Scuba Junkie Sangalaki
Tripadvisor Traveler Rating
Overview
- Bucket-list diving without another group in sight in Borneo's newest frontier
- Overwater accommodations to suit a variety of budgets and travel styles
- A wide variety of sites featuring muck and macro, powerful open ocean currents, marine megafauna, and more
- Outstanding facilities for divers with expert local guides and high international standards for safety and fun
Located on the island of Derawan, off Kalimantan’s central coast, Scuba Junkie Sangalaki is perfectly positioned for exploring one of Southeast Asia’s most exciting and upcoming dive destinations. This lesser-known region boasts incredible sites of all kinds, with majestic manta rays and turtles at Sangalaki, muck diving and whale sharks at Derawan, and ripping currents packed with pelagics at Maratua. Plus, it’s still well off the tourist trail, so you’ll hardly see another dive group. Scuba Junkie’s facilities are ideal for intrepid guests hoping to make the most of their time in the water or social, outgoing travellers who enjoy laid back local lodging.
Tripadvisor Traveler Rating
Resort amenities
Resort amenities
Dive facilities
About Scuba Junkie Sangalaki
About Scuba Junkie Sangalaki
Scuba Junkie Sangalaki Resort is the latest venture by the award-winning Scuba Junkie dive team. In recent years, Scuba Junkie has developed into a respected eco-dive resort operator and a trusted brand throughout Southeast Asia. They now boast locations in Kota Kinabalu and Mabul in Sabah, and Komodo and Sangalaki in Indonesia - all of which are well known for their professional dive operations, high-standards of service, and extensive conservation work. Best of all, divers can combine their stays at multiple properties for a once-in-a-lifetime diving holiday, complete with all the region’s most impressive wildlife.
Scuba Junkie Sangalaki is located on the island of Derawan, offering close access to all the best dive sites around Kakaban, Sangalaki, Semama and Maratua. This region is on the final frontier of diving, with just a handful of resorts and low-key dive operations. For guests, this means uncrowded sites, pristine reefs, and plenty of big fish action. And, depending on when you visit, you may not see another boat during your stay! Back on land, you’ll enjoy a laid back and social atmosphere with cosy overwater rooms, excellent facilities for divers and underwater photographers, and simple travel with free scheduled transfer boats operating every Monday.
Explore the resort
Scuba Junkie Sangalaki was built with affordable comfort in mind and designed to minimise any impact on the island’s delicate environment. All of the resort’s water bungalows and dorms come perfectly equipped for your stay, with modern and spacious interiors, ensuite bathrooms, private balconies with sun loungers, and 24-hour electricity - a bonus in this remote location. And, their overwater location is ideal for early morning snorkelling sessions and sea turtle watching between dives. Scuba Junkie offers some of the most budget-friendly and accessible lodging in this far-flung region, with flexible options to suit every budget and personal travel style.
Above the dive centre, you’ll find Scuba Junkie’s ‘Chillout Zone’, equipped with bean bags, loungers, and outdoor dining with panoramic views of the surrounding Celebes Sea. A complimentary breakfast is served here every morning before the dive day starts. And, by night, the space transforms into a laid back lounge where guests can relax in the breeze, share a beer with friends, compare the day’s best underwater photography, and get to know the resort’s other divers. Dinner is not served on-site, giving guests the freedom to explore the local village’s culinary delights.
Diving from Scuba Junkie Sangalaki
Scuba Junkie Sangalaki’s awarding-winning PADI 5-Star dive centre is one of this remote region’s best established, offering a variety of courses and guided diving experiences. Guests here have access to perfectly maintained rental equipment, personal gear lockers, freshwater wash tanks just for cameras, and comfortable custom dive boats. You’ll dive in small groups, with a maximum of four guests to each guide - helping you spot all the region’s coolest wildlife and looking after your every need. Perfectly organised day trips from this resort hit all Derawan Archipelago’s hottest diving and snorkelling sites, famous for their insane biodiversity - with wildlife ranging from super-macro to megafauna.
Visitors here will be delighted to discover pristine kaleidoscopic coral reefs, plummeting current-swept walls and cleaning stations where supersized animals like manta rays and sharks cruise past out in the blue. And, this is one of the planet’s most reliable places to swim alongside whale sharks as they feed below local fishing platforms. Three boat dives are offered each day, in addition to night dives at the jetty, and fun local outings to attractions like the nearby Jellyfish Lake.
Conservation
Conservation
Scuba Junkie is a well-respected eco-operator with multiple locations around Indonesia and beyond. Each of this prestigious company’s dive resorts uses environmentally sustainable business practices and focuses on the development of local conservation projects. Scuba Junkie is one of the leading eco-dive resort developers in both Sabah and Kalimantan - paving the way for this stunning region’s well protected future.
