I spend 10 days on board of the SMY Ondina discovering the best reefs of the archipelago. The Derawan archipelago consists of 31 islands, most well known among these are the islands of Derawan, Kakaban, Maratua and Sangalaki.
Diving
The reefs were in good condition with abundant marine life. The highlights for me were:
- the baby sea turtles finding their way to the sea as part of a conservation project
- jellyfish lake: a unique ecosystem with millions of harmless stingless jellyfish
- and last but not least, the whale sharks gathering around the fishing platforms. I know there is some debate about the way this is done. But in this case, I had the feeling that only a small amount of bycatch was given.
During the trip, I didn't see a single manta ray, which surprised me a little. The local dive guide said they had all been eaten. But I don't know if I should believe that.
On most of the dive sites we were alone.
Boat
The SMY Ondina is certainly not the most luxurious boat in the area. But it is a boat that is very well suited to divers and people with cameras. The dives were very well organized with small groups.
And not unimportantly: very tasty food. Chef Ronny has been working on the boat for 20 years.
Here is the link to my video:
Diving
The reefs were in good condition with abundant marine life. The highlights for me were:
- the baby sea turtles finding their way to the sea as part of a conservation project
- jellyfish lake: a unique ecosystem with millions of harmless stingless jellyfish
- and last but not least, the whale sharks gathering around the fishing platforms. I know there is some debate about the way this is done. But in this case, I had the feeling that only a small amount of bycatch was given.
During the trip, I didn't see a single manta ray, which surprised me a little. The local dive guide said they had all been eaten. But I don't know if I should believe that.
On most of the dive sites we were alone.
Boat
The SMY Ondina is certainly not the most luxurious boat in the area. But it is a boat that is very well suited to divers and people with cameras. The dives were very well organized with small groups.
And not unimportantly: very tasty food. Chef Ronny has been working on the boat for 20 years.
Here is the link to my video:
