Maratua Paradise
Description:
Maratua Paradise Resort is located on an exotic island off the east coast of Indonesian Borneo. Together with neighboring islands Kakaban and Sangalaki, this area offers some of the best diving you can find.
The spacious lobby has comfortable seating and a TV equipped with DVD player and audio system. A small bookrack with novels, magazines and fish identification books are available for guests.
Meals are served in the restaurant, which is located above the house reef and next to the landing dock for the boats, and during the day you can use the sundeck to relax, work on your tan, have a drink or boast about your dives.
From Maratua Paradise Resort it is an easy walk to one of the villages. Stroll around, play with the children, go to the jetty to see the fisherman, etc. It will give you a good idea of how the people live on Maratua. If you feel like it, you can also walk for about 30 minutes across the land to have a splendid view on the Maratua Laguna.
Accommodation:
The resort has 8 water bungalows and 8 beach chalets, which are all very spacious and have mini bar, air-conditioning, work table with 220v outlets and private bathrooms complete with bathtub.
From the beach chalets you can enjoy the beach nearby while the water bungalows offer stunning views and relaxed balconies.
Diving:
The waters around Pulau Maratua are still a secret to be discovered. There is something for all types of divers. Whether you want to see the large pelagic life, search for the smallest and weirdest critters there is more to see than you can imagine.
Due to the constant currents, you will find very healthy reefs and excellent coral growth. The variety and size of the corals around Maratua and nearby islands is spectacular and there are many turtles. But the best thing about the currents is the underwater visibility which can be up to 100ft/30m and (much) more.
If you enjoy thrills try a dive in the soaring currents of the channel, a narrow opening in the reef through which water flows into the Maratua lagoon. You will see sharks, rays, large schools of pelagic fish, etc. and at the end of the day you jump from the jetty into the house reef to check out the mating mandarin fish, stargazers, leaf fish, cuttlefish, and a lot more.
Once a week (depending on the weather and sea conditions) divers visit the nearby islands. Sangalaki is famous for its large schools of manta rays, with up to 40-50 rays at a time. On Kakaban you can dip into the 5 square km jellyfish lake. You will also make some spectacular dives along the reef walls where you may run into grey sharks, leopard sharks or an occasional hammerhead.
