The State Of Sangalaki!

[Zippsy]

Yes, the resort on Sangalaki itself has been closed, apparently for conservation reasons (sounds like what's happened at Sipadan?), so no more development on the island. I was told it has a permanently manned guard-post and turtle conservation unit there.

I love it. Since when is turning a dive resort into a commercial fishing base good for conservation? Don't get me wrong, I am not criticizing you as you can only check what is available in the news. According to to someone who was on the ground there, fishemen have taken over the island and trashing the place to an extent that it is hard for turtles to get up on the shore. I doubt any eggs that do get laid survive any poaching and I doubt the fishermen will move on until the fish are gone too. Selamat datang ke Indonesia.

 

[gee13]

Turtle Conservation??? I think the word is more like Exploitation of the island and its resources. If the foundation is looking after turtles on the island then they may have recently left because of the recent events. What is the reason behind the tone of despair left by Jeremy Stein and the redevelopment of the island? Because the authorities that have taken over the island have handed over to the fishermen. The island is apparently in a state of disrepair along with its marine inhabitants. I would like to entertain first hand evidence that will prove otherwise.

 

[Roger J Munns]

I've previously spent time on Sangalaki when it was run by Ron Holland and it is an extraordinarily beautiful island with great diving. In fact we filmed an episode of 'The Really Wild show' there a few years ago. I'm very concerned and keen to find out what the reality of the situation is now -It seems there are two polar opposite opinions being put out by the people closest to the issue. Are there any divers out there with any concrete evidence, photographic or otherwise of the junk/rubbish/fishing/bombing etc? If we can verify that there is a problem then we can start putting pressure on the authorities to do something.

 

[gee13]

Roger, the catch 22 here is that it would be quite difficult to be able to get a boat to the island. Im not sure if one booked on maratua, they would dive anywhere near Sangalaki in so much as topside photos can be taken. I believe Celebes explorer may go to those waters as well. Im incensed as the news was looking up for the future when Ron ceased his sub standard operation to the Steins, whom from reports were trying to get the place to a good diving standard for travellers. Im sure we would welcome anyone who can contribute more concretes such as photos of the island topside so we can get a better understanding. I have sent messages to Jeremy Stein but have had no reply as yet.

 

[Zippsy]

Okay, I spoke to someone from Indonesia who was at the resort at the end and has kept abreast of what happened and what is going on now. Apparently, the local government effectively closed the resort and kicked out the people who were managing it. The buildings now house local fisherman as a base for fishing out the area. They seem like kids in a candy shop and they are building more on the island too. Someone who saw the place recently says that the island looks like a dump site and it is so bad on the shoreline that the turtles can’t even get up to lay their eggs. For millennia, turtles have used the island as an important nesting site. According to the Turtle Foundation website, 10-20 green turtles came ashore every single night. The problem is that they aren’t anymore. I wonder how much the bribe was?

That was posted after talking to Caroline.

 

[Bora_Horza]

While I've not visited the area (yet! - might visit in April '10), I've some more bits to add to the mix of conflicting information

After getting in touch with the Turtle Foundation (who manage the conservation unit on Sangakaki) regarding the current situation there, I received the following reply, which I've partially quoted below:

Don't worry, the sea turtles respectively the nesting beaches of Sangalaki are always (all year round) protected by our rangers! As you can read on our website we have been preventing poaching on the island since the year 2000 (100% protection since 2002). The Turtle Foundation runs an all year ranger station and our rangers patrol the beaches every single night! (Of course our rangers also survey the adjecent off shore area and get active if they notice illegal fishing methods, because this is still a big problem in the whole area).

Yes, it is true, the Sangalaki Dive Lodge is not operating anymore on Sangalaki. The owners had problems with their permission and had to close down the lodge. There is a plan for another dive facility to be built on the island - but construction work has not started yet...

