Reefwander
A pair of pink anemonefish peering out from the swaying tentacles of a large sea anemone — Derawan & Sangalaki

Derawan & Sangalaki · Indonesia · Wall · Coral garden

Sea Wall Garden

Dense hard and soft coral on a wall to 25 m

Area photo: Fahrian44 · CC BY-SA 4.0

A steep wall 15 minutes from either the Nabucco or the Nunukan Islands, dropping to 20 to 25 m before it gives way to a sandy slope. Coral cover is the draw: many healthy hard and soft species on the face, with lobsters back in the holes and spotted stingray on the sand below the drop.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Sea Wall Garden: typical dive to 25 m (to 82 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit25 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

2.2183° N, 118.6740° EPublished position for this site.

The dive

The wall is a 15-minute run from either the Nabucco Islands or the Nunukan Islands, which makes it one of the easier sites in the group to fit into a day. It is steep and drops to 20 to 25 m, where it flattens out into a sandy slope, so the profile is shallow by the standards of the Maratua walls and there is time to spend on looking rather than on managing depth.

Coral is the point of the dive: many healthy hard and soft species grow on the face, and that alone is reason to work it slowly. Lobsters sit back in the wall, macro subjects are spread along it, and spotted stingray come up onto the sand at the foot of the drop. It suits divers who would rather cover one stretch of reef closely than get through a lot of ground.

Marine life and season

  • Stingrays
  • Macro critters
  • Pristine corals
Month-by-month season rating for Sea Wall Garden
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairGoodPrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodGoodGoodFairFair

Season follows Derawan & Sangalaki: April–October dry season gives the clearest water and most reliable manta encounters at Sangalaki.

Sources

  1. Sea Wall Garden — Scubago

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