Nadia Bintoro

Hard coral at Sangalakki. (Photos courtesy of Nadia Bintoro)

Underwater Delights of Derawan

Wisma Danakan on Derawan Island. (Photo courtesy of Nadia Bintoro)

When raving about marine tourism, many people cite Bali, Lombok or Manado as the go-to destinations in Indonesia. But off the remote coast of East Kalimantan lies another paradise: Derawan Island.

Located in Berau district, there are at least four main isles, each known for their distinctive natural beauty — Maratua, Derawan, Sangalakki and Kakaban. These islands have a diverse range of submarine life and are mostly favored by international divers due to their unique undersea assets. Derawan alone hosts at least 870 fish species, making it the second most diverse marine ecosystem in the country, after Raja Ampat in Papua.

Having heard and read many stories about Derawan, I harbored a strong desire to visit the island. When a public holiday resulted in a few days off work, I departed for a Derawan adventure with some of my colleagues.

Day 1: Bon Voyage

It takes seven long and grueling hours to get to Derawan from Balikpapan, East Kalimantan.

We catch a one-hour flight from Balikpapan to Tarakan, the closest city to Derawan, but we are still hours from our destination. To reach the island, we must continue our journey by sea, so we decide to rent a boat for Rp 9 million ($900), as the timetable for the public ferry is fairly limited.

This seems expensive, but with 21 people in our group, it’s deemed cost effective.

We crowd ourselves into a medium-sized boat for the four-hour trip to the main island of Derawan.

As the trip drags on, I reach my lowest point of boredom and tiredness. It seems like a long way to go on this heaving boat. My stamina has dropped and I feel like I’m losing sense of time; we got on the boat in bright daylight and now the sky is turning dark, the hours in between spent pressed up against my friends in what now feels like a very small vessel.

Eventually, the long ride is over. Our boat docks at the Danakan Motel port on Derawan. Above us, the night sky is awash with stars and the view spread before me is breathtaking. By the glow of the moon I can see the crystal blue sea beneath me; I can even glimpse the white sand of the seabed.

My fatigue fades as I gaze out at the mystical scene, the blue sea luring me in for a nighttime swim.

Day 2: Sangalakki

For our island adventure, we are staying at Wisma Danakan, a lodging house that offers some basic yet comfortable facilities, which is really all we need after a long day spent playing in the ocean.

I wake up early as I don’t want to miss my first sunrise on the island. Sitting there on the small pier, accompanied by my friends and listening to the sea splashing beneath me, I inhale the fresh morning air.

The sun rises and everyone is keen to get going with the day’s agenda. While some enjoy breakfast, my expat friends jump in the water to swim with a sea turtle that just happens to be passing beneath our pier. This is one of the most amazing features of Derawan — the island is a natural habitat for sea turtles ( Chelonia mydas ) and hawksbill turtles ( Eretmochelys imbricata ) . The turtles amble freely all over the island and seem unafraid of human visitors.

Using two small boats, we sail to Sangalakki, one of the nearby isles that we want to explore. The Sangalakki isles are famed for their manta rays and many travelers have seen up to 20 rays at a time, known collectively as a fever, gliding near the water’s surface to eat plankton.

It takes only 45 minutes to get to Sangalakki, which is quiet and seems uninhabited. The sea meets white sandy beaches, which are fringed with luscious mangrove forests.

We spend all morning playing at Sangalakki; running like Baywatchers along the shore, playing in the water, throwing fistfuls of fine, white sand at one other, and taking pictures to capture the moment.

Our group is divided into two: A group for snorkeling and one for diving. I choose to join the snorkelers. For me, getting close to the underwater wildlife in complete silence feels divine. And Sanggalakki does not disappoint. There are many varieties of coral, marine plants and fish around the isle. As our boat hovers in open sea, we paddle further and further to snorkel. We can explore as much as we wish. No limits or boundaries.

Day 3: Kakaban

On our third day, we choose to explore another nearby isle — Kakaban, which is mostly known for its distinctive lake.

Within the lake exists thousands of harmless jellyfish that are thought to have originated from the ocean. Scientists believe that the lake was created after a volcanic explosion and the jellyfish were isolated from their natural oceanic predators. As they then had no reason to protect themselves, they eventually lost their ability to sting.

The only other known situation of this kind is in the Philippines and Unesco has recognized Kakaban’s natural phenomena by nominating it as a World Heritage Site.

The trip to Kakaban takes about an hour by boat. Upon arrival, rows of dead coral prevent our boat from pulling up on the sand so we are forced to jump into the water and walk to shore.

My friends who are wearing flip-flops regret their choice of footwear as the sharp coral cuts their feet. We agree that it is highly advisable to wear snorkeling boots.

As we reach the lake, many of us are wondering: Where are the jellyfish? Unlike the sea, the water in Kakaban Lake is green and murky.

Giving in to my curiosity, I jump in wearing snorkeling msk. As my eyes become accustomed to the water, I see thousands of brownish-pink jellyfish in a variety of sizes swimming around me. It feels like swimming in pudding; soft and slippery.

It’s quite a tickly feeling, having jellyfish brush past me in the water. It’s a nice sensation — kind of as if you are floating in outer space with thousands of tiny UFOs.

During our exploration, we are able to find all four different species of Kakaban jellyfish: The brownish-pink one, which is the most common of the lake jellyfish ( Martigias Papua ) ; the dark brown one that is shaped like a mushroom, floating upward due to its need for sunlight ( Cassiopeia ornata ) ; one shaped like a giant transparent umbrella ( Aurelia aurita ) ; and one as small as my thumb ( Tripedalia crystophora ) . The last two species are rare and are reportedly quite difficult to spot. We feel lucky to have found them along with other fauna living in Kakaban, including sea cucumbers, anemones, yellow clams and even a sea snak e.

Day 4: Sea Turtle Breeding

Back at Wisma Danakan on our last night, a friend poses an idea: We will sail back to Sangalakki to visit the sea turtle conservation program and witness turtles laying their eggs at night.

As we reach Sangalakki by boat for the second time, we go straight to the Sea Turtle Monitoring and Research Station, which is managed by the East Kalimantan department of forestry and conservation. The officers are very helpful and give a thorough explanation on the conservatory processes of sea turtle breeding.

The officers find out where the turtles are laying and take us to the other side of the island. There in the darkness is a giant sea turtle getting ready to lay her eggs. The delivery seems to be a painful process and I feel reluctant to watch the turtle struggling with her task.

A female sea turtle usually has five to nine breeding partners during her lifetime and produces up to 200 eggs with each mate. But sadly, out of every 1000 eggs, only one will survive, find its way to the sea and grow into an adult. Because of this, the officers told us that they are very careful to monitor every stage of infant development so that more eggs can be salvaged for the conservation of the sea turtle population.

After laying her eggs, this sea turtle will then bury them and return to the water. When the time is right, the babies will break the egg shell and dig themselves out of the hole, before making their way to the ocean. To protect them from predators, the officers on Sangalakki often move the eggs to a shack where they can monitor them, before helping to release the babies at sea.

The next morning we are busy packing our stuff. The holiday is over; time has flown too quickly. Derawan, with all its unique natural beauty, has carved impressive memories in my mind. I make a note: I’ll be back. Soon.

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