Nirvana Marine on the Derawan Island

A tropical paradise located in one of the island province of East Kalimantan, Berau precisely and in the Strait of Sulawesi, not far from the border with Malaysia. Derawan Island into a maritime tourist destinations attractive choice for you who likes the beach with soft white sand and clear water shining. Moreover, added bonus benign encounter turtles that swam happily while we do the dive.

Sometimes when sitting on the edge of a wooden bridge that leads to the sea, we can see the green turtles and fro on the surface of clear water. Occasionally even the turtles that seem to roam around the cottage is located on the coast of the island. At nightfall, several turtles climbed ashore and lay eggs there.

Alloy sea and moss colors produce stunning shades of blue and green, and a small forest in the middle, make this island so beautiful natural scenery presents a pity to miss for granted. What remains, deep memories.

Dr. Carden Wallace of the Museum of Tropical Queensland, Australia has examined marine wealth Derawan Island and found more than 50 types of Arcropora (marine animal) in one coral reef. No one seems if Derawan island famous as the third highest in the world as an international dive destination

This island is relatively less well known especially in the country because of its own struggle to achieve it takes quite complicated. You must go first to Balikpapan from Jakarta, Surabaya, Yogyakarta or Denpasar, to go to this island. Approximately two hours travel time of flight from Jakarta to Balikpapan.

From Balikpapan, you still have to fly to Cape Redeb for one hour with a small plane that served by KAL Star, Deraya or DAS. In addition, Cape Redeb can also be reached by sea, with boarded the ship from Samarinda Tarakan to Tanjung Redeb or proceed with the lease motorboat to the island Derawan with long travel approximately 2 hours.

Many foreigners who just got off the plane at the airport Kalimarau, Cape Redeb Derawan rushed to the island by motorboat which was moored at a specific port.

Another alternative could also through land route from Balikpapan to Tanjung Batu and from there crossed over to the island Derawan. It's just that this is not a good choice because of travel crossing itself takes up to a dozen hours with a relatively unpleasant terrain.

Even so, you know, just a lot of foreign tourists who already knew more about the existence of this exotic island. A number of Japanese tourists through travel from Tokyo who were there "shoot straight" go to Singapore or to Sabah and then continue the trip to Aberdeen, then to Cape Redeb using small aircraft.

They utilize their time during the Derawan with diving, down the underwater beauty of the island which indeed is the best location for diving. Moreover, with the condition of the remote islands and "virgin" increasingly add charm anyone to enjoy it as long as possible.

Never mind all the way, only within a distance of 50 meters from the beach, we already can see the beautiful coral reefs and colorful fish back and forth. The water is very clear. You can rent a snorkel for Rp 30 thousand per day. If you want to dive deeper, we can find fish that are more "exotic" such as grouper, red fish, fish kurisi, fish, barracuda, sea cucumbers, and oysters. On a rock at a depth of ten meters, there is a reef known as "Blue Trigger Wall" because of the reef with a length of 18 meters there is a lot of trigger fish (red-toothed trigger fishes).

Island Derawan provide accommodations facilities (cottages), rental of diving equipment as well as restaurants. There is also a cheap lodging-inn fare that is managed by local people. The range of prices ranging from Rp 45 thousand to USD 100 thousand / night.

Still not satisfied?

You can also review the other islands around Derawan. For example: Charitable Island, Maratua, and Kakaban which has its own uniqueness. Pari Fish Blue (Manta Rays) that had reached 3.5 meters wide with a population on the island of Charitable. In fact can also be found-if lucky enough, black stingray with wide "wingspan" 6 meters. While Kakaban have uniqueness in the form of a prehistoric lake in the middle of the sea, the only one in Asia.

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Kingdom of manta stingrays in the Islands Derawan

Manta stingrays are the species most large-sized stingrays in the world. Type the largest can grow up to 7 meters with a weight of more than 2 tons. I visited one of the royal manta in Indonesia which lies in waters around the island of Charitable, Derawan Islands, Berau, East Kalimantan.

Fish with the Latin name of this birostris Manta will manifest themselves at high tide. Tide brings with plankton, which is his favorite food. The sign, which was originally sea water began to clear blue colored turbid due to plankton.

Charitable Island can be reached within an hour away by motor boat from the island Derawan. Shortly after arriving, we saw manta began to arrive and swim just below the water surface. We plunge into the sea, a few hundred feet from the manta. Speedboat should not be too close because it could frighten the animal tame.