Special events at Scuba Junkie Sangalaki include local beach and dive site clean-ups, and an annual ‘Whale Shark Week’ event with guest speakers, learning opportunities and of course, trips to the local fishing bagans where the whale sharks gather. These trips are run in collaboration with and for the benefit of the local community. Guests hire the local boatmen and guides directly, providing an alternative source of income for the villagers and ensuring that these incredible animals will be protected for the future. In addition, Scuba Junkie Sangalaki enforces a strict ‘No touch’ policy when snorkelling with the whale sharks.
About
About Scuba Junkie Sangalaki
Scuba Junkie Sangalaki Resort is the latest venture by the award-winning Scuba Junkie dive team. In recent years, Scuba Junkie has developed into a respected eco-dive resort operator and a trusted brand throughout Southeast Asia. They now boast locations in Kota Kinabalu and Mabul in Sabah, and Komodo and Sangalaki in Indonesia - all of which are well known for their professional dive operations, high-standards of service, and extensive conservation work. Best of all, divers can combine their stays at multiple properties for a once-in-a-lifetime diving holiday, complete with all the region’s most impressive wildlife.
Scuba Junkie Sangalaki is located on the island of Derawan, offering close access to all the best dive sites around Kakaban, Sangalaki, Semama and Maratua. This region is on the final frontier of diving, with just a handful of resorts and low-key dive operations. For guests, this means uncrowded sites, pristine reefs, and plenty of big fish action. And, depending on when you visit, you may not see another boat during your stay! Back on land, you’ll enjoy a laid back and social atmosphere with cosy overwater rooms, excellent facilities for divers and underwater photographers, and simple travel with free scheduled transfer boats operating every Monday.
Explore the resort
Scuba Junkie Sangalaki was built with affordable comfort in mind and designed to minimise any impact on the island’s delicate environment. All of the resort’s water bungalows and dorms come perfectly equipped for your stay, with modern and spacious interiors, ensuite bathrooms, private balconies with sun loungers, and 24-hour electricity - a bonus in this remote location. And, their overwater location is ideal for early morning snorkelling sessions and sea turtle watching between dives. Scuba Junkie offers some of the most budget-friendly and accessible lodging in this far-flung region, with flexible options to suit every budget and personal travel style.
Above the dive centre, you’ll find Scuba Junkie’s ‘Chillout Zone’, equipped with bean bags, loungers, and outdoor dining with panoramic views of the surrounding Celebes Sea. A complimentary breakfast is served here every morning before the dive day starts. And, by night, the space transforms into a laid back lounge where guests can relax in the breeze, share a beer with friends, compare the day’s best underwater photography, and get to know the resort’s other divers. Dinner is not served on-site, giving guests the freedom to explore the local village’s culinary delights.
Diving from Scuba Junkie Sangalaki
Scuba Junkie Sangalaki’s awarding-winning PADI 5-Star dive centre is one of this remote region’s best established, offering a variety of courses and guided diving experiences. Guests here have access to perfectly maintained rental equipment, personal gear lockers, freshwater wash tanks just for cameras, and comfortable custom dive boats. You’ll dive in small groups, with a maximum of four guests to each guide - helping you spot all the region’s coolest wildlife and looking after your every need. Perfectly organised day trips from this resort hit all Derawan Archipelago’s hottest diving and snorkelling sites, famous for their insane biodiversity - with wildlife ranging from super-macro to megafauna.
Visitors here will be delighted to discover pristine kaleidoscopic coral reefs, plummeting current-swept walls and cleaning stations where supersized animals like manta rays and sharks cruise past out in the blue. And, this is one of the planet’s most reliable places to swim alongside whale sharks as they feed below local fishing platforms. Three boat dives are offered each day, in addition to night dives at the jetty, and fun local outings to attractions like the nearby Jellyfish Lake.
Conservation
Scuba Junkie is a well-respected eco-operator with multiple locations around Indonesia and beyond. Each of this prestigious company’s dive resorts uses environmentally sustainable business practices and focuses on the development of local conservation projects. Scuba Junkie is one of the leading eco-dive resort developers in both Sabah and Kalimantan - paving the way for this stunning region’s well protected future.
Special events at Scuba Junkie Sangalaki include local beach and dive site clean-ups, and an annual ‘Whale Shark Week’ event with guest speakers, learning opportunities and of course, trips to the local fishing bagans where the whale sharks gather. These trips are run in collaboration with and for the benefit of the local community. Guests hire the local boatmen and guides directly, providing an alternative source of income for the villagers and ensuring that these incredible animals will be protected for the future. In addition, Scuba Junkie Sangalaki enforces a strict ‘No touch’ policy when snorkelling with the whale sharks.
Diving
Diving in Derawan, Sangalaki and Maratua
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Whale sharkFebuary - December -
SharksFebuary - December -
Leopard sharkFebuary - December -
Thresher sharkFebuary - December -
Manta RaysFebuary - December -
TurtlesFebuary - December -
BarracudaFebuary - December -
Bumphead parrotfishFebuary - December -
TrevallyFebuary - December -
Exotic cuttlefishFebuary - December -
Rare OctopusFebuary - December
