Bangka Archipelago

Bangka Archipelago in North Sulawesi

Located on the northern tip of Sulawesi, where the Celebes and Molucca Seas meet, Bangka and the surrounding islands are home to more than 30 world class dive sites. With tropical vegetation reaching right down to white sand beaches, your diving could vary from fringing reefs with a truly outstanding variety of colourful soft corals to (south and south-east Bangka) jagged pinnacles with strong currents that teem with fish life.

Diving Bangka Archipelago

It’s not possible to give an overall description of the area’s diving, however here are the main dive sites:

Batu Gosok: A very interesting dive site consisting of a group of steep, volcanic pinnacles. There are many sheltered spots to shelter from currents and inspect the pinnacles’ many vertical cracks and caves for hidden critters. But don’t forget to look out into the blue for White-tip and Black-tip reef sharks, turtles, groupers, mackerel and dog-tooth tuna.

Batu Mandi: A large rock which breaks the surface, forming a steep slope where you can find a wide variety of nudibranchs.

Batu Pendeta: Another pinnacle where the explosion of colour from the soft corals provides a wonderful backdrop for marinelife that includes angelfish, triggerfish, butterflyfish and unicornfish. From the drop-off you can expect to see dogtooth tuna, jacks and a variety of sharks.

Busa Bora: As the average depth of this coral slope is 17m, it’s a great site for night diving. Prolific and healthy corals where large gorgonian sea fans and tree corals take centre stage.

Peter’s Sponge: Although this is a superb muck/macro site, it’s also said to be ‘the’ place in Bangka to spot dugongs (certainly on my own wishlist 🙂). On the white sand slope you might find Blue-ring octopus, Flamboyant cuttlefish, ghost pipefish, glassfish, frogfish, Ambon scorpionfish, and similar.

Sahaung: (5-35m depth) A collection of underwater boulders and pinnacles provide two distinct dives. Prepare your cameras for huge table corals, carpets of frilled leather corals in pink, brown, lilac and creams, diverse reef life including White-tip reef sharks, schooling fish, and passing pelagics.

Bangka-Archipelago

Bangka Archipelago Diving Conditions

Good year-round however March-June and September/October have nicer weather and better visibility (25m). Heavier rain can be expected November-February, with wind affecting some dive sites July/August. Surface conditions are usually calm with currents ranging from mild to strong depending on the dive site. Temperatures remain relatively constant at 28-29°C.

How to reach Bangka Archipelago

Bangka is situated between Bunaken National Marine Park and Lembeh Strait. The closest airport is Manado for both international and domestic flights. There are daily domestic flights from Jakarta and Bali. Carriers servicing the area are Garuda Indonesia, Air Asia and Sriwijaya Air. From Manado, the transfer to Bangka Island takes just over an hour by road then 20mins by boat.

Diving-Bangka-Archipelago

North Sulawesi Dive Packages

Several North Sulawesi resorts and dive centres offer multi-destination packages that include Bunaken Marine Park, Bangka Archipelago, and Lembeh Strait. Anyone who’s experienced a Bali Dive Safari through AMD-B knows exploring several destinations in one extended dive trip can be the best way to make the most of the time you have available.

For more information on Bangka archipelago diving, dive resorts, transfers, and to start your planning, please contact AMD-B’s ‘Beyond Bali’ Dive Travel Consultant today. As always, they will be more than happy to offer recommendations and make arrangements to suit your preferences. Contact us on Tours@AquaMarineDiving.com today!

Lombok

The island of Lombok, directly to the east of Bali. Lombok (4.725km2; slightly smaller than Bali) is famous for white sandy beaches and beautiful scenery. The island is pretty much circular in shape with a 70km peninsular called Sekotong on the south west coast.

Diving in Lombok

Diving around south Lombok is very popular as the area has pristine reefs, a multitude of dive sites and amazing marine diversity. The variety of marinelife is breathtaking and in addition to the many colourful reef fish, there is an abundance of macro life.

Diving around Sekotong is suitable for all levels of experience, from easy and relaxing dives on colourful reefs with lots of macro life, to exciting adrenaline dives in Belongas Bay.

Diving-in-Lombok

Lombok’s Diving Season

Lombok’s diving is good year-around with May to October, the dry season, offering 10-30m visibility. Dec/Jan has the highest rainfall. From the end of June to early November, Belongas Bay has Hammerhead sharks, Manta and Mobula rays, and more. The two best known dive sites in Belongas Bay are The Cathedral and The Magnet. Here you can see mackerel, tuna, barracuda, Napoleon wrasse, Eagle rays, White-tip and Black-tip reef sharks.

Black-tip-Reef-Sharks-Lombok

How to reach Lombok

Flights: There are domestic flights from Jakarta and Bali international airports.

Fast boats from Bali: Various operators; most leave in the morning. AMD-B recommends Bluewater Express: Well-designed boats with built-in safety features; a very well-managed company.

For more information on Lombok’s diving, dive resorts, transfers, and to start your planning, please contact AMD-B’s ‘Beyond Bali’ Dive Travel Consultants today. As always, they will be more than happy to offer recommendations and make arrangements to suit your preferences.
Contact us on Tours@AquaMarineDiving.com today!

Eagle-rays-Lombok

Maratua Island

Maratua Island

Located in the Derawan Archipelago which lies off the coast of East Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo, this large, upside-down U-shaped island partially encircles a massive lagoon at one end and is fringed with sheer rocky walls and coral reefs at the other.

Maratua covers 384sq kms of sandy white beaches and mangroves, and 3,735sq kms of territorial waters which scientists believe contain the third highest level of marine biodiversity in the world (after Raja Ampat and the Solomon Islands).

Maratua-Island

Diving in Maratua Island

“Vertical walls, pristine corals, strong currents and lots of big fish” summarise the diving in Maratua. It’s also been called “The Turtle Capital of Indonesia”. Visibility of 40-60m is common due to being almost 70kms from the mainland.

There are 20+ dive locations around Maratua. One stand-out dive is the incoming-to-slack high tide drift through the channel (entrance is 27m) into Maratua’s lagoon. These strong currents attract large pelagics including Eagle, Devil and Giant stingrays, Whalesharks, and many kinds of sharks including Grey and White-tip reef, Leopard, Hammerheads, and Threshers.

Around the island, you are guaranteed to see pristine corals in the shallows as well as impressive drop-offs.

Maratua-Diving-Whale-Shark

Maratua Diving Season

Maratua’s diving is good year-round with the best months being July to October (the dry season), however higher numbers of Manta rays are seen October to June.

Maratua-Diving-Schools-of-Barracuda

How to reach Maratua Island

Fly to Balikpapan from Jakarta and Manado international airports, and Surabaya and Makassar domestic airports, then take an onward flight to Berau or Tarakan.
– Our resort partners will arrange transfers from Berau airport.
– Liveaboards generally use Tarakan airport for embarkation and disembarkation.

For more info on Maratua resorts, liveaboard routes/schedules that include Maratua island, and to start your planning, please make sure your AMD-B Travel Consultant is aware of your needs. As always, they will be more than happy to offer recommendations and make arrangements to suit your preferences.
Contact us on Tours@AquaMarineDiving.com today!