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General Information

Borneo is the third largest island in the world. The northern part of the island is part of Malaysia with the states of Sarawak and Sabah, while the southern half, Kalimantan, is part of Indonesia.

From the tourists point of view Kalimantan is not an easy destination to travel Through. You need a lot of time to reach and visit the most interesting areas. Distances are enormous and traffic always follows the big rivers. There are very few roads. So you have to travel by boat or plane. Missionary airplanes also fly to the remote areas but it is very difficult to get a seat. During the high season it is nearly impossible. A trip up the Mahakam river or a visit of the Tanjung Puting national park in the south however can be arranged easily, even if you have only a short time budget.

Due to the many rivers of the island there are very few coral reefs around the island. Most of them are to be found in the north and north-east of Borneo.
Also here the Indonesian dive destinations are situated: Derawan, Maratua, Sangalaki and Kakaban. Further north is the world class dive destination of Sipadan, which belongs to the Malaysian state of Sabah.

Derawan Island can be reached easily from Balikpapan. There are two ways to go there: Either you fly to Tanjung Redep with little luggage or to Tarakan without weight limitations. Guests are collected by staff members at the airport and are transfered

by speedboat to the dive centre (2-3 hs). The Derawan Dive Resort offers bungalows with and without aircondition. The dive shop is well equiped and the 170-hp-diveboats are able to reach all the divespots in a short time.


Coral growth at the divespots around Derawan is only average. There are also areas destroyed by dynamite fishing.
10 or more turtles during one dive is pretty normal. During the night it is possible to watch turtles laying eggs on the beach and with a bit of luck it is even possible to watch the nestlings crawl over the beach into the water.
There are also big fish in the waters: Whitetips, Blacktips, Grey reef Sharks and even the occasional Blue Makko can be seen for examle at the Blue Trigger Point.

For an extra 40 US$ pp it is also possible to dive the dive sites of Sangalaki, Kakaban and Maratua. Sangalaki is famous for its Manta Rays which congregate here all year around and also the turtles which lay eggs here. During certain nights there are hundreds of animals crawling up the beach. The Manta Rays can already be seen in the flat water from the boat.
The rocky island of Kakaban is situated only half an hour away from Sangalaki. Kakaban does not look as friendly as Sangalaki. The steep cliffs drop deep into the sea and there is no beach. It is a good dive spot however to see big sharks (hammerheads), Manta Rays and barracudas.
The interior of the island is filled by a salt water lagoon full of different species of non stingent jellyfish. It is an exciting experience to snorkel among these animals. The Derawan Dive Resort has its own website. Up-to-date information may be found here.
Derawan Dive Resort
E-Mail to Derawan Dive Resort