DERAWAN & SANGALAKI, BORNEO

Year:2002

Diving in undiscovered Borneo

Season: Year-round diving (optimum: April-October)

Visibility: 15-40 metres

Water temperature: 27-30°C

DERAWAN, SANGALAKI

KAKABAN & MARATUA

Two hours boat ride from Tanjung Redeb in eastern Kalimantan (the Indonesian part of Borneo), and south of the now-famous Sipadan island, lies a small, remote group of islands: Derawan, Kakaban, Maratua and Sangalaki. Although not the easiest of destinations to get to, these islands are, at last, beginning to open up to divers. An astonishing range of underwater creatures, some apparently unique to this archipelago, live here and are so far undisturbed by human intervention. Be amongst the first to explore this stunning diving location!

At Derawan island the fringing reefs, caverns and walls provide homes for many Green Turtles, White-tip Reef, Leopard and Nurse Sharks. Huge schools of Blackfin Barracudas, gigantic Napoleon Wrasse, cuttlefish and batfish live here in high densities. Recent research shows that fifty species of Acropora coral were found on one reef alone! A newly discovered species has been aptly named Acropora derawanensis. Green Turtles are around on almost every dive and still come ashore here in good numbers to lay their eggs. It is at Jetty where divers can see the amazing luminous Dumpling Squid, one metre-long Crocodilefish and stunning purple seahorses. Still-unidentified creatures live here amongst the numerous species of worms, tunicates and other invertebrates that creep around the stunning reefs.

Sangalaki island has been named by some as 'the capital of the mantas' and indeed it is here at Manta City or Manta Boulevard that the Manta Rays emerge, often showing their presence to the dive boat by breaking the surface of the water with their 'wing tips'. To really enjoy these fantastic animals it is best to leave the scuba gear behind and snorkel in their midst. It is not unusual to find groups of up to 10 quietly circling and gracefully gliding around. Most are between three and four metres wide, with elegant white bellies and dark dorsal areas. However, there are still some big boys around exhibiting 'wingspans' of up to 6 metres! Divers will be mesmerized by these giants who are usually within the top 10 metres of the water column. When feeding, their huge cephalic fins funnel the water into their huge tunnel-like mouths. Incredibly dense legions of batfish sometimes block off the views of the mantas, and stunning Blue Triggerfish and schooling cuttlefish are often seen here.

Kakaban island is perhaps most famous for its jellyfish lake, an exceptional marine environment formed during prehistoric times by a huge uplifting of the area about 19,000 years BC. Now a landlocked marine lake, isolated from the rest of the island by a 50-metre ridge, the lake is simply teeming with at least four species of stingless jellyfish. The only other similar location is in Palau in Micronesia. So many unidentified species live here that scientists have referred to it as a 'biological paradise'. At off-shore dive sites such as Barracuda Point and Tuna Point, sharks, tunas and barracudas are amongst the bigger fish that divers will encounter.

The waters of Maratua island hold a twice daily show, so far rarely witnessed by many. A swirling tornado of silver barracudas perform an incredible show. The steep walls of Shark City and Dolphin Parade are covered in soft coral and here one can encounter Dogtooth Tuna or enjoy fleeting views of hammerheads and Manta Rays.

Be amongst the first to explore these fabulous underwater wonders. Development of all the islands is planned, so this has to be the prime time to visit the area and see an as yet unspoilt underwater world.

DERAWAN DIVE RESORT

There are 24 traditional-style cottages each with air conditioning or fan. Each cottage has private facilities and a small private balcony. Most cottages have tropical temperature water supplies but the four deluxe rooms have hot water available. The restaurant serves a splendid selection of Chinese, Indonesian and western cuisine along with home baked bread and cakes served between dives.

Four fiberglass dive boats whisk divers out to dive sites around Derawan island and on longer trips to Sangalaki and Kakaban islands. Night diving is currently only available at Derawan island. For underwater photographers a camera room and voltage converters are available, and E-6 processing is also available.

