"...dive with scores of manta rays, sharks, turtles and jellyfish and see numerous varieties of nudibranch..."
Prices From
£1835
Full Board
Resort Information
Derawan forms part of the Sangalaki Archipelago and is a beautiful teardrop-shaped island with a village around the fringe, spotless white sand beaches and a coconut plantation in the centre.
The resort consists of traditional Indonesian style cottages on the beach front. Rooms are air-conditioned with private bathroom. (Standard rooms have cold water only. Deluxe have hot and cold water). There is also a restaurant serving Chinese, Indonesian and Western food.
Photos
Diving
The diving around Derawan, Sangalaki and Kakaban Islands is of the quality that divers dream about. Here you can dive with scores of manta rays, millions of jellyfish in a prehistoric lake, schooling tuna, jacks, whitetip, leapard and nurse sharks to name but a few. It is also possible to dive with turtles every day on Derawan Island.
Sangalaki is famous for its manta rays and you will also find an abundance of giant green turtles, cuttlefish, blue trigger fish and numerous species of nudibranch.
The Blue Light Cave at Kakaban is an outstanding dive for adventurous cave divers whilst thousands of barracuda, blue finned tuna and big sharks are found at Barracuda Point.
The points off Maratua offer the best prospects for the larger shark, particularly whitetips, although hammerhead and leopard shark are also frequent visitors.
The dive centre has seven 70hp twin-outboard fibreglass dive boats, a fully equipped dive shop and dive guide service. A limited stock of Scubapro and US Divers gear is available for hire.
Diving is included in the itinerary price and includes three boat dives per day (day 1 - orientation dive) and unlimited shore diving including tanks, weight belt and dive guide. Night dives are available when conditions are favourable. One afternoon dive can be swapped for a night dive.
Itinerary
Itinerary 1 - 10 days
Day 1. (Monday) Fly from London Heathrow to Singapore.
Day 2.Arrive Singapore and connect with your onward flight to Balikpapan on Kilamantan Island for an overnight stay.
Day 3. Join the short flight to Berau where you will be met and taken by speedboat to Derawan for a six night stay.
Day 4-8. Five days diving. At least eight dives at either Kakaban, Sangalaki or Maratua with the remainder of the dives around Derawan.
Day 9. Return by boat and plane to Balikpapan then on to Singapore and on to London.
Day 10. Arrive London.
Itinerary 2 - 13 days
13 day itinerary available. Includes one night in Singapore and nine nights on Derawan Island.
Note: The above itinerary is a guide only. Explorers tailor-make holidays to suit your requirements.