination of plateau and wall makes it a high-energy advanced dive; an AOW certification or 20+ logged dives is recommended.
A relaxed drift along one of Kakaban's sheer walls, which drop vertically for hundreds of metres. Divers let the current carry them while the enormous wall — draped in sea fans, sponges and black coral — slides past, with pelagics cruising in the blue and macro subjects such as pygmy seahorses, frogfish and octopus tucked into the reef. Currents are present but the dive is gentler than nearby Barracuda Point, making it a scenic, less-demanding Kakaban option.
A shallow reef and cleaning-station complex on the north side of Sangalaki, nicknamed the 'manta highway,' where reef manta rays cruise and queue at cleaning stations year-round. Dives are shallow — generally 5–20 m over coral and barrel sponges — and currents are usually mild, so mantas often feed close to the surface and can even be seen from the boat during surface intervals. The shallow profile makes it one of the more accessible manta encounters in Indonesia and suitable for less-experienced divers.
The sandy, rubble-bottomed reef around Derawan Island is the area's premier macro and muck site, easily reached as a shore dive from resort jetties and excellent for night diving. Critters include blue-ringed octopus, ghost pipefish, frogfish, scorpionfish, harlequin and tiger shrimp, mandarinfish at dusk, hairy octopus, bobtail squid and a variety of nudibranchs. Green turtles are abundant in the surrounding shallows and frequently rest under the jetties.
Not a reef dive but a surface/snorkel encounter around 'bagan' lift-net fishing platforms in Berau waters near Talisayan on the Kalimantan mainland. Whale sharks gather to feed on small bait fish escaping the nets and are most reliably seen in the early morning (roughly 6–8 am), particularly in the days around the new moon. Encounters are typically conducted by snorkelling alongside the platforms rather than scuba diving.
Local dive centers, resorts, and hotels.
Verified dive centers, resorts, and hotels around Derawan / Kakaban / Sangalaki will list here — pricing, photos, and direct contact.