NABUCCO ISLAND RESORT
MARATUA - KAKABAN - SANGALAKI
 
Close your eyes and imagine your dream island - welcome to Nabucco

Like a second Sipadan just about 150 nautical miles south of Tawau, far out in the Indonesian part of the Celebes Sea, there is a group of islands offering similar, just as astonishing marine life. Not only the incredible number and the unbelievable diversity of marine life but also its topography with shallow plateaus, gentle slopes and sheer vertical drop offs make these islands a diver's dream. There are 28 identified dive sites so far and still some new ones to discover. It will take someone at least 10 days to dive all these dive sites only once but sharks, trevally, wrasses, barracuda, jacks, manta and eagle rays, sea turtles and a wide variety of pelagic and reef fish will definitely be seen.

MARATUA....BIG FISH COUNTRY
Imagine, you are sitting on a ringside seat, the arena an underwater colosseum at 100 feet, beneath you an abyssal plunge beyond the depth of mortal endurance. The arrival of a lone 7 foot great barracuda heralds for the show to begin. A dark cloud emerges from the distance, like un uprising tornado, as it twirls towards you, the dark mass metamorphosizes into a slivery screen of barracudas, Thousands...uncountable. Eight spotted eagle rays soar from the liquid ceiling in formation whilst heavy bodied Gray sharks arrive at an electrifying velocity to break up a school of Big-tooth trevalley. The water boils, your adrenaline reaches a record high as a huge giant Black spotted bull ray looms over you to cross the terrain of golden and red coral trees. Large Dog-tooth tunas and mackerels make up the chorus line to fleeting appearances of hammerheads and mantas. This show is the greatest show on earth beneath the sea, the performance limited to twice daily, every day of the year.

KAKABAN PREHISTORY LAKE 
The island lake at Kakaban is an excepfora marine environment. An uplifting in the area during the Holocene transgression, about 19000 yrs BC has left 5 sq kilometers of sea water trapped within a 50 meter (165 ft) ridge, turning the area into a landlocked marine lake. The only other know lake of such nature found in Palau, Micronesia, is a desert compared to Kakaban.  4 species of stingless jelly fish including one of an upside down specie of Cassiopea (possibly Cassiopea xamachana). as well as tunicates, sponges, tube worms, bihalves, crustacean, anemones, sea cucumbers, sea snakes and at least five known species of gobies can be found here. At Kakaban's  "Barracuda Point" thousands of barracudas, blue-fined tunas and big sharks can be found and a massive "Blue-light Cave" waits for the more experiencd divers.

SANGALAKI....MANTAS GALORE
Sangalaki is the world Capital of Mantas. At Sangalaki the familiar shape of Manta Rays emerges from all directions. Their wing tips breaking the surface at regular intervals.  Totally unperturbed by your presence, they swim in eurythmy and sometimes glide right up to you before making a sharp nose-dive into the blue. It is not unusual to find ten of them encircling you. Though most of them are about 3,5 meters (12 ft) wide with a white belly, there are a few black giants with a 6 meters (20 ft) wing span. It is totally out of this world, so much so that one published writer reported that he was whacked by his own adrenaline.

The Resort
is under Swiss/German management and was built in the middle of tropical vegetation without cutting a single tree. It boasts sixteen seaview balcony  rooms with fans and direct steps to the sea. Another 3 VIP rooms are equipped with airconditioning  but  no seaview. All rooms have shower, toilet, minibar, hot water and 220V electric outlets to recharge battteries and strobes. The specially built restaurant serves delicious western and asian food. Mineral water  can be purchased for ~USD2.00 and refilling mineral water is USD1.00, a system that will help minimize the plastic rubbish on the island. Soft drinks and alcoholic drinks are also available. There is also a TV room, a reading corner, a bar and Asian massage to relax the muscles after a hard day's diving. Not to missed is an excursion to nearby Maratua Island where monkeys, flying bats, and rare birds can be observed.
The resort offers 3 daily boat dives at Maratua, Kakaban and Sandalaki. Due to the distance from the mainland there is no diving on the days of arrival and departure, thus a longer stay of at least 8 days is recommended.

How to get to those incredible islands in the middle of the Celebes Sea?
For groups we offer trips from Tawau, Sabah by plane or ferry to Tarakan from where you will go by speed boat directly to Nabucco (for individuals a different route might need to be considered). You'll be able to get from Tawau through Tarakan to Nabucco in 1 day, on the day of departure you'll need to spend 1 night in Tarakan before returning to Tawau. However, we require a minimum of 4 divers in order to enter via Tawau and Tarakan.
For more information or bookings please send us an e-mail today.

 

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