Nunukan Maratua Atoll East Kalimantan Trip Report

[scubajunky17]

OK thanks, Soccoros will be amazing for sure!

 

[Immeriswas]

Just got the information from Beat the manager on Nunukan, that the airport opened in october and has one flight a week from Balikapan on saturday. That makes it easier and faster. About the diving there is the news , that they dicovered a place in the uninhabitated atoll south of Maratua where regulary tresher and other sharks are been seen.

 

[billt4sf]

Just came back from a longer stay in Indonesia and like to share my experience with Extra Diver on Nunukan island our first dive stop on a mixed over/underwater trip .
The island has 20 well fitted bungalows, not to close together with a spaciuos terrace/balcony, on witch a wide double matraze invites to relaxe, watch the sunset and even spent a night under the stars ( if the mosquito situation allows it ).
Between Nunukan and the next island- Cocoa palm, a luxuriuos yoga retreat resort - is a 1 km long wooden walkway on witch you can see above the laggoon already a lot without getting wet at all: barracuda , turtle, oktopuss, black tips,blue dotted stingrays, batfish etc.
Beside it gives you a opportunity to walk a bit or even jogg if you feel to do.
At the time of our 10 days stay there were a total of18 turtle nests and we had the luck to see two " protected " hatchings of arround 60 turtle babies each.
The island is rarely fully booked, so that there is ample of space to have your privacy and the two restaurants were never crowded.
We were lucky to be there only with 2-4 other guests, witch leads to very flexible and "custom made " diving opportunities.
The swiss run dive center is well organized , the rental equipment in a very good condition and the guides very helpfull with Eagle eyes - as usually in Indonesia .
The dive sites are between 5 min ( 8 spots alone along the 3km long housereef) and 45 min away.
One highlights is the " Big fish country " , a channel near the sister island Nabucco island, where you hang -after a negative entry - around with the reef hook in about 25 m depth and incoming current to watch the numerous gray and reef sharks before you work your way over the 30m wide channel, to reach the south side, where a stationary baracuda tornado with far over 1000 indviduals is a very impressive sight - like a darkening cloud blocking out the sunlight.
The other two highlights are first the jelly fish lake at Kakaban island with four different types of not stinging jellyfishes (one swimming upside down)- a bit like in Palau i guess- and the other is Sangalakis Manta point where the chance to meet the white and black species like in RA is over 90 %.
The day we were there , we had got lucky and encountered over 60 ! on both dives and in the surface interval a snorkel drift thru this massive amount of this fascinating animals.
Together with all the other very good dive sites I would really give this place a recommandation to visit.

Here are some pictures

https://www.flickr.com/photos/129925047@N03/albums/72157676306182582

This place?

Hotel: Nabucco´s Nunukan Island Resort / Indonesia

 

[billt4sf]

This flight? (I'm pretty sure not. This looks like it's on Kalimantan).

• BEJTanjung Redeb, Indonesia - Kalimarau Airport

 

[Immeriswas]

This flight? (I'm pretty sure not. This looks like it's on Kalimantan).

• BEJTanjung Redeb, Indonesia - Kalimarau Airport

View attachment 440143 View attachment 440144

here is the correct- so far as I can see - information about the flight and yes Nabucco`s Nunukan is the resort we stayed. Extra diver have another resort called only Nabucco near the channel "big fish country" . but we liked the other one better. Feel free if you have more questions. It is a great place!

Diving Nabucco with Extra Divers | Maratua Atoll, East Kalimantan