People who would like to visit Sangalaki (during the day) have to buy a permission / ticket at KSDA (the office for the protection of the environment) in advance. Only a ticket like that will allow them to visit the island during the day (it is not allowed to stay on the island overnight), which can be reached from the mainland or from neighbor islands (Maratua, Derawan, Nabucco...).

We hope this information helps.
Please let us know if you have any further questions or visit our website Turtle-Foundation > Home.

I also received the following reply to a question I asked on the Lonely Planet Thorntree website:

I was there in July (stayed on Derawan), in my opinion the area is fantastic and things are improving rather than going downhill (though it was my first visit).

The resort on Sangalaki was closed a couple of years ago for conservation reasons (well maybe other factors were involved but this is the official line) - the island is now a total preserve for nesting turtles and has a permanently manned guard-post and turtle conservation unit there. You can land and walk around by day and maybe also at night join the turtle guys to watch nesting turtles, but you can also see this on Derawan. And of course can still dive and snorkel the surrounding reefs. Snorkelling with 6-7 huge circling mantas off Sangalaki is one of my all-time underwater highlights.

In July this year if you haggled with boat guys you could go on a day trip to Sangalakai from Derawan for 600,000 (this boat will take up to 4 people so can split the cost if share with others). To go to Kakaban and Sangalaki same day was 750,000 or 800,000.

Many places to stay on Derawan which is home to a Badjo vilage, also a resort on Maratua and rumours of a planned resort on Kakaban - although this would be a mistake in my opinion.

As with many places in the region fish bombing and other nasty practices have occured in the past but these do seem to be a thing of the past now, there are conservation and education programmes and initiatives that seem to be paying off, although the harvesting of hawksbill turtles while protecting and respecting green turtles is still an issue on Derawan.

The islands get very few visitors compared with nearby Mabul, Sipadan etc. or with Bunaken but the underwater life is just as good if not better, and of course the price is much cheaper. The more people do go the more incentive there is for locals to protect the marine resources.

On Derawan there are only really 2 dive operations - a really expensive one within Derawan Dive Resort or a better priced alternative within Danakan Homestay. The problem with the latter is they are often pre-booked by groups so if you just arrive it can be tricky to get a dive. Snorkelling around Derawan and Sangalaki is great, in fact snorkel is best for the Mantas. Maratua and Kakaban have drop-offs with big stuff possible.

Enjoy your visit.

Finally, theres this interesting travel report from October 2009, with quite a few pics of Sangalaki (at the bottom of the blog): Manta fun in Turtle city

 

[Roger J Munns]

The 'Manta fun' report from travelblog looks very positive (apart from the flash photography of nesting turtles!) and doesn't mention any negative impacts on the island itself. I do believe though that the best deterrent to destructive fishing practices is to have a dive resort on the island itself. My faith in rangers and marine park enforcement has taken a severe battering over the years. In my opinion forcing out rainbow divers will have a negative effect on the environment around sangalaki in the long term. Thanks for the links Bora.

 

[Sib]

Does anyone have an email address for Losemen Danakan? I have an email address for Kadek, but I have not received a response. I would like to book to stay and dive with them in May.

 

[snhughes]

Hello,
I was planing to go on holiday with my girlfriend and do a diving course in Sangalaki. However, after reading the discussions about what happened in 2009, I have some doubts.
Has anybody got any news about the island since 2009? Has the marine life being affected since then because of fishing? Are Mantas still plentiful?

I am thinking about staying and doing a course in Nabucco instead but wonder how things are over there too.

Many thanks,
Sean Hughes.

 

[Mike Veitch]

Hi Sean, I haven't been since 2012, but there was no resort on Sangalaki then, and I don't believe there is now either, its a "Govt protected area" instead. However, there are a few resorts on neighbouring Derawan and Maratua. I don't personally think the diving or coral life is as good as other areas you could visit to do a dive course like Bali, Raja Ampat, Komodo, or Bunaken for example. However, there are a lot of turtles on the sites there, the jellyfish lake at Kakaban is awesome, some big schools of barracuda (but very currenty areas for those) plus a good chance of mantas.