Kakaban Island

Kakaban Island lies only 20 minutes from Sangalaki and offers 2 very different diving experiences. In addition to some spectacular wall diving, where pelagics abound, Kakaban also features a massive landlocked marine lake supporting 4 different species of non-stinging jellyfish and some marine life not found anywhere else in the world. Exhilarating wall diving combine with the mellowing experience of the jellyfish Lake for a truly memorable diving adventure.

The Walls

The walls around Kakaban fall away dramatically to a depth of 800 feet and support a diverse range of marine life. Here large pelagic like the White Tip, Grey and Hammerhead Sharks, Tuna, Barracuda and Giant Trevally patrol their hunting grounds, while schools of Pyramid Butterflyfish, Bannerfish and Surgeonfish, amongst others, gracefully survey the rich coral encrusted walls filling the water with colour. In the dark recesses created by overhangs and ledges, shy and retiring creatures like Banded Pipefish, Lionfish and Stonefish make their home. The walls are wonderfully complex ecosystems waiting to be explored.

Barracuda Point hosts an exhilarating drift dive as it follows the top of a right angled wall around the point. The two walls do not exactly meet at a corner, but instead are seen tapering off into the depths. As the corner beckons, the concentration of pelagic sea life intensifies. Swirling school of chevron barracuda and big eye trevally fill the sea, dark silhouettes of large sharks move with purpose.

All too soon its time to make the cut across the seabed corner from one wall to the other. The timing of the cut is skillfully judged by the divemaster depending upon the current. On the other side, a rope fixed to the seabed between 110 feet and 60 feet assists divers to make their gradual ascent. As the current dissipates, calm is restored and the tranquil environment of the wall at the shallow depth invites.

The Jellyfish Lake

The Jellyfish Lake is a very unique geological feature created during the Ice Age. It measures a massive 390 hectares and is 1.5km wide and 2.5km long. At its deepest point, the lake is 55 feet and exhibits tidal amplitude of about 0.2m as a result of a network of underground fissures that connect to the sea.

After a short 10 minutes walk through the rainforest from the beach, the lake reveals itself and in the bright sunlight is simply breathtaking. This remote location is quiet and tranquil. In this special place, it is difficult not to feel the isolation or the challenge of exploration.

A narrow mangrove belt fringes the lake. Here, brilliant blue flatworms can be seen on the mangrove roots together with tiny molluscs. The shy File Snake, a non-poisonous fish eating snake, prefers a darker habitat under the roots, where it waits for the schooling Cardinal Fish and Gobies. A green marine Algae dominates the lakebed and provides a foothold for a voracious jellyfish eating Sea Cucumber. There are 4 different species of non-stinging jellyfish inhabiting the lake and pervade the underwater scenery. On the sandy patches Gobies, only found in this lake, make there home, whilst others are seen perched on the green algae. Only a small portion of the lake has been explored and there are still many new and exciting things to discover.