Derawan & Sangalaki · Indonesia · Muck & macro · Night
Mandarin Lagoon
Mandarinfish at dusk, then straight into the night dive
Area photo: Fahrian44 · CC BY-SA 4.0
A shallow sandy bottom four minutes from the Nabucco Islands, dived just before sunset for mandarinfish mating and then carried straight on into the night. Depth is 5 to 6 m, so what limits the dive is patience rather than gas or no-stop time, and every subject on it is a small one.
Where it is and how deep
2.2513° N, 118.6231° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The dive is timed rather than routed. The site is four minutes from the Nabucco Islands, and divers want to be on the sand in the last of the light, because the point of the dive is to observe mandarin fish mating just before sunset. The bottom is shallow sand at 5 to 6 m, so you settle, pick a patch and wait rather than swim, and what happens, happens a body length in front of you.
Once the light has gone the same dive continues as a night dive over the same ground, which is why it is usually booked as one entry rather than two. Pyjama cardinalfish, giant nudibranchs, squid, moray eels and flatworms are the standing cast after dark. At 5 to 6 m the tank outlasts most divers' patience for small subjects, so this is a photographer's dive more than a sightseeing one.
Marine life and season
- Mandarinfish
- Nudibranchs
- Squid
- 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.
Questions divers ask
What time do you dive Mandarin Lagoon?+
Just before sunset. The mandarin fish mate in the twilight window, and the same dive then continues into a night dive over the same shallow sandy bottom at 5 to 6 m.
Sources
- Mandarin Lagoon — Scubago
In The Logbook
- When the reef spawns: the moon's other calendarBig animals · 10 min read
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