Explore Maratua
Maratua Island, located in the Derawan archipelago in East Kalimantan, provides the opportunity for divers to explore some of the richest and most unusual dive sites in Indonesia. The island circles part of a shallow lagoon, where visitors can swim among endemic stingless jellyfish or swiftly drift through a channel that joins a lagoon to the Celebes Sea. In the opening to the channel, divers can witness hammerheads and whale sharks feeding or search sandy seabeds and patch reefs for harlequin shrimps and vibrant dragonets.
There is only one resort on the island so Maratua diving usually takes place from visiting liveaboards. On nearby Derawan Island, there are a few more dive resorts and a dive centre that offers dive courses in its surrounding waters. Boats run daily from dive resorts so visitors can island hop to the other tropical paradises found in the Derawan Islands arcihelago.
Dive Activity
Diving in Maratua
While scuba diving in Maratua, you can find yourself in fast drift dives with turbulent currents or relax in calm shallow dive sites observing myriads of reef fish. At The First and Second Lagoon, night dives are popular and divers can search the mucky bottom for a range of strange critters. Dramatic deep drop-offs can be found at The East Wall dive site and underwater photographers will revel in capturing the behaviour of enormous schools of vivid mandarin fish flitting around in the afternoon light at Jetty Dive.
Top Wildlife Sightings in Maratua
Looking out into the blue after fast drift dives may find you in the company of hammerheads and whale sharks as thresher sharks leave trail lines in the water with their caudal fins. Maratua diving has prolific pelagic activity with giant schools of barracuda, snapper, dogtooth tuna and spanish mackerel. Resident manta rays from the nearby Sangalaki Island may even come to pay you a visit.
Reefs are home to an incredible variety of coral while ghost pipefish, leaf fish, blue-ringed octopus, and dragonets all decorate the patch reef leaving divers in awe at the sheer diversity you can encounter while scuba diving in Maratua.
Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content
Shutterstock-Shane Myers Photography
410 Sightings
J
3
F
4
M
28
A
72
M
39
J
23
J
28
A
52
S
39
O
51
N
45
D
26
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 27
iStock-Global_Pics
Barracuda
393 Sightings
J
12
F
9
M
28
A
70
M
34
J
17
J
34
A
73
S
44
O
31
N
25
D
16
Shutterstock-Andrey Armyagov
Hawksbill Turtle
135 Sightings
J
4
F
29
M
6
A
5
M
16
J
12
J
14
A
9
S
19
O
9
N
2
D
10
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 200
Alamy-WaterFrame
Moray Eel
115 Sightings
J
4
F
9
M
12
A
22
M
6
J
5
J
14
A
12
S
5
O
9
N
10
D
7
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 25
iStock/Juliosanjuan
Eagle Ray
92 Sightings
J
4
F
7
M
5
A
10
M
4
J
5
J
8
A
11
S
6
O
14
N
15
D
3
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 3
Alamy/imageBROKER
Thresher Shark
83 Sightings
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1
F
5
M
4
A
9
M
9
J
9
J
1
A
13
S
13
O
10
N
7
D
2
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 600
iStock/ultramarinfoto
Wrasse
79 Sightings
J
2
F
3
M
4
A
9
M
4
J
4
J
14
A
11
S
7
O
4
N
9
D
8
iStock-ShaneGross
Loggerhead Turtle
49 Sightings
J
0
F
2
M
6
A
4
M
14
J
0
J
3
A
7
S
4
O
6
N
1
D
2
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 300
Alamy/Reinhard Dirscherl
Octopus
37 Sightings
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1
F
0
M
6
A
7
M
9
J
1
J
4
A
4
S
2
O
0
N
3
D
0
Alamy-National Geographic Creative
Leatherback Turtle
35 Sightings
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0
F
4
M
3
A
4
M
5
J
0
J
1
A
5
S
6
O
2
N
3
D
2
The best Months to dive in Maratua
Scuba diving in Maratua is available year round, with liveaboards visiting in every season. From March through to October it is the island’s dry season and visibility is at its peak.
