Derawan & Sangalaki · Indonesia · Wall · Drift
Lighthouse Maratua
Dived on current for eagle rays, threshers and whale sharks
Area photo: Fahrian44 · CC BY-SA 4.0
A wall on the north side of Maratua, 25 minutes north of the Nabucco Islands, standing above a sandy plateau at 40 to 45 m. It is dived on moving water rather than at slack, and the species list runs from spotted eagle rays and gray reef sharks up to thresher sharks and whale sharks.
Where it is and how deep
2.3149° N, 118.5709° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site is the wall along the north side of Maratua, 25 minutes by boat from the Nabucco Islands, and it is deliberately dived when the water is moving: moderate to strong current is the condition it is chosen for, not the one to wait out. Below the steeply sloping reef a sandy plateau sits at 40 to 45 m, deeper than the dive needs to go, so the profile is held above it and the plateau is something you look down onto.
What the current brings is the reason to be there. Spotted eagle rays and gray reef sharks are the regulars, thresher sharks and whale sharks the ones that make the trip, and barracuda, spiny mackerel and tuna hold in the flow off the wall. There is macro life on the face for the stretches when nothing is passing, so the dive rewards watching the open water as much as the reef itself.
Marine life and season
- Eagle rays
- Reef sharks
- Thresher sharks
- Whale sharks
- 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.
Know before you go
- The site is dived in moderate to strong current: the flow can be stronger than expected, so a surface marker and a boat following the bubbles are part of the plan.
Sources
- Lighthouse Maratua — Scubago
More dive sites in Derawan & Sangalaki
Channel & pass
Hook in on the channel edge and let the current run
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Slope to a 40-50 m wall, finished on the reef top next door
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Pygmy seahorses on the wall, marlin out in the blue
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Bumphead parrotfish schools and a wall of gorgonian sea fans
Reef
Feather stars and sponges on a slope to 40 m
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
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Reef sharks resting on the sand inside the cave
Similar dives elsewhere
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