Do Not Dive With Sangalaki Dive Lodge

[malaysia-islands]

No, Sipadan-Ligitan is way off from Sangalaki. Malaysia did not contest this island.

The book I read from Jack Jackson titled "Dive Sites in Malaysia/Singapore" surprisingly featured Sangalaki, and some info on how to get there. Not surprisingly, the writer suggested divers to Sipadan/Mabul to check Sangalaki as well.

 

[shimashimaya]

was at SDL last year - you can read my other posts on the terrible experience i had there, as well as what i heard from other divers who had been there. for more details, feel free to write me a personal message.

 

[diver69]

To respond to a few points that were bought up here:

1. Not all Indonesian Dive opertators are this bad. Last year, I went to Lembeh Strait and dove with Liburan Live Aboard (on Rudy's old boat - he now has a beautiful new boat) and I was really impressed with the service. The boat was pretty old as I said, but the dive guides, owner, everyone we dealt with were excellent. Rudy and his wife even took us to a seafood restaurant for a nice dinner when we returned to Manado. I have also dived in Philippines (4 different resorts), Malaysia (Pulau Sipadan Resort, Borneo Divers, Perhentian Island, etc) and Thailand (Phuket). Other than an indifferent dive master in Phuket (I think he was one of those that showed up at the dock and got a "job" type), all my experience have been pretty good. I am not a demanding customer at all...

2. I think people lump Sangalaki with Sipadan/Mabul for a few reasons. One of the main one (I believe) is because Ron Holland is one of the original owners of Borneo Divers (which was synonamous (sp) with Sipadan). Also, Borneo Divers was affiliated with Sangalaki - they used to do all the bookings for Sangalaki. Now this may or may not be true, the feeling I got is that Borneo Divers cut Holland loose and his piece of the pie for getting out of Borneo Divers was Sangalaki. I guess he thought he could turn Sangalaki into another Sipadan, but it hasn't. ***Before anyone screams and yell and threatens to bite my head off (like one poster did in another forum), I have to reiterate, this is pure speculation on my part - from all the little pieces of information I have gathered***

3. Another reason (I believe) why Sangalaki gets grouped with Sipadan and Mabul is because they are all in Borneo.

Batfish - I would be very careful before booking anyone on a trip to Sangalaki...

 

[ScubaSalsa]

a group of us (3 girls & 2 guys) are going up to Sangalaki from 6 to 11 Apr 06. You're welcome to join us. Here's a little write up about Sangalaki for your info. Email me at jjbek78@hotmail.com for the full details.


Where are we diving?:huh:

A group of islands in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, comprising of Sangalaki, Kakaban, Maratua & Derawan.

Sangalaki is a breeding ground for manta rays, and sightings are a daily occurrence. (Money back guarantee) It's also common to see eagle rays, sting rays, giant green turtles, leopard shark, cuttlefish, and all manor of the Indo-Pacific realm's dazzling array of tropical fish, hard and soft corals, and invertebrate life.

Sangalaki is also a prolific turtle breeding area. You will have the opportunity to see mating activity, nesting, egg laying, and baby hatchlings making their way back into the sea, completing the cylce of life. Anyone interested in wildlife will find this a truly unforgettable experience.

The nearby island of Kakaban contains a unique jellyfish lake. Similar to the one in Palau, it is home to millions of (non-stinging) jellyfish and a host of other exotic life, including some species found no where else in the world. The lake is teeming with at least 4 species of stingless jelly fish including one of an upside down species of Cassiopea. (possibly Cassiopea Xamachana).


When are we diving?

6 Apr 06 to 11 Apr 06 (6D5N package)

Where are we staying?

Derawan Dive Resort - www.derawan.com. It is situated in the middle of all the islands and is a good launching pad to go on day trips. The resort boasts of a fantastic house reef where you can find many macro critters. This means that we can do unlimited shore dives when we're not doing boat dives at the other islands.
How are we getting there?

6 Apr 06
0000hrs : Depart Singapore by minivan / bus to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA)
0500hrs: Arrive at KLIA
0645hrs: Depart KLIA on Airasia flight AK982 to Balikpapan (BPN)
0930hrs: Arrive in BPN for transfer to Berau.
1100hrs: Depart BPN on Kalstar Air (domestic flight) to Berau
1210hrs: Arrive in Berau for van & speedboat transfer to resort
1410hrs: Arrive at Derawan Dive Resort
* 1510hrs: Arrive at Sangalaki Dive Lodge/ Nabucco Island Resort/ Maratua Paradise Resort
1630hrs: Dive 1 - Check out dive
1900hrs: Dinner

7 Apr - 10 Apr 06
3 boat dives per day* (voucher system) and unlimited self shore dives including early morning dive and sunset dive (finish 2100hrs) at Jetty point.

11-Apr-06
0430hrs: Depart Derawan via speedboat transfer to Berau
0700hrs: Depart Berau to BPN on Kalstar Air (transit 10 minutes in Samarinda)
0830hrs: Arrive in BPN & transfer to Airasia
0955hrs: Depart BPN on Airasia flight AK983 to KLIA
1235hrs: Arrive in KLIA for transfer by minivan to Singapore
1800hrs: Arrive in Singapore

Total: at least 17 dives

What is the cost?

