Pulau Derawan, Indonesia

Derawan Island is located in Derawan Islands, Derawan District, Berau Regency, East Kalimantan.

Derawan Islands has three districts namely, Derawan Island, Maratua, and the Biduk biduk, Berau. There are at least four famous islands in this Archipelago, which is Pulau Maratua, Derawan, Sangalaki, and Kakaban.

In addition to its coral and fish diversity, the Derawan chain contains Indonesia’s largest nesting site for endangered green sea turtles, which emerge from the sea every night to lay their eggs on the white sand beaches of Sangalaki and Derawan Islands.

Another island in the chain, Semama, is an important bird sanctuary, and Kakaban Island contains the world’s largest and most diverse jellyfish lake, with four unique species of
stingless jellyfish. Kakaban is being considered for nomination as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In the surrounding waters there is marine park and is renowned as a tourist submarine for diving spot with a depth of about five meters. There are a wide variety of marine life here, such as squid (cuttlefish), lobster, ghostpipe fish, octopus (octopus bluering), nudibranchs, sea horses, ribbon Eels and scorpion fishes.On a coral rock at ten meters depth, there is coral rock known as “Trigger Blue Wall” because of the reef with a length of 18 meters there is a lot of trigger fish (red-toothed trigger fishes).

Beside, in Derawan Islands there are several small islands and coastal ecosystems which are

very important such as the coral reefs, sea grass beds and mangrove forests. In addition, many protected species in the Islands of Derawan like green turtles, hawksbill turtles, whales, dolphins, clams, coconut crabs, mermaids, barracuda fish and some other species.

The Islands in Derawan archipelago is about 31 island, which is some of them are bar (gusung) and atoll. Atoll is a coral island surrounding by a lagoon partially or completely. The used of the lands by local inhabitant in these island is only limited for the home living. In addition, the land of the island in the Derawan archipelago still in the form of mangrove forests, thickets, limestone forest in Maratua and coconut vegetation.

The coral reefs in this Derawan archipelago wide spread throughout the island and bar or gusung in Derawan Islands. The shoal in these islands including Gusung Pulau Panjang, Gusung Masimbung, Gusung Buliulin, Gusung Pinaka, Gusung Tababinga and Gusung Muaras.

The types of coral reefs in Derawan Islands consist of reef edge, barrier reefs and atolls. These atolls have been formed into an island and being a lake of salty water and it has 460 to 470 numbers of species indicates that this is a wealth biodiversity, giving it the world’s second highest level of hard coral diversity after the Raja Ampat Islands in eastern Indonesia.

Derawan Island, One Of The Best Diving Spot In Kalimantan

In the eastern part of Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo and about 45 km from the Berau river estuary out in the Makassar strait lie several reefs ideal for scuba diving. The dive sites are famous for the large gatherings of manta rays and a jellyfish lake. But in the reefs in the Berau archipelago also live a lot of very interesting critters, beautiful nudibranchs, hidden crabs and shrimps and unusual fish such as ghostpipefishes, scorpionfishes and more.

There are several dive resorts, all are relatively easily reached from either Balikpapan or Tanjung Redeb.Derawan Island is a divers "HEAVEN" and offers many types of diving; walls, fringing reefs, caverns, and even a wonderful muck dive.

You are likely to see big sea turtles, schooling barracudas, whitetip and leopard sharks, napoleon wrasses, cuttlefish, jacks and many many other creatures.

There is a wonderful variety of hard coral around the island. Macro diving off the pier is world class, and you can find sea horses, scorpionfish, and other bizarre small marine animals.

The island is ringed by a white sand beach where thirty to seventy sea turtles nest nightly. Cottages sit back from the beach a bit to allow turtles personal space. Turtles lay eggs on the island, and you may witness hatchlings making it to the sea.