I Love Indonesia

Kakaban Kakaban island is part of the Derawan Islands, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. 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 non-stinging jellyfish live making it interesting for diving. The jellyfish consist of four different species which have lost their natural defense system because of the lack of major predators in the lake. They are: Aurelia aurita with transparent body, Tripedalia cystophora which only has a tip finger size, Mastigias papua is likes a green-brown bulb, Cassiopea ornata which is upside-down jellyfish with their tentacles upright. Similar lakes exist in the Philippines Palau, with Jellyfish Lake being the best known. The lake has warm brackish water and the bottom is covered with marine green algae. Ther...

Derawan Islands The Derawan Islands are in the province of East Kalimantan in Indonesia. They include Derawan, Sangalaki, Kakaban, Maratua, Panjang, and Samama Island and submerged reefs and islets. They are located in the Sulawesi Sea, on the coastal shelf of East Kalimantan (2x17'N - 118x13'E). Located in a biodiversity hotspot, the Derawan Islands feature 872 species of reef fishes, 507 species of coral, and invertebrates, including protected species. Some of the islands harbor the heavily exploited turtle eggs and yet the largest green turtle nesting site in Indonesia. There are two inhabited islands, namely Derawan and Maratua (4 villages of 2,704 people). Fishing is an important income-generating activity for the community. Since the early 1990s, people have caught live groupers, napoleon wrasse, and lobsters, to fill high demand. There are 3 dive resorts on Derawan Islands , while more additional resorts or facilities are in the planning process. Since 2011, Berau C...