Derawan & Sangalaki · Indonesia · Wall · Coral garden
Gorgonzola
Bumphead parrotfish schools and a wall of gorgonian sea fans
Area photo: Fahrian44 · CC BY-SA 4.0
A wall east of Maratua's northern tip, about 20 minutes from the Nabucco Islands, standing on a sandy plateau at 30 m. Gorgonian sea fans grow across healthy hard and soft coral on the face, and the reef top above the drop is as much of the dive as the wall itself.
Where it is and how deep
2.3105° N, 118.5764° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site lies east of the northern tip of Maratua, about 20 minutes out from the Nabucco Islands, and it is dived with the right shoulder to the wall. The wall bottoms out on a sandy plateau at 30 m, which sets the deep limit of the dive, and the face above it carries healthy hard and soft corals with many gorgonian sea fans.
What makes the dive unusual is that the reef top is as much of a draw as the drop, and it is where the last part of the dive goes. Schools of bumphead parrotfish are on the sightings list here, and there are a lot of small fish and macro subjects in the coral for anyone willing to slow down and look. The profile is straightforward: along the wall with the reef on your right, then up and back over the top.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
- Macro critters
- Pristine corals
| 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
- Gorgonzola — Scubago
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