Diving with scuba junkie

At Scuba Junkie we have high standards that are a given, no matter which Scuba Junkie location you choose to visit. We have your safety as our top concern at all times. Our group sizes are a maximum of four divers per guide, and your guide will be a certified PADI Divemaster or Instructor. We organise all groups according to diving certification and experience level, so that everyone can get the most out of their dives.

Our care for the environment runs deep through the company, and we take great pride in our conservation work. We have responsible diving guidelines in place, which all our staff are trained to adhere too. We brief and encourage all guests to follow correct protocols and respect the marine environment.

Last but definitely not least – We’ll ensure you have great FUN on all your dives with us at Scuba Junkie Sangalaki, and our friendly crew will always be waiting for you at the end of the day to log your dives. You will arrive as a guest but leave as a member of the Scuba Junkie Family!

At Scuba Junkie Sangalaki we like to wake up early in order to get the most out of our dive day. Breakfast starts at 7am in our “Chill Out Zone” upstairs. Enjoy your morning coffee or tea and your favourite type of eggs and/or fruit while enjoying a 360 degree view of the Celebes sea - don’t be surprised to see turtles while enjoying your breakfast.

At 8am all divers meet at our private jetty and then it's time to jump into our custom made dive boats. Once on the boat you will be given an orientation and boat briefing. Your dive gear will be set up by our dive team, if you have your own gear then please let us know if you would like us to set up your own private gear or if you would prefer to do it. If you would prefer to do it please arrive to the jetty 15 minutes earlier. You will then give your dive gear one last check and then we will depart to the first dive site of the day. Before each dive your divemaster or instructor will give you a proper dive briefing explaining the conditions of the dive and what you can expect to see during the dive.

Between each dive we will have at least one hour surface interval before then next dive. The surface intervals here are usually amazing! Its not uncommon to see manta rays swimming past the boat while having a coffee between dives at Sangalaki Island. At Kakaban we will take you to the famous Jellyfish lake, while at most other islands you can relax, enjoy a coffee and some snacks on a beautiful and often deserted tropical beach. At Scuba Junkie Sangalaki our perfect dive day is 3 amazing dives with a mix of very interesting and relaxed surface intervals in between.

For the boats that are visiting the islands of Sangalaki, Kakaban or Maratua we will go out all day and do three dives. Two dives in the morning followed by lunch, and one in the afternoon before returning to our water bungalow resort at Derawan Island. For boats that are diving around Derawan Island we will usually return to the resort after each dive (but this depends on the tides).

We have a thorough emergency action plan in place, and all our staff are trained in CPR and EFR and we have oxygen onsite for our trained staff to use in case of an emergency. Our staff conduct regular rescue simulations and refreshers to keep all our staff up to date. All our equipment is well maintained and serviced regularly and our dive boats are equipped with emergency oxygen, first aid kits and the latest GPS System to help keep our guests as safe as possible at all times.

We mandatorily require all our guests diving with us here at Scuba Junkie Sangalaki to have valid dive insurance before joining us on any dives.

We also have a thorough covid SOP and covid related safety measures in place to keep you and our staff safe.

Scuba Junkie Sangalaki’s speed boats are top of the range, custom-made glass-fibre speed boats with twin engines for both speed and safety. Our dive boats can take up to 12 divers including staff, which guarantees small groups of divers and snorkelers for your safety and enjoyment. Boats are equipped with fully maintained first aid kits, life jackets, life rings, fire extinguisher, emergency O2 equipment and spare dive kits - if your chew your mouth piece or break your fin or mask strap while out on the boat we have you covered!

We also have the latest GPS System with fish finder, bottom finder and 3D imaging on our boats, helping to go that extra mile to help find those whale sharks, or secret submerged reefs! All of our boats are fully licensed, and maintained to the highest standard.

We bring water, tea and coffee, snacks and lunch on the boats for all guests. Things you might want to bring with you onboard during your dive trip with us: reef safe sunscreen, refillable water bottle, a light weight towel or sarong, a hat for between dives and a dry bag for keeping your belonging in to stop them from getting wet. Check out our "know before you go" page for more planning info and tips.

Our state of the art PADI 5* dive centre comes complete with properly serviced dive gear for our guests to rent, safe places for our guests to store their own personal dive gear and also fresh water in which to wash your cameras and dive gear at the end of the day. This is also the place where you can chat with our dive guides, see maps of the area, enquire about the next day's diving or any other dive or travel related questions.

All our dive equipment is either very well maintained by our qualified equipment service technicians. We offer 3mm long wetsuits and open heel fins with booties for your comfort, and we have Suunto Zoop dive computers for rent. Our tanks are 12L aluminium tanks, and we do have 10L tanks available for children or smaller adults. If you have a DIN regulator please bring your own DIN adaptor or let us know in advance if you need to borrow one.