Skip to content
Derawan Island

Guide · Diving

Derawan diving: a guide for every level

What the reefs offer each level: relaxed reef slopes for new divers, macro and drift, and big-fish channels around Maratua for the experienced. Indonesia Juara does not sell diving packages; our Derawan trips are snorkel-based.

Our trip lengths
3D2N · 4D3N
Our trips are snorkel-based
Snorkel
Best season
Apr–Nov
Beginner entry depth
5–12 m

Beginners to advanced

Which dives fit your experience

The archipelago mixes easy and demanding sites, from sheltered reef slopes to current-swept channels.

  1. Certified beginners

    Easy reef slopes

    Pulau Derawan, Kakaban's outer reef and Sangalaki's sandy slopes: mild currents and entries from 5–12 metres.

  2. Advanced

    Maratua channels and walls

    Channels funnel nutrient-rich water past steep walls, with barracuda, reef sharks and large schooling fish reported.

  3. Photographers

    Macro day

    Seahorses, nudibranchs and cryptic crustaceans; a favourite for photographers.

  4. Under guide supervision

    Drift day

    Relaxed ride-the-reef profiles where currents allow, to build confidence before the harder faces.

What our trips include

Inside the Private and Open Trip

Indonesia Juara does not sell diving packages; our Derawan trips are snorkel-based and scuba diving is not included. The multi-leg transfer is bundled in, so there is no last-minute bargaining on the way to the islands.

Included

  • Meeting at Kalimarau Airport (BEJ) and car to Tanjung Batu
  • Speedboat crossings between the islands
  • The stay you choose, from Derawan water cottages to Maratua resorts
  • Guides and a snorkel kit (mask, snorkel, life jacket)
  • Documentation and mineral water
  • Meals (6 on 3D2N, 9 on 4D3N)
  • Entrance fees and travel insurance

Not included

  • Flights
  • Scuba diving and dive gear
  • Fins, tips and personal expenses

Getting there and on the water

From Kalimarau Airport to the islands

Fly (booked by you) to Kalimarau Airport (BEJ) in Berau, where we meet you; about 2.5 to 3 hours by road to Tanjung Batu, then about 40 minutes by speedboat to Derawan Island.

On the water, macro sites sit alongside turtle hotspots near Derawan and Sangalaki and the Kakaban jellyfish lake, where fins are not allowed. Visibility is often 20–30 metres in season (April to November).

  • Our trips are snorkel-based; scuba diving is not included
  • Maratua, Kakaban and Sangalaki on day 2 of our trips
  • Briefing on the evening of day 1
  • Entrance fees and travel insurance included

Trip costs

What drives the cost of a Derawan trip

Indonesia Juara does not sell diving packages, so there are no dive prices here. Our Private Trip is priced by the stay you choose and the group size; entrance fees and travel insurance are included.

Open Trip Derawan 4D3N

USD 280 per person

  • VIP USD 300 per person
  • Minimum 7 guests
  • Meet at Kalimarau (BEJ)
  • Standard water cottage
  • Single room +USD 60
Ask for a quote

Private Trip Derawan

from USD 1,290 total for 2 guests

  • ≈ USD 645 per person, 3D2N, standard tier
  • 4D3N from USD 2,190 for 2 guests
  • Price depends on the stay you choose
Ask for a quote

Flights to Berau (BEJ) are not included. Rates as published on indonesiajuara.asia.

Private trips

A private boat for your group

The Private Trip Derawan (3D2N or 4D3N) gives a group of 2–10 guests its own speedboat for island hopping. It is snorkel-based; scuba diving is not included. Solo travellers join the Open Trip Derawan (4D3N).

Flights to Kalimarau are booked by you. The private trip finishes by 14.00 WITA on the last day, so fly out after 15.00 WITA; on the open trip, land by 08.20 WITA and fly out no earlier than 15.40 WITA.

Mixed groups

Beginners, advanced divers and snorkellers together

The same islands suit divers and snorkellers, each at their own comfort level.

A shared day

  • Mornings

    Easy dive sites for beginners and shallow reefs for snorkelling.

  • Afternoons

    Deeper drift sites for confident divers, under guide supervision.

  • From Bali

    Travellers already in Bali fly (booked by you) to Kalimarau Airport (BEJ) in Berau, where our trips start.

Two green turtle hatchlings swimming at Sangalaki
Surface intervals

Turtle beaches and conservation

Surface intervals can take in the turtle conservation on Sangalaki; on our trips, snorkellers visit it with Manta Point on day 2.

Answers

Diving package questions

The Open Trip Derawan 4D3N is USD 280 per person (VIP USD 300), minimum 7 guests. A private trip starts from USD 1,290 in total for two guests on 3D2N (Standard), or USD 2,190 for two on 4D3N, depending on the stay. Flights from Bali are extra, and our trips are snorkel-based; scuba diving is not included.

All 100 questions
Drone view of the red-roofed jetty pavilion at Maratua over turquoise water

Plan your trip

Tell us your dates and group size

Compare the Private Trip (3D2N or 4D3N) and the Open Trip (4D3N) for your dates; both are snorkel-based.