Incoming visitors require an overnight stay in a hotel in Balikpapan and a short flight next morning to Berau (Tanjung Redeb) before a two and a half hour trip by speed boat to Derawan. On the return leg of the journey you will arrive back in Balikpapan in time to connect with flights to Singapore etc.

Standard Room

£889 (non-divers: £774)

Deluxe Room

£928 (non-divers: £807)

Includes:

· Airport transfers in Balikpapan.

· 1 night bed and breakfast accommodation on a twin/share basis in a Standard Room at the Bahana Suraya Hotel, Balikpapan.

· Scheduled flights Balikpapan/Berau/Balikpapan by a local carrier.

· Transfers by boat between Berau and Derawan Island.

· 6 nights full-board accommodation, including tea, coffee and orange squash, on a twin/share basis at Derawan Dive Resort.

· 5 days diving (3 boat dives daily) including 3 day trips to Sangalaki/Kakaban (2 dives per visit), dive guide, cylinders and weights.

Please note: Night dives can be arranged locally at an additional charge (or swapped for afternoon dives). Additional visits can be arranged to Sangalaki/Kakaban locally at a charge of US $27-54 per trip, while Maratua can be visited at a cost of $34-67 per trip (the exact costs depends on the number of divers participating). Such extra day trips to Sangalaki/Kakaban and Maratua require between 3-6 participants in order to operate. Two dives are made at the outer islands; the third dive of the day is at Derawan.

Important: There is a free luggage allowance of 25 kgs on the flights between Balikpapan and Berau. Excess baggage is currently charged at approximately US $2 per kilogram and may be subject to delay, in the case of very substantial excess weight (i.e. over 15 kgs excess), depending on the amount of spare capacity available on the aircraft on the day in question.

Additional Nights: £109 per night (without diving: £92) for the seventh, eighth and ninth nights at Derawan, £84 per night (without diving: £72) thereafter in a Standard Room. Rates for Deluxe Rooms are £7 higher per night. (Those staying 7-9 nights qualify for 4 day trips to Sangalaki/Kakaban).

Single Occupancy Supplement: £24 per night at Derawan in a Standard Room; £35 per night at Derawan in a Deluxe Room; £18 per night at Balikpapan.

Deposit: £250

FLIGHTS

The airfares shown are the least expensive fare category available at the time of going to press. We will quote you the airfare applicable, based on current fare levels and booking class availability, at the time of booking. The usual airfare deposit is £100.

SINGAPORE AIRLINES

Depart by Singapore Airlines on Thursday morning from London (Heathrow) bound for Singapore, arriving the following morning and connecting with a Silk Air flight arriving in Balikpapan on Friday afternoon. The return flight leaves Balikpapan on Friday afternoon, connecting with a Singapore Airlines late evening departure from Singapore that arrives at London (Heathrow) on Saturday morning. (Note: It is possible to fly from Singapore to Balikpapan on Wednesday or Sunday, but this entails a stopover in Singapore beforehand.)

Flights are also available from Manchester at no extra charge.

£561 for departures 1 January-21 March, 1 April-30 June, 1 September-9 December.

£711 for departures 22-31 March, 1 July-31 August, 10-31 December.

Includes:

· Scheduled flights London (Heathrow)/Singapore/London (Heathrow) by Singapore Airlines.

· Scheduled flights Singapore/Balikpapan/Singapore by Silk Air.

Alternative Routing via Kota Kinabalu: It is possible to visit Derawan with Malaysia Airlines via Kota Kinabalu, Tawau and Tarakan. However the flights between Tawau and Tarakan operate only on Thursdays, and have a free baggage allowance of only 10 Kgs (excess baggage allowance can be paid at approximately US$0.75 per Kg). The boat ride from Tarakan to Derawan usually takes about 4 hours and an additional charge is made for this extended boat journey. This routing can useful if you wish to combine Derawan with diving in Sabah (Malaysian Borneo). Please call our office for further information.

SINGAPORE STOP-OVERS

Why not take the opportunity to explore Singapore as part of your holiday? Singapore Airlines fly between London and Singapore daily and stop-overs are available at no additional airfare. We can arrange your hotel accommodation: for details please see the Sipadan entry in this brochure.