Current dive
Big Fish Country
Rated for experience because of water movement, not depth. Under 20 logged dives? A house-reef warm-up can come first.
Activities · Dive sites
Derawan dive sites, from Big Fish Country to Maratua
Named reefs, walls, channels and a cavern across Derawan, Maratua, Kakaban and Sangalaki, written for certified divers deciding whether the archipelago is worth the flights. Our own Derawan trips are snorkel-based; scuba diving is not included.
- Islands with dive sites
- 4
- Typical dive depth
- 5 – 30 m
- Named sites on this page
- 6
- Best season
- Apr – Nov
Four islands, not one
The Derawan dive sites at a glance
Derawan Island is the base with easy house-reef diving. The signature sites are on Sangalaki, Kakaban and Maratua, so you plan boat movements first and dive profiles second.
| Dive site | Island · type | Known for | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Fish Country | Maratua · current / drift | Schooling barracuda and jacks, reef sharks in the blue | Advanced, current experience |
| Turtle Traffic | Maratua · wall and reef | Green turtles resting and passing in numbers | All certified levels |
| Blue Light Cave | Kakaban · cavern | A blue window of daylight inside the rock | Advanced, calm-water skills |
| Channel Maratua | Maratua · tidal drift | Water moving in and out of the atoll lagoon | Advanced, tide-dependent |
| Manta Point | Sangalaki · shallow reef | Reef manta rays feeding and circling | All levels, also snorkellers |
| Derawan house reef | Derawan · reef | Turtles, macro life, easy shore access | Beginners and refreshers |
Most diving here is between 5 and 30 m, inside no-decompression limits, with a 3-minute safety stop at 5 m. Open Water divers work to 18 m, Advanced to 30 m. The dive guide sets each profile on the day.
The four headline sites
The names divers travel here for
Each one asks something different of you: current skills, buoyancy, or patience with the tide table.
Shared with snorkellers
Mantas for everyone, and a lake with no scuba
Where divers and snorkellers overlap
Sangalaki and Manta Point
Reef mantas often over 3 m across feed in shallow water, so snorkellers and divers see roughly the same animal. Stay low, stay still, let it come to you.
Not certified?
The same water is covered from the surface in the snorkelling guide.
Snorkelling only
Kakaban jellyfish lake
Scuba gear stays out: bubbles, fins and tanks damage an enclosed jellyfish population. Divers dive the outer reef and cavern, then snorkel the lake separately.
Getting there
How to reach the Derawan dive sites
Every trip starts at Kalimarau Airport (BEJ) in Berau: fly there (booked by you) and we meet you. Boat times depend on sea state and the day's plan.
| Leg | Mode | Approximate time |
|---|---|---|
| Kalimarau (BEJ) to Tanjung Batu | Road | About 2.5 – 3 hours |
| Tanjung Batu to Derawan Island | Speedboat | About 40 minutes |
| Derawan to Sangalaki | Speedboat | About 45 – 60 minutes |
| Derawan to Kakaban | Speedboat | About 1 – 1.5 hours |
| Derawan to Maratua | Speedboat | About 1.5 – 2 hours |
Plan flights around the no-fly interval after your last dive, not the other way round.
When to dive
The best season is April to November
December to March is the wetter period, when sea conditions can make Channel Maratua or Big Fish Country less dependable. Inside the best season, visibility, current and plankton move together week to week, so the clearest water and the busiest manta days are not always the same days.
If manta encounters matter more than visibility, say so when the itinerary is planned.
How to get to Derawan- Jan Rough Reduced
- Feb Rough Reduced
- Mar Variable Mixed
- Apr Calm 20 m+
- May Calm 20 m+
- Jun Calm 20 m+
- Jul Calm 20 m+
- Aug Calm 20 m+
- Sep Calm 20 m+
- Oct Calm 20 m+
- Nov Variable 20 m+
- Dec Rough Reduced
In season Crossings weather-dependent Sea state · visibility
Days and preparation
How many days, and what to settle first
Our trips are snorkel-based; scuba diving is not included. The 3D2N trip is the minimum: day 2 runs Maratua, Kakaban and Sangalaki. The 4D3N adds a day 3 with an early run to the Talisayan whale sharks, Manimbora and Labuan Cermin.
To dive Maratua properly rather than visit it, sleeping on Maratua is the better structure. Divers who want to cut out boat transfers can read about liveaboards; Indonesia Juara does not sell them.
- Bring your certification card and logbook
- Declare any medical condition that affects diving
- Be honest about experience: sites are ordered around the least experienced diver
- Dive insurance is your own responsibility; recompression is not on the islands
- Ask for written scuba inclusions (tanks, weights, guide ratio, rental, fees)
Trip costs
What our Derawan trips cost
These are rates for our snorkel-based trips, not a scuba price list: Indonesia Juara does not sell scuba diving. Published Indonesia Juara rates, nett.
Flights to Berau (BEJ) are not included. Rates as published on indonesiajuara.asia.
Answers
Derawan diving questions
Big Fish Country, Turtle Traffic and Channel Maratua on Maratua, plus the Blue Light Cave at Kakaban. Manta Point off Sangalaki adds manta rays, and the Derawan house reef is used for check dives and refreshers.
Keep exploring
More in Activities
Plan your trip
Send us your dates and group size
Tell us your travel month and group size, and whether the 3D2N or the 4D3N with Talisayan and Labuan Cermin suits you. Our Private and Open Trips are snorkel-based; scuba diving is not included.