I then swam his best to reach the manta. Not the actual swim, because I simply could not and did not know swimming technique. Exactly, trying to move the agency forward. Luckily, manta swam directly towards me.


Dark and sinister figure who makes me pause while he continued to go at me. His form is very large with a wide mouth reminds me of the sharp-tailed rays that can kill humans. In fact, the manta which is not dangerous.

Shortly before we collided, manta contort his body to the bottom. His movements were so graceful like a dancer. He then swerved back toward his coming again. Manta swim fast and I just stared at the departure of the black manta graceful.

Not only one manta appears, there are some that swim around. This beast is also known to jump into the water. If lucky, manta can appear clustered in large quantities. This place is also a favorite spot of divers because of its beauty. Unfortunately, I can not dive.

Manta is only one of hundreds of fish that live in these waters. There are at least 872 kinds of reef fish that inhabit this region with six different species of dolphins and three types of whales.

Derawan I visited at the invitation of The Nature Conservancy, the nonprofit that works to preserve the marine ecosystem of this island. Currently Berau Aquatic Conservation Area face many threats, such as destruction of coral reefs, sea turtles illegally catching and environmentally unfriendly fishing with poison and bombs.

In fact, Derawan islands are areas with coral reefs second richest in the world. Extensive coral reefs no less than 66 thousand hectares. Diversity of coral reefs in this region amounted to more than 507 species, can only be defeated by the diversity in Raja Ampat Islands, Papua.

The islands also became the center of the green turtle nesting Chelonia mydas alias. Almost every night there are green turtles in a dark corner of the beach. There is also a hawksbill turtle Eretmochelys imbricata or very rare.

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Sea in the bottom of the lake in Dua Rasa Lake

Deep in the interior of East Kalimantan there, unfurled Labuan Lake Mirror. Clear Lake is special because it has the sea at the bottom. Sea in the bottom of the lake? True, this lake has a flow of salty water that exist only in the bottom of the lake

Labuan Mirror Big Dipper is located in Sub-Plow, East Kalimantan. When viewed on a map, located right in the back of the nose of Borneo. This place can be gone in three-hour sea journey from Derawan.

The top of Labuan Mirror Lake contains freshwater such as lakes in general. But there are a few feet below the flow of salt water. Strangely, both types of water is not mixed. In plain view can be seen that the sea water and fresh water are separated by a similar layer of clouds.

No one has done research in this area so that the formation of this phenomenon remains a mystery.


White turbid layer was allegedly the result of spoilage organisms harbor the basis of the trapped and unable to go. Two types of water in this lake also provides the organism of both worlds. Freshwater fish living on the surface, while sea water fish can be found at the bottom of the lake.

When I get there, incidentally is a thin layer of fresh water. The crew had to dive and taste the salty water at a depth of about two meters. Apparently, the thickness of freshwater and saltwater can be changed in accordance with tidal sea water.

This tiny lake surrounded by woods and there are towering cliffs on one side. We were treated to music while swimming jungle - the sound of birds and insects. Not surprisingly, the lake is named Labuan Mirror: water clear as a bell until the person can reflect on it. Flows in some places quite strong and easy to drag people who can not swim.

To reach this place we had to ride the canoe fishermen and travel pass for 15 minutes, through the bush and mangrove forests. The forest was still inhabited by various wild animals like monkeys, bekantan, otters and bears.

Because the distance is quite far from the city, rarely or almost no tourists who visit here. This place is only known by local people from around the area. Facilities and infrastructure are still sober. The place we stayed was a Fisherman Information Center (IC) assisted The Nature Conservancy, an environmental activist organization invited me to visit this place.

PIN-shaped house on stilts at the edge of the mouth of a river, only a few hundred meters from the sea. The house has such a small dock where boats tie up. River in front of the PIN brackish water. Keasinannya levels depend on tidal sea water. When the sea receded, the river became very clear that basically can be seen clearly.

From the porch we could see the fish moving around everywhere. Ardi, children of fishermen who like to play in a PIN to explain to us the kinds of fish. There are many prickly fish, there are fish that sting and long flat-bodied fish. Not only visited by the fishermen, the PIN is also a hangout for the children of fishermen who want to watch a film about sea life or read a library's collection.

It was getting dark when some fishermen went to sea. As we spent the night by drinking coffee on the porch and stared at the river water and the moon was almost full. Peaceful atmosphere that can not be found in the city.

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