Maratua Seaview Resort

Maratua Seaview Resort sits on the southern coast of Maratua Island, Kalimantan. It is newly built, backed by forest and facing the Celebes Sea, with the dive sites of the atoll on the doorstep.

There is a fully equipped dive centre, a sun deck and a restaurant serving local food. The 18 wooden rooms and villas come as Twin Villas, Garden Villas and Seaview Villas, all with air conditioning and ensuite bathrooms.

The Villas

Twin Villas

These semi-detached villas face west, so they get the sunset. They share a verandah, which suits larger groups. A sliding door can partition the verandah if more privacy is needed. The restaurant is close enough to bring a cold drink back to the verandah for the sunset.

Garden Villas

The Garden Villas sit among the trees and rock formations, the quietest rooms on the property. Expect birds in the morning and butterflies at the door.

Seaview Villas

The Seaview Villas sit on rocks out over the sea, and some have a rooftop deck with a full view of the Celebes horizon. Each opens onto a private verandah, which is where you end up on a clear night.

Scuba Diving and Snorkeling around Maratua Island

The dive sites run right along the atoll, from fast channels to coral gardens. Some spots carry heavy turtle traffic, green and hawksbill both, and others are macro sites for nudibranchs, crabs, shrimps and scorpionfish.

Highlights include “Big Fish Country,” or the Channel, where divers can encounter huge schools of barracuda and, during strong currents, watch grey reef sharks cruising by, hooking onto the plateau for a front-row seat. Nearby, Kakaban Island’s Jellyfish Lake provides a rare chance to swim with harmless jellyfish, and Sangalaki Island is known for its manta ray encounters. Adventurers might also spot white tip sharks, eagle rays, leopard and thresher sharks, and, on lucky days, whale sharks or even the elusive mola-mola. Maratua’s waters truly offer a dynamic, ever-surprising experience for divers.