Derawan Islands Diving — Indonesia
The Derawan archipelago offers an improbable combination: a stingless jellyfish lake (Kakaban), manta cleaning stations, turtle nesting beaches, and pristine reefs — all without the crowds of more famous Indonesian destinations. Sangalaki Island's manta point delivers encounters with 20+ mantas on good days.
- Score
- 64.1 / 100
- Country
- Indonesia
- Region
- Asia-Pacific
- Area
- East Kalimantan
- Nearest airport
- Kalimarau (BEJ)
- Visibility
- 9–24 m
- Water temperature
- 26–29 °C
- Max depth
- 30 m
- Current strength
- moderate
- Dive types
- reef, wreck, muck, night, pelagic
- Best months
- May, September
- Minimum certification
- Open Water
- Access type
- boat
- Average 2-tank dive cost
- $60 USD
- Budget tier
- mid range
- Key species
- manta ray, seahorse
- Google rating
- 0 (0 reviews)
- Top operators
- Derawan Dive Resort, Scuba Junkie Sangalaki
- Nearest hyperbaric chamber
- Balikpapan Chamber (~300 km)
SCORE
2.2833°N
118.2500°E
The Derawan archipelago offers an improbable combination: a stingless jellyfish lake (Kakaban), manta cleaning stations, turtle nesting beaches, and pristine reefs — all without the crowds of more famous Indonesian destinations. Sangalaki Island's manta point delivers encounters with 20+ mantas on good days.
Borneo's Hidden Stingless Jellyfish Lake
Score Breakdown
Marine Life
38.0Species diversity, megafauna encounters, reef fish abundance, macro life, and endemic species.
Click any score to see a detailed breakdown
Key Species
Dive Types
Traveling with Non-Divers?
Your non-diving travel companions will find plenty to enjoy topside while you're underwater. Here are some activities to consider.
Activities for Non-Divers
Non-Diver Partner Score
Limited topside — plan ahead for non-diving partners.
Safety & Emergency
Dive Insurance
Dive insurance is essential. Standard travel insurance often excludes scuba diving. We recommend DAN (Divers Alert Network) for comprehensive dive accident coverage.
Learn More at DAN.orgRemote — speedboat to Berau then flight to Balikpapan for chamber; limited medical care
Top Operators
Derawan Dive Resort
PADI
Scuba Junkie Sangalaki
PADI
What your dive shop won't tell you
The minimum certification printed on a brochure is the legal floor, not the honest recommendation. Here's what we actually think you should bring to this site.
Below this we'd send you somewhere easier first.
What will challenge you
- →Moderate currents. Expect to drift — this is not a skill-builder site for a first trip after certification.
- →Wreck penetration requires Wreck specialty training at minimum, and often decompression planning. Don't improvise inside.
- →Nearest hyperbaric chamber is ~300 km away. Evacuation is slow. Dive conservative profiles and get DAN insurance before you fly.
What will surprise you
- →Short dive season — only 2 months worth going (May, September). Book well ahead or miss it.
Photography brief
Subjects are only half the shot. A perfect macro site is useless in a three-knot drift, and a wide-angle dream is useless at 35 m with a murky ceiling. These are the conditions, not the hype.
Recommended kit
- →Wide-angle or fisheye (8-15mm range), dual strobes for close-focus wide angle
- →Dedicated video light for dark wreck interiors; don't rely on strobes alone
What this site will teach you
The dives that made you a better diver are the ones that made you uncomfortable for the right reasons. Here's what this site will quietly train you for.
Neutral buoyancy at 20 cm
foundationalMacro and delicate coral sites force you to hover still enough to frame a shot without kicking up silt or touching the reef. You'll finish the trip a measurably cleaner diver.
Wreck penetration fundamentals
advancedLine laying, gas planning for the way back, and silt-out response. Learn it on a site with clear-water wrecks before you try it in darker water.
Night dive orientation
foundationalNavigation without visual references, light discipline (your beam affects your buddy), and watching nocturnal marine life behaviour — a completely different dive from the same site in daylight.
Low-viz navigation
intermediateCompass bearings, natural navigation references, and trust in your plan when you can't see your fin tips. These are the skills that save dives elsewhere.
7-day trip, per person
Rough ranges anchored to existing regional data — not booking quotes. Land-based trip, standard breakdown.
Hostels, shore diving, cheap eats
- Flights (RT from US)
- $1,100–$1,300
- Accommodation / day
- $50–$100
- Diving / day
- $50–$60
- Food / day
- $10–$25
- Transfers + misc
- $80–$230
3-star hotels, standard boat ops, mix of restaurants
- Flights (RT from US)
- $1,550–$1,850
- Accommodation / day
- $120–$220
- Diving / day
- $60–$80
- Food / day
- $30–$60
- Transfers + misc
- $80–$230
Top resorts or liveaboards, premium operators
- Flights (RT from US)
- $2,250–$2,750
- Accommodation / day
- $260–$500
- Diving / day
- $80–$100
- Food / day
- $70–$140
- Transfers + misc
- $80–$230
Flights priced round-trip from a major US hub. Figures are per person on a shared room. Solo travelers add ~30% to accommodation.
Build a trip around it
Most divers fly across the world for one destination and don't realise another worth-it site is 90 minutes away. Here are the honest pairings.
- Raja Ampat81.4Indonesia
Same country, different dive character. Easy to combine in one trip without extra flights.
- Komodo National Park78.4Indonesia
Same country, different dive character. Easy to combine in one trip without extra flights.
- Amed62.7Indonesia
Same country, different dive character. Easy to combine in one trip without extra flights.
- Tulamben62.7Indonesia
Same country, different dive character. Easy to combine in one trip without extra flights.
- Nusa Penida62.0Indonesia
Same country, different dive character. Easy to combine in one trip without extra flights.
- Sipadan Island81.3Malaysia
Regional neighbour with a different dive type. Worth the extra flight if you want variety.
Best dive types here