S$2200 includes return air ticket from KL to Balikpapan on AirAsia, return air ticket from Balikpapan to Berau on Kalstar Air, all taxes and surchages, all land & sea transfers, 5D4N twin sharing accomodation at Derawan Dive Resort, 3 meals at resort, equipment (BC & Reg)

How to sign up?

Reply to this email jjbek78@hotmail.com or call my hp @ 91072987 by 26 Feb 06. Places are limited. First come first serve basis. Spread the word.

 

[diver69]

ScubaSalsa,

Please share your experience upon your return. I would be really interested in learning the dive operations of Derawan and would love to know how often they have boats out to Sangalaki and Kakaban.

It's great that Air Asia flies to Balikpapan now - no need to route through Tawau (Malaysia) to save money. Before this, I checked Silk Air and it cost an arm and a leg!

I wish I could join your group - but I only get one trip per year out of this frozen landscape they call Canada...

Have fun and safe diving.

ps - is S$2200 a special rate?

 

[diver69]

Has anyone had any experience with SDL lately? Specifically after Jeremy Stein got involved?

Just a quick update, I did make it to Sangalaki in Nov 2006 (sorry, I neglected to post a thread about it). I stayed at a small operation on Derawan Island run by a guy called Kadek, who used to work for Borneo Divers in Sipadan. Very simple accommodation and simple Indo food. Slow fishing boat to the dive sites. But very reasonably priced and the diving was AMAZING.
Dove all three islands - Sangalaki, Kakaban and Maratua.
The slow boat was a bit of a pain, but otherwise, it was fun. We fished enroute to and from dive sites, and always catch something. And enroute back to Derawan at night, you see turtle zipping around (I assume to avoid the boat or were scared by the boat).
Lots and lots of turtle in Derawan. You can see them from the stilted room that you stay in.

Anyway - Great experience. Pain in the butt to get to Derawan (or Sangalaki for that matter), but worth the trip.

Please share any update on SDL.

 

[Waterbaby09]

We booked Maratua Paradise resort as we had read some real negative stuff about Sangalaki. (SEE Bottom for dive info). Then we saw a review written on Tripadviser about it and were horrified that maybe we had a made a huge mistake, but not so. Maratua Paradise may not be the best we have been to in Indonesia (and we are comparing with around 20) but it certainly isn't as awful as the other writer says. The resort organises everything from your arrival at Balikpapan airport to return. This involves a flight to Berau, a taxi to the boat and then 2.5 hours on a speed boat out to the island. The system was faultless. All the staff and crew friendly and helpful. OK, the boat was a little shabby but it was safe. The bungalows at the resort were huge and airy, air-con, fan, fridge, comfy bed. The dive centre again was pretty good, all the crew were charming and helpful, and the system well run. Food at the resort is far better than we thought, mostly fish or seafood, chicken once or twice but lots of vegetables and fruit, snacks free and available all day. Beer and soft drink prices were reasonable, much cheaper than in Manado where we spent our last trip.

The diving here is pretty good too. Sadly the corals are not in great condition but this is a mixture of natural and man-made causes. The water is too hot at 86 degrees and the corals are staring to bleach in some of the shallow areas. But the marine life is great - turtles everywhere, thresher sharks on the house reef and the dive at the Channel is outstanding for schools of big fish. We also dived on Kakaban, and both wall dives there were stunning, The jelly lake was good, not as good as Palau's but great all the same.

So that just leaves Sangalaki. Boy... were we disappointed. Bleached coral, Crown of thorns everywhere. We did 6 dives and no mantas. Over a 10 day trip, Maratua took a different group to Sangalaki almost every day and only one group got to see the mantas and only once. Loads of fishermen there too.

We really loved this area, great variety of diving but I wouldn't go just to see the mantas which was what we hoped. Maybe someone else has some more info on them, perhaps this is seasonal?

 

[SnappyTheDiver]

I just met a diver who was just at Sangalaki. He described diving as reasonably good. He also said the food was horrid and the managers were completely useless.

 

[Waterbaby09]

That doesn't surprise me, certainly they are hopeless at answering emails. Glad about that in some way as we considered booking the resort but didn't as they never replied!

 

[Jeremy P. Stein]

These previous reports on the service, or lack of it, from Sangalaki Dive Lodge are indeed deplorable. Infact the worst i've come across in my 30 years in the dive industry.

There are apparently reasons for this (although I can't think of any acceptable ones!) but certainly no excuses!

I established recreational diving in Vietnam 15 years ago and own & run Rainbow Divers throughout the country. We are the only PADI CDC, IDCs & National Geographic centres. Please see divevietnam.com

I took over Sangalaki Dive Lodge at the end on 2007 with my wife Caroline, who is a PADI MSDT & Photographer. We re-opened in March 2008 offering spaces for upto 10 guests. The Chalets have been rebuilt and the rest of the buildings renovated as required. Diveboats have new engines and the Chef is quite capable.

We believe that we now offer a correct diving service for anyone who wants to experience the wonders around Sangalaki & Kakaban.

Our website is sangalaki.net and I can be contacted at jeremy at sangalaki.net