Derawan & Sangalaki · Indonesia · Wall · Sand slope
Big Fish Wall
Slope to a 40-50 m wall, finished on the reef top next door
Area photo: Fahrian44 · CC BY-SA 4.0
A sandy coral slope on the Maratua rim that turns into a wall at 40 to 50 m, dived in moderate current with the right shoulder to the reef. It runs into its neighbour Big Fish Country, and dives here are often finished on that site's reef top or in the channel rather than out on the drop.
Where it is and how deep
2.2587° N, 118.6372° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site starts as a sandy coral slope and keeps going down until it turns into a wall at 40 to 50 m. That edge is deeper than a recreational dive belongs, so the working part of the site is the slope above it. It is dived in moderate current with the right shoulder to the reef, which lets the flow do the moving and leaves the effort for looking rather than for swimming.
Nurse sharks and gray reef sharks are the sightings to watch the blue for, with eagle rays, schools of barracuda and tuna out over the drop and macro life in the coral on the slope. Because the site runs into its neighbour, the dive is often finished on the reef top at Big Fish Country or in the channel — a shallower and busier place to spend the last of the tank than the wall itself.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- Eagle rays
- Barracuda
- Tuna
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Derawan & Sangalaki: April–October dry season gives the clearest water and most reliable manta encounters at Sangalaki.
Sources
- Big Fish Wall — Scubago
More dive sites in Derawan & Sangalaki
Channel & pass
Hook in on the channel edge and let the current run
Wall
Pygmy seahorses on the wall, marlin out in the blue
Wall
Bumphead parrotfish schools and a wall of gorgonian sea fans
Reef
Feather stars and sponges on a slope to 40 m
Dived on current for eagle rays, threshers and whale sharks
Reef top at 5-10 m, then a wall to a 70 m sand floor
Muck & macro
Mandarinfish at dusk, then straight into the night dive
Wall
Reef sharks resting on the sand inside the cave
Similar dives elsewhere
The sheltered Lekuan site, and Bunaken's night dive
Limestone and white sand, a wall to 35 m, rarely any current
Shallow muck over a coral wall that falls to 60 m
A north-pointing finger from 15 m down to 34 m