Sangalaki/derawan

[JONATHAN A]

Hi,
I'm intending to dive Sipadan again at the end of April/ beginning of May. Initially I was going to combine it with a trip to Layang Layang but am now beginning to think Sangalaki/Derawan might be a better idea ?
If I do decide to visit Sangalaki and Derawan I'd really appreciate input on places to stay - the dive resort on Sangalaki looks great but may be a little expensive (have a few non-diving friends who may join me) has anyone stayed on Derawan - welcome your comments
Cheers
Jonathan

 

[davidlkh]

Are just asking about accomodations or diving or both?

Accomodation wise Sangalaki is quite basic and more like Sipadan Borneo Divers style since it used to come from those people. Great dive atmosphere and ambience. Fresh water is limited since it has to be shipped it.

Sangalaki is mainly for the big stuff like mantas, if you specifically ask for small stuff they have it there too.

Derawan is more luxurious, lots of freshwater, sheets are clean and food is OK. Diving is mainly for macro. They do run tours out to Sangalaki and Maratua, not sure if you have to pay extra for the longer journey.

 

[ssra30]

You basically have 3 choices, Sangalaki, Derawan and Nabucco. I have not been there yet but will be there with a group of friends next month. After quite a bit of research, we chose Nabucco. The main problem with Sangalaki is basic accomodation and no jetty dive so you basically just have your 3 dives/day. Derawan has the best house reef (lots of macro) and you can only dive there if you stay at Derawan. However you will have to travel quite far to get to Sangalaki, Karkaban and Maratua. Also they will charge extra when you go to remote sites. Nabucco has a housereef that is not nearly as good as Derawan but still decent. Nabucco is basically right by Maratua so commute time is very minimal. (from Berau, it is 2 hours boat ride to Derawan, 4 hours to Nabucco). Smaller place than Derawan, better food, newer accomodation etc. As far as prices go, they are all very similar I think.

 

[JONATHAN A]

Thanks for the replies, I'm trying to work out from both the diving and accomodation perspectives. I don't mind basic accomodation, that's not a problem, the price is more of a factor if I'm going to be travelling with my non-diving mates. I really want to go out to Sangalaki to see the bigger stuff, especially the mantas so I'm tempted to stay there - Nabucco looks very nice but is it close enough to allow daily trips to Sangalaki ?

 

[JONATHAN A]

ssra30, I just read a couple of your earlier posts and I must sau Nabucco does sound quite good. If you can do dives to Sangalaki everyday then this may be the answer for me...do you have any further info on Nabucco ?

 

[davidlkh]

Nabucco is a very tiny but well maintained island. They do provide trips to Kakaban and Sangalaki, but not everyday. Once a week you get one journey to Sangalaki and once a week another journey to Kakaban. Perhaps if you pay extra they may take you to Sangalaki everyday.
I think the Derawan diving schedule is about the same.
If you are looking for backpack style accomodations, there is a losmen at Derawan called Danakan. There is a small dive center there run by a french canadian. Not to be confused with the highly publisized Derawan Dive Resort. You will probably have to get your own speed boat to go to Sangalaki on a daily basis.

 

[davidlkh]

Nabucco does have a house reef and a jetty. But it is quite shallow. During low tide it is up to my waist. So I just snorkel around and take photos, tanks are not really needed.
The tidal flow is quite strong at the pier/house reef because it is connected to the channel. Not that you will get flushed out into the open sea, but you just have to pick the right time to jump in. Lots of macro stuff around the pier, and the vis can be quite good.
Now Nabucco has NITROX capability, they may have rebreathers.

 

[ssra30]

Yeah, I think from Nabucco, they will do dive trips 3 days a week away from Maratua.
Have you checked out www.nabuccoisland.com ?

 

[scubashooter]

I've been to all 3 Nabucco Derawan and Sangalaki. You do pay extra for extra dives to certain islands from all 3. What I did was break up my trip as I do with Sipadan/Mabul. I stayed at both Nabucco and Sangalaki in one trip, doing 6 days a piece. I renegotiated rates based on local diving only. The reasoning is simple. Why spend the extra time on a boat (1hr+) and only dive 2 dives? By being local you save time and get more dives.
Derawan has the funkiest system for diving the Sangalaki "chain" They have this voucher system based on how many days you stay at the resort. You have to pay more to go to the Sangalaki chain after exhausting your included vouchers. A lot more! They also charge more if you arrive from Tarakan.
May I suggest you reconsider Layang2 just based on the fact that it's logistically easier.
I did the Sangalaki connection twice using the ferry from Tawau (the ferry is a boon if you have LOTS of equipment!) and it's relatively painless and only 3 hrs. But there's lots of waiting around at Tawau and Tarakan. The Tawau-Tarakan flight is twice weekly now. Mine was 3 hrs late! The resorts also charge you more for the Tarakan transfer. All this taught me it wasn't worth the hassle to make a Sipadan/Sangalaki double feature...unless of course you won't be back in the area for a long time.

 

[davidlkh]

When diving two resorts for example Nabucco and Derawan or Sangalaki and Derawan, the internal transfer are not easy to arrange. They seem to squabble about who earns the transfer fee which is quite high for such a short trip.

Derawan wanted to charge me US$640 for the transfers and final trip back to Berau. Which I thought was too high since I know the water taxis would charge half that if not less (depends on your bargaining skills).

Nabucco and Sangalaki maybe easier to transfer between each other since the operators are on friendly terms with each other.

If you can't speak the local language your bargaining power and destination becomes difficult when dealing with the local water taxis.

If you are having difficulty arranging a two resort vacation, you can also try to contact this guy: senomentik@indo.net.id

He is on friendly terms with all three resorts and arranges a lot their logistics (parts, food, some ground handling).

In terms of Nabucco, specifically mention 3 dives per day as part of the deal, their default was 2 dives per day when I was there. Even when I arrived they were not too happy with the deal, but honored it after some negotiation.

If you are going via Kota Kinabalu, they now have direct flights to Tarakan, but I do not know what time and what day (not daily). Some guest in Sangalaki told me about it.