Dive Sites
Garden of Eden
Drawing attention of divers and ‘scuba junkie’ around the globe on regular occasion, Garden of Eden held its reputation as one of the most gorgeous diving sites on Celebes Sea, and all for the right reasons. The bottom side of this sites is lush with vibrant corals; soft and hard alike, resembling a verdant garden of many colors.
Arrays of wonderful marine creatures calls this place a home; from morays, barracudas, (lots of) turtles, eagle ray, black tip shark and many more. Exploring Garden of Eden is not only a mere activity, but a privilege and achievement all by itself. Don't miss this one during your blissful getaway at Mataking Resort.
Turtle Playground
Considered as one of the most fascinating dive spots in Mataking, Turtle Playground—as the name heavily implies, is a place where you can have a memorable experience of swimming along with a gang of green turtles.
The depth of this site is varied between 5 to 30 meters, but the moderate level of current make it easy and safe to explore. Expect to see other magnificent fishes, shrimp, eels and astonishing hard corals on your visit as well.
Shipwreck
Offering a unique exploration point for underwater enthusiast, The Wreck draws the attention of marine creatures to gather and nest upon the glorious wooden ruins. Dive deeper around the area to discover large groupers, parrotfish, sweet lips, lionfish, clownfish, wrasses, nudibranch, gobies, sea turtles, or stick on the shallower part to play around with a school of magnificent damsel.
House Reef
Also known as ‘Jetty’, House Reef is a favorite spot for marine 'cool kids' to hang out and about: mullets, goatfish and big resident barracuda called 'Charlie', which can be frequently seen chilling above a school of jacks.
Finding Nemo's famous clown fish also casually drop in every now and then between its vibrant and healthy coral fields, as well as several basslet, dottyback, anthias and eels. Introduce yourself to all of them!
Stingray City (Timba Timba)
Situated just few clicks away from Mataking islets, the island of Timba-Timba is known for its pristine beach and vibrant ecosystem underneath its surrounding waterworld. Dive in to encounter some of the rarest marine life on the area; enormous cuttlefish, sea snakes, nurse shark, lobster, colorful coral trout and moray eels.
Turtle sighting are guaranteed on each visit. Dive deeper and you may bump into a wonderfully-named Stingray City; where you can witness a school of majestic stingrays gliding effortlessly around the blue.
Frog Fish Farm (Pandanan)
For those who crave for shallow dive experience, the area around Pandanan Island would be a perfect spot to go. You may witness lines of amazing corals on its shallow reef, as well as good macro life like sea slugs and nudibranch, gobies, crabs and shrimps and jaw fish.
This spot is also known as a habitat for the elusive frog fish, which blends really well with the environment on the sandy bottom. Try to tag and snap their picture for your precious collection!
Book a Bonfire party on the beach, the perfect way to wind down at the end of the day with your group of friends and loved ones. There is something truly magical about sitting along the beach next to a crackling bonfire and watching the sun dip behind the horizon while sipping your favorite cocktail. A simple BBQ with scrumptious finger food and charcoal grilled meat or seafood can be arranged to make the occasion a memorable one for all.
One of the most widely recognized animals in the world due to their beautiful blue-green plumage and spotted tail feathers, peacock is a majestic creature to witness. Here at Mataking, we also conserve some of this gorgeous bird on a natural sanctuary. Feel free to visit and watch them dance!
Quick trivia: sea turtles are one of the oldest living species on earth, but nowadays their number are truly dwindling to the brink of extinction. The marine biologist and dedicated conservation staffs of our Turtle Hatchery put all of their utmost effort to maintain the number of turtle in the wild by several breeding program, and our beloved guest can directly contribute to this noble cause! Each nests in the hatchery can be 'adopted' by staying guests by paying a contribution fee, and all the fund will be used for the conservation. Once the turtles are being released, we will regularly give update and send the latest picture for the corresponding guest. Let’s keep in touch!
See the magical underwater landscape where fluorescent corals swaying in the night tide and sea creatures showing their amazing luminescent selves, completely different from what you've usually seen. One must also look out for the ‘Orang Utan’ crab which can occasionally be spotted at Mataking’s Reef. The house reef literally lights up in the night with many strange and tiny creatures that have charmed many photographers to this site.
Experience the wonder of marine biodiversity with interesting species. The unspoiled and living color of hard & soft coral decorations is also another special highlight for divers visiting Mataking and the surrounding islands, a paradise for Macro underwater photographers.
Snorkel the crystal clear water in 30 dive sites or so around Mataking Island and its surrounding islands, where the shore is just magnificent as those found in the deep end. There are various sea animals and fishes living in these areas which include schools of Barracuda, Trevally, Spanish Mackerel, Ribbon Eel, Giant Clams, varieties of Goby, Eagle Ray, Giant Frogfish, Mandarin Fishes, unique and charming species of Shrimps, most photogenic and rare pygmy seahorses, spiders and much more.
Awakened by a chorus of birds is a common experience here. For bird-watching enthusiasts, we can arrange day trips to observe bird species around here.
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Celebrations & Festivities
There's a saying, "The greatness of a culture can be found in its festivals." And it's true if a traveler wants to know about the culture of a place, the best time to visit is during its festivals. At Mataking Island, various festivals are celebrated with staff performances, theme buffet with the serving of special dishes related to the particular occasion, local cultural dances, and games with guests involvement. Besides, the resort also take pride to celebrate guests' birthday, anniversaries honeymoon, and wedding with private or beach party or even bonfire upon guests requests. Should it be just a simple occasion or an elaborate one, the resort team can surely organize fun and memorable events for family or friends.