Nunukan Maratua Atoll East Kalimantan Trip Report

[Dan]

Thanks for posting a nice trip report.

I was in Nabucco Island Resort (NIR) in May 2014. I like to stay there due to it's only 5-minute boat-ride away from the Bigfish Country dive site, which I dove several times.

It'll be a big plus if we can skip flying from Balikpapan to Berau & the grueling 3.5 hour boat ride from Berau to NIR. I'd definitely come back once the airport in Maratua is in operation.

 

[rong642002]

Folks, thanks for all the informations, so the airport will be ready next June. Right now Aggressor have a half price deal on mid September. Getting old now, 20 +hours flight not easy, and I have seems enough Manta from other places, now want to see more sharks. Btw if u have to go to Socorro , better go after January when the water is cooler, probably more big animals. My 2 cents.

 

[Dan]

If you go back, be so kind to give a feedback, because after cancelling the trip to Ahe ( Cederawasih bay) in 2013 due to serious back problems and missing them again in Triton bay last year , I am really keen to encounter this fascinating animals.

I've been to Cendrawasih Bay in June 2015 with Pearl of Papua liveaboard. It's a good place to go diving under the bagan to see several whalesharks sucking the oil out of those anchovies in the net underneath the bagan. Also seeing the airplane wrecks (USAF Mustangs & Japanese Mitsubishi Zeroes).

Another place that guarantees you to see whaleshark, I'm talking about tons of whalesharks, is in Isla Mujeres, Mexico during summer time (June-September) where snapper spawning. I went there last month and took this video:

@Ken Kurtis gave me these drone pictures of the site. You can see the whalesharks were as big as the boats (white sticks on the blue water). The whalesharks were busy filtering the fish eggs, consuming 100-150 kg/day. They don't care about you. They just swim around you. All you need to do is just put on your mask & look into the water.

After Cendrawasih Bay & Isla Mujeres trips, I pretty much fulfilled my crave of seeing whalesharks for a while.

 

[Dan]

Folks, thanks for all the informations, so the airport will be ready next June. Right now Aggressor have a half price deal on mid September. Getting old now, 20 +hours flight not easy, and I have seems enough Manta from other places, now want to see more sharks. Btw if u have to go to Socorro , better go after January when the water is cooler, probably more big animals. My 2 cents.

No this June. So it's already in operation, but it's going through a growing pain, as indicated by Maratua Guesthouse

 

[scubajunky17]

I can confirm Mexico was insane for whale sharks, and Mantas , must have been 50 + whale sharks in one area in August, chose a good operator though as some don't let you stay in the water for long.

 

[scubajunky17]

60 mantas in Sangalaki sounds amazing, is it tough to get too ?

 

[Dan]

I flew from Houston to Balikpapan through Manchester (UK) & Singapore with Singapore Airlines. Then took Sriwijaya Airlines from Balikpapan to Berau. Then Nabucco Dive Resort speedboat picked me up in Berau for 3.5h boat ride to Maratua through muddy Berau river (40% of the way) & blue sea (60% of the way). It'll be much better with an airplane directly from Balikpapan to Maratua. Hopefully they'll have it from one of bigger domestic airline companies like Garuda, Batik, Sriwijaya, Lion Air, Wings Air, etc., instead of just Susi Air.

 

[scubajunky17]

Thanks Dan, does that route exist or is it in the pipeline ? Bali / maratua ?

 

[Dan]

I've been checking around. Nothing found, yet. Still too new. The airport is only open for service may be about a month or so?

 

[Dan]

....Btw if u have to go to Socorro , better go after January when the water is cooler, probably more big animals. My 2 cents.

I have booked my Socorro trip for December 2018 with Nautilus Under Sea.