Beras Basah Island is a small
island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
located in the
Straits of Makassar and approximately east off the coast of
Borneo
Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and ea ...
. Administratively, this island is under the
City of Bontang government and
Province of East Kalimantan. The island is known to be a
tourist destination
A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement.
Types
Places of natural ...
as a
dive site
Recreational dive sites are specific places that recreational scuba divers go to enjoy the underwater environment or for training purposes. They include technical diving sites beyond the range generally accepted for recreational diving. In this c ...
that provides tropical
underwater life.
Etymology and History
The origin name of Beras Basah according to local folklore comes from the
Indonesian
Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to:
* Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia
** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago
** Indonesian ...
words of ''Beras'' (
rice
Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...
) and ''Basah'' (
wet). Once upon a time, there was a ship belonging to the
Sultanate of Kutai which was sailing in the Straits of Makassar. The ship carries food which includes rice. The ship arrived - suddenly sank and spilled its luggage. Because the waters where the shipwreck is shallow, the ship's congregation, which is mostly rice, does not sink, but appears partly like a mound. Over time the rice mound turns into a white sand island like rice which is always wet because it is surrounded by the ocean.
Transportation access
To be able to visit this island there are several accesses which all come from several piers or ports from Bontang.
The fastest access is via Marina Beach of
Badak NGL
Badak LNG, or formerly known as PT Badak Natural Gas Liquefaction or PT Badak NGL, is the largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) company in Indonesia and one of large LNG plants in the world. The company is located in Bontang, East Kalimantan, and ...
pier by using a speed boat which takes approximately fifteen minutes. Alternative access through Tanjung Limau and Tanjung Laut docks using small motorized boats that take approximately one hour.
See also
*
Bontang
Bontang is a city on the eastern coast of the island of Borneo in Indonesia, in the province of East Kalimantan. It occupies an area of , and the population was 140,787 at the 2010 census, and 178,917 at the 2020 census. It is also the third m ...
*
Makassar Strait
Makassar Strait is a strait between the islands of Borneo and Sulawesi in Indonesia. To the north it joins the Celebes Sea, while to the south it meets the Java Sea. To the northeast, it forms the Sangkulirang Bay south of the Mangkalihat Pe ...
*
List of islands of Indonesia
References
External links
*
Official website of Bontang
Landforms of East Kalimantan
Islands of Kalimantan
Maritime Southeast Asia
Bontang
{{EKalimantan-geo-stub