Indonesia is a
fascinating country in every sense of the word. Rich in culture, natural beauty
and biodiversity. Home to the weird, the wacky and the wonderful. And just when
you think you've seen and done it all, think again, for there is still a lot
coming.
For a really exceptional
sensation, how about swimming with jellyfish? Yes, you heardit right,
jellyfish, the one sea creature that is most likely to give you stings, itches,
and all kinds of unpleasant swimming experiences. Well, at Kakaban Island in
East Kalimantan, you can , not only swim unharmed with this fascinating
creature, but you can actually touch them since the island is one of only two
places on earth where you can find stingless jellyfish.
The island has an area of
774.2 hectares (1,913 acres) and is quite steep. Its limestone cliffs are
covered with dense jungle right down to the water's edge. The wall drops to 180
metres (590 ft), and currents can be strong with upwelling, downcurrent and reversing
directions. The most distinctive feature is the huge brackish water lake in the
middle of the island, in the local dialect Kakaban means "hug" as the
island hugs the lake from the surrounding seawater.
In the middle of this
island is a mangrove-fringed lake, slightly above sea level, where thousands of
jellyfish live, making it interesting for diving. The jellyfish consist of four
different species which do not have the ability to harm humans with their
stinging cells. They are Aurelia aurita with a transparent body, Tripedalia
cystophora which is fingertip size, Mastigias papua is like a green-brown bulb,
and Cassiopea ornata which is an upside-down jellyfish with upright tentacles.
Although they cannot sting humans, they still have poison and can sting their
prey. Similar lakes exist in the Philippines (Siargao) Palau, with Jellyfish
Lake being the best known.
The lake has warm
brackish water and the bottom is covered with marine green algae. There are
other animals, including sea cucumbers, gobies, sea anemones, tunicates,
crustaceans, nudibranchs, orange purple clams and yellow clams on the branches,
and snakes.
The lake is at most 17
metres (56 ft) deep with poor visibility and is 10 minutes walk from the beach.
Kakaban was probably uplifted during the Holocene era and seawater was trapped,
forming a landlocked marine lake. The water is now a mixture of saltwater and
fresh water from rain.
This is a steep wall,
where the current brings large pelagics like whitetip sharks, leopard sharks,
jack, tuna, snapper and barracuda. Drift diving can be done with the help of a
grab line permanently secured 24 metres (79 ft) across a relatively flat area
on the upcurrent side of the point. Currents can be fierce with down currents.
Currently there are 4
airlines that serve flights to Berau: Garuda Indonesia, Wings Air, Sriwijaya
Air, and Kalstar Aviation, connecting the regency with Balikpapan, Jakarta,
Surabaya, Samarinda (East Kalimantan) and Tarakan, Malinau, and Nunukan in
North Kalimantan. From Kota Kinabalu and Tawau in Malaysia, there are flights
to Tarakan which connects with the flight to Berau. The recently expanded
Kalimarau Airport in the town of Tanjung Redeb, in the Berau Regency now
receives more flights including international flights. The airport sits at an
elevation of 59 feet (18 m) above sea level. It has one runway designated 01/19
with an asphalt surface measuring 1,850 by 30 meters. The airport has 10,462
square meter domestic terminal, a 505 square meters VIP terminal, a 5,700
square meters international terminal, and 592 square meters cargo terminal.
Once in Berau you can
hire a speedboat for the 2 hour ride to the Derawan islands. Speed boats
generally have a seating capacity of 15 people, and can be rented to take you
to several of the Derawan islands in one day. Boats can be chartered direct to
Kakaban, but as there are no accommodations there, the usual routes go through
its neighboring islands of Sangalaki, Maratua or Derawan. Kakaban is about 20
minutes from Sangalaki, 30 minutes from Maratua and 45 minutes from Derawan. Now,
Susi Air also serves Tanjung Redep-Maratua-Tarakan vice versa, however, the
flight is only once a week and it is a relatively small aircraft for 9
passengers.
Sources :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kakaban
https://www.indonesia.travel/id/en/destinations/kalimantan/derawan-archipelago/kakaban-island
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