Dive Happy Indonesia Scuba Diving In Indonesian Borneo On The Tambora Liveaboard

Scuba Diving In Indonesian Borneo On The Tambora Liveaboard

Posted on 23 June, 2010 in Indonesia by Chris
     

Indonesian Borneo is now being explored by liveaboards, making the islands of Derawan, Sangalaki, Kakoban and Maratua accessible in one trip

I recently dived in Kalimantan - the Indonesian part of Borneo - with Tambora, a newish liveaboard that is pursuing an ambitious yearly itinerary across Indonesia. (See Tambora's current schedule and prices). The Tambora was recommended to me by Dom at Dive Advice - thanks Dom. The trip was a round trip from Terakan and revolved around four islands which are all dive hotspots in their own right - Sangalaki, Derawan, Kakoban and Nabucco. We also explored a huge submerged atoll which isn't accessible by daytrips which yielded some of the best dives of the trip (and some of the worst too ;) - I'll be writing a full report for EZ Dive magazine and publishing a separate liveaboard review of Tambora here on Divehappy soon (as I have done previously with other Indo liveaboards like MSY Damai, Siren and MSY Seahorse). In the meantime, here's some of the photos I took as a taster of the journey

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Tambora Liveaboard

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A huge battery of barracuda hundreds strong at Big Fish Country (Maratua Channel)

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Reef at Kakoban

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Cuttlefish at Kakoban

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Kakoban Reef Scene

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Sunlight on a plate coral bommie

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Clownfish and diver

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Fan coral and diver

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So flat calm the clouds in the sky are visible through the ocean surface

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Flat calm seas on an early grey morning

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Raindrops falling on the surface above plate corals

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The reef reflected in the mirror surface of the sea

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Sunlight

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Close Manta encounter, Sangalaki

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Manta ray feeding at the surface in the sunlight at Sangalaki

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Mantis shrimp getting a bit angry, Derawan

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Flabellina and egg ribbon, Derawan

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Criocodile Fish, Derawan

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Jawfish with eggs in its mouth - you can see the eyes of the babies if you look closely

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Jawfish releasing the eggs - they're the squiggly bits in top right of photo

     

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  1. Adri says:

    Wow, Jawfish releasing the eggs! Is it part of the process?? Coz I only seen they keep the eggs on their mouths.

    Love the Mantas and Barracudas!

  2. Chris says:

    Hi Adri – apparently the jawfish release their eggs from their mouths every month — it conincides with the full moon. We had to get up at 4.30 am to go diving and have a chance of seeing it – we sat waiting by the hole for half an hour and then suddenly the jawfish emerged and started burping the eggs out! It was over really fast, I was lucky to get this shot. I would love to do it again. I thought of you while at Maratua Channel – amazing place, that is the biggest battery of barracuda I have ever seen!

  3. Adri says:

    I dont mind waiting for 30min to see the jawfish burping and I think I will make the video instead of taking picture :-)

    Glad that the barracuda show at Maratua Channel still amazing! (Means they are still safe from the fishermen). That was highlight of our trip. I also love snorkling with lots of stingless jellyfish in Kakaban lake :-)

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