Explore Sangalaki
Located off the East coast of Indonesian Borneo is Sangalaki, an untouched island paradise. Protected by the Sangalaki Marine Park, the island is the prime nesting site for green sea turtles in South-East Asia. It is also known as the ‘Manta Highway’ and it is one of the few places that can truly lay claim to having resident manta rays all year round. Sangalaki diving can be accessed from the only dive resort on the island or by dive centres located on the nearby Derawan Island. As East Kalimantan is remote, delving into the water from visiting liveaboards is favoured by visitors.
Dive Activity
Diving in Sangalaki
The island of Sangalaki is surrounded by a shallow lagoon, which means that most of the dives here are not deep and range from 5 to 20 meters/16 to 66 feet. This provides the perfect environment for manta rays to feed on plankton, where you’ll find them in numbers in the patch reefs. At Manta Cleaning Station, you can find yourself in gentle drift dives while both novice and experienced divers can explore wrecks and sandy ridges at Lighthouse Reef. If you intend to take part in dive courses while in Sangalaki Marine Park, nearby Derawan Island has a certified dive center.
Top Wildlife Sightings in Sangalaki
Sangalaki diving is home to some of the richest diving grounds in Indonesia. There are 500 varieties of soft and hard coral in the reefs surrounding the island which are abundant with green turtles. On sandy slopes, manta rays are cleaned by wrasse while leopard sharks rest on the seabed. Find time to island-hop to the other islands in Sangalaki Marine Park where you will witness flamboyant cuttlefish, octopus and frogfish at Derawan while whale sharks glide past. At Maratua, spot hammerheads, thresher sharks and grey reefs - a shark lover's dream.
Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content
iStock-crisod
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Giant Oceanic Manta Ray
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Shutterstock-Shane Myers Photography
Green Turtle
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Total number of species: 200
Alamy-WaterFrame
Moray Eel
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Total number of species: 27
iStock-Global_Pics
Barracuda
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Total number of species: 25
iStock/Juliosanjuan
Eagle Ray
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Total number of species: 600
iStock/ultramarinfoto
Wrasse
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Total number of species: 28
Udo Kefrig
Clownfish
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Total number of species: 90
Shutterstock-Rich Carey
Angelfish
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Total number of species: 85
iStock-mirecca
Surgeonfish
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The best Months to dive in Sangalaki
While scuba diving in Sangalaki there are good conditions all year round. As it is close to the equator, Sangalaki isn’t visited by monsoons but has a rainy season from December through to March. As manta rays and green turtles are residents here, come anytime to see them playing in the shallows.
