Derawan & Sangalaki · Indonesia · Wall · Coral garden
Lighthouse Virgin Cocoa Islands
Reef top at 5-10 m, then a wall to a 70 m sand floor
Area photo: Fahrian44 · CC BY-SA 4.0
A steep wall that starts where the reef top ends at about 10 m and falls to a sandy bottom at 70 m, with overhangs cut into the face on the way down. The variety of corals is what the site is known for, and the shallows above hold enough reef fish that snorkellers get most of what the divers do.
Where it is and how deep
2.0983° N, 118.7320° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The reef top sits at 5 to 10 m and is the shallow half of the site: the variety of corals here is exceptional, and there are enough reef fish over it that snorkellers see most of what the divers do. At about 10 m the ground stops and the wall begins, dropping steeply to a sandy bottom at 70 m, so the dive becomes a matter of choosing a depth on that face and holding it.
There are overhangs in the wall to look into as you work along it, and the open side is worth checking rather than ignoring — leopard sharks, mantas and dolphins are all seen out in the blue water. The sand floor is far below anything recreational, so the sensible profile is to run the wall, then come back up onto the reef top and finish the dive shallow among the fish and the coral.
Marine life and season
- Manta rays
- Dolphins
- Reef fish swarms
- 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.
Questions divers ask
Can you snorkel at Lighthouse Virgin Cocoa Islands?+
Yes. The reef top is at 5 to 10 m and carries an exceptional variety of coral and a lot of reef fish, so snorkellers see a good part of what the divers do before the wall drops away.
Sources
- Lighthouse Virgin Cocoa Islands — Scubago
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Muck & macro
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Reef sharks resting on the sand inside the cave
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