Derawan offers divers some of the best diving in all of Indonesia. With 9 dive sites around Derawan, record numbers of big green turtles, white tip, leopard and nurse sharks, cuttlefish, Spanish mackerel, jacks, batfish and ornamental reef fish in varied terrain including caves, walls and reef slopes. A completely new species of coral is also found here named appropriately Acropora Derawanensis.

Derawan's 656ft jetty is home to dumpling squids, crocodile fish, finger-sized purple crayfish, squat lobsters, decorator crabs, sea horses and various species of worms, tunicates and Dwarf scorpionfish.

Best Time to Travel : Diving happens year round at Sangalaki. Rainy Season lasts from December to March and the Dry Season lasts the rest of the year. Visibility averages about 20 M. If can fall as low as 8-10 M or be in excess of 30+ M. Sangalaki usually has better visibility than Samama or Derawan because it is a little further offshore. Kakaban and Maratua tend to have slightly better visibility than Sangalaki because they are even further out. Visibility at Barracuda Point on Kakaban frequently tops 30+ M. Water temperature is a fairly constant 28C year round.