Derawan & Sangalaki · Indonesia · Reef · Sand slope
The Ridge
Stingrays on the sand plateau at the atoll's southwest tip
Area photo: Fahrian44 · CC BY-SA 4.0
A steep reef on the southwest tip of Maratua Atoll with a sandy plateau at 25 to 30 m, dived with the right shoulder to the reef. It is the local stingray site: the rays are on the plateau sand, hard and soft corals cover the reef above, and a leopard shark over the sand is the lucky sighting.
Where it is and how deep
2.0956° N, 118.6934° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site is on the southwest tip of Maratua Atoll, where a steep reef drops to a sandy plateau at 25 to 30 m. The plateau is the point of the dive, because that is where the stingrays are, so the sensible order is to come down onto the sand early rather than at the end. It is dived with the right shoulder to the reef, which keeps the slope as a reference the whole way along.
Above the sand the reef carries hard and soft corals and enough macro life to fill the shallower half of the dive once the deep part is done. A leopard shark over the plateau is the site's piece of luck rather than a fixture. The profile writes itself: deep first for the rays, then up onto the reef, along it with the reef on your right, and a shallow finish on the coral.
Marine life and season
- Stingrays
- 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.
Sources
- The Ridge — Scubago
More dive sites in Derawan & Sangalaki
Dived on current for eagle rays, threshers and whale sharks
Sleeping turtles at low tide on the west-coast slope
Wall
Dense hard and soft coral on a wall to 25 m
Wall
Pygmy seahorses on the wall, marlin out in the blue
Reef top at 5-10 m, then a wall to a 70 m sand floor
Wall
Reef sharks on the wall, a sunk house-reef boat at 16-21 m
Six or seven reef mantas feeding over the coral steps
Wall
Reef sharks resting on the sand inside the cave
Similar dives elsewhere
Panglao's critter slope, five minutes off Alona Beach
Sea apples scattered across the reef between 15 and 25 metres
Ghost pipefish and pygmy seahorses on a calm coral slope
A shallow coral bowl between two soft-coral mini walls