Diving with jellyfish without sting in kakaban island, indonesia

Kakaban located in Derawan Islands, District Derawan, Berau regency, East Kalimantan. Kakaban is one of the islands of the archipelago group Derawan nominated as a World Heritage Area. Kakaban attract foreign tourists with some of its uniqueness, the uniqueness in Kakaban is the lake on the island, Lake Kakaban.Kakaban Lake, is a lake of sea water were trapped in Kakaban, coupled with water from the soil and rain water from 2 million years ago. Lake Kakaban a prehistoric lake that is the time of transition Holosin. The extent of approximately 5 km², walled cliffs as high as 50 meters, which resulted in sea water is trapped no longer to get out, so it becomes a lake.

As an atoll which has the brackish water lagoon in it, Kakaban rare. Because, in this world , there are only two known to have similar conditions, namely Kakaban and the island of Palau in Micronesia, located 1,000 kilometers from the Philippines. Thus Kakaban is the only island in Indonesia which has a lake in the middle. This island ranks as the third highest world-class dive destination and make this island a dream island for divers.

The specialty of this lake is Kakaban jellyfish with four unique species of jellyfish. Located just 25 minutes from the island of Sangalaki, dip in the lake area of ​​5 km2, try to swim (and even contact) with a jellyfish without the sting! This unique species exist only in two places in the world. In the Palau Islands, Philippines. And here, in Kakaban! Snorkeling with the jellyfish do not sting will provide an unforgettable experience throughout your life!. The world has known some point dive diving around Kakaban, namely Barracuda Point, The Drift, Cabbage Patch, The Wall, Blue Light Cave, The Plateau, Rainbow Run, Diver's Delight and The North Face. Variations of the various types of dive sites are very interesting for experienced divers.

Kakaban Jellyfish Lake, the jellyfish are unique because no sting. Unlike the other jellyfish commonly found in the sea that have the ability to spout venom, on a jellyfish sting glands in the lake Kakaban (nematosit) has been reduced so it no longer harmful to humans. Four species of jellyfish found in the lake Kakaban are the moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita), spotted jellyfish (Mastigias papua), the box jellyfish (Tripedalia cystophora), and upside down jellyfish (Cassiopea ornata).

Moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita).
This Jellyfish are known in English as the moon jelly is a type of jellyfish Kakaban which has the largest in size, between 50-40 cm. The Body shape is like a bowl of slightly transparent white with clover leaf motif at the end hood.

Spotted jellyfish (Mastigias papua).
This jellyfish are also known as a lagoon spotted jelly, it has a size between 10-20 cm. And they are most numerous in Lake Kakaban. A unique, jellyfish lake Kakaban spots have a different character with a jellyfish spotted in general. In addition to the pattern of spots on his body that began to fade, which turns reddish color hood, even the tentacles are experiencing downsizing. Nematosit (sting glands) in the spotted jellyfish reduced to very small so it loses its ability to sting.

Box jellyfish (Tripedalia cystophora).
Is the smallest jellyfish measuring about 0.7 to 1 cm. Although small, in the open sea habitat, box jellyfish become the one of the jellyfish sting with can be so deadly . But as the spotted jellyfish caught in the lake of Kakaban, has lost the ability to sting off lethal, because it has some reduction in nematosit gland .

upside-down jellyfish (Cassiopea ornata).
It was the less unique and even a trade mark of Kakaban. This type of jellyfish swimming upside down with the tentacles at the top. Upside down jellyfish symbiosis with zooxanthella (a type of algae) attached at the bottom of the hood and the tentacles of jellyfish. To be able zooxanthella photosynthesize and produce food, upside-down jellyfish (Cassiopea ornata) goes inversely with the tentacles at the top and hood at the bottom.

How to get there

If you are from Jakarta, just looking for cheap tickets jkt-bpp-Tarakan (estimated 1.7 million PP) or can directly jkt-bpp-ticket to Berau Berau but can only be purchased at Aberdeen Airport, there is no online ordering (estimate 2, 4 million PP).

From Tarakan - Derawan - Tarakan (you can rent a speed boat because it was 3 hours so it was rather expensive rent of about 3 million for max 6 people)
If it falls in Berau you have to travel to Tanjung Batu about 3 hours with a rented car (800-1 million cost of PP).

From Tanjung Batu to Derawan using Speedboat 20 minutes (cost 400 thousand PP)
In Derawan many lodging choices, ranging from 50 thousand a night, 250 thousand to 400 thousand a night a night (cottages), located on the seafront location can direct fishing from the front room or swim together turtles there.

Tips

* Choose a route Jakarta-Balikpapan-Berau/TanjungBatu-Pulau Derawan.

* Choose a Flight Promo , the tickets are cheap so booked in advance.

* Speedboat selected who have the complete safety of equipment.

* Choose a lodging houses and close to the Cottage facilities.

* Prepare your own dive equipment so that each time could swim so much as enjoying the scenery of coral reefs and colorful fish.

* Take a trip as a family and groups that are lighter in financing Speedboad (Calculated per Speedboad with contents  5-40 people).

* Prepare Camera and Handycam that can stand in the water.

* Prepare an additional budget for diving when we used to dive deeper than 20-40 meters above sea level.