Colourful hard and soft corals abound along with sponges, seafans and crinoids. Schools of reef fish are large and varied and macro diving is also excellent at Sangalaki. Frog fish, leaf scorpionfish, cardinal fish, fire gobies, ornate ghost pipefish and numerous nudibranchs are just some of the critters that eagle eyed dive guides will be able to point to.
The other reason that Sangalaki is famous is for the green turtles that nest on the beach, coming ashore at night to lay their eggs. On the west side of the island are a couple of dive sites, Turtle Town and Coral Gardens, where turtles can be seen in abundance.
On the eastern side of Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) are a number of islands with dive resorts. The resorts can take time to reach with several boat and plane transfers but divers who make the effort are rewarded with exceptional diving.
The area is renowned for high concentrations of manta rays and turtles as well as a jellyfish lake. As you would expect in Indonesia, the macro diving is also superb.
The best time to dive the area is the April to October dry season. All the islands are close together so it makes sense to dive them all while you're in the area.
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