Diving & Travel Guide to the Derawan Archipelago

About Derawan Archipelago

The Derawan Archipelago is a stunning chain of islands in the Sulawesi Sea off the coast of East Kalimantan, comprising the main islands of Derawan, Maratua, Sangalaki, and Kakaban, each offering a unique and extraordinary diving experience. The archipelago is world-famous for Kakaban Island's stingless jellyfish lake, one of only a handful of such lakes in the world, where millions of golden jellyfish have evolved without stinging cells over thousands of years of isolation. Sangalaki Island is a critical nesting ground for green and hawksbill turtles, with some of the highest turtle nesting densities in Southeast Asia, and the surrounding waters provide spectacular turtle encounters on almost every dive. Maratua Island, a dramatic atoll rising steeply from the deep Sulawesi Sea, offers thrilling drift dives along its walls with regular sightings of reef sharks, schooling barracuda, and eagle rays in crystal-clear visibility. Derawan Island itself provides easy shore-accessible diving on its coral-rich house reef, making it ideal for relaxed multi-day diving without the need for extensive boat transfers. The marine biodiversity across the archipelago is exceptional, with over 870 fish species and 500 coral species documented, supported by the nutrient-rich waters of the Sulawesi Sea and the Berau Delta system. The islands also host important mangrove forests and seagrass meadows that serve as nursery grounds for juvenile marine life, creating a complete and thriving marine ecosystem. With relatively good accessibility from Balikpapan and a range of accommodation from budget to mid-range, Derawan offers one of the most accessible and diverse diving experiences in Indonesian Borneo.

Highlights

• ✓Kakaban Island's world-famous stingless jellyfish lake with millions of golden jellyfish
• ✓Sangalaki turtle nesting ground with near-guaranteed turtle encounters on every dive
• ✓Maratua atoll drift diving with reef sharks, eagle rays, and schooling pelagics
• ✓Derawan Island shore-accessible house reef diving for all levels
• ✓Over 870 fish species and 500 coral species across the archipelago
• ✓Complete marine ecosystem with mangroves, seagrass, and deep ocean habitats

Getting There

The Derawan Archipelago is accessed via Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan International Airport (BPN) in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, with direct flights from Jakarta, Surabaya, and Singapore. From Balikpapan, travelers can fly to Tanjung Redeb on Berau (approximately 1 hour) and then take a road transfer to Tanjung Batu harbor (30 minutes), followed by a 30-minute speedboat to Derawan Island. Maratua Island has its own airstrip with limited charter flights from Balikpapan. The journey is relatively straightforward for remote Indonesian diving, and several operators offer complete transfer packages from Balikpapan airport to the islands.