Diving Experience in Bunaken, Sulawesi

Bunaken is one of the most spectacular spots for diving and admiring marine life. Other places nearby are also ranked among the favorites by locals and international tourists Located near Sulawesi or Celebes, Indonesia, Bunaken, Manado Tua, Siladen Island, Lembeh Strait are perfect destinations for amateur and professional divers.

Bunaken is an 8.08 km² island in the Bay of Manado, situated in the north of the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Bunaken forms part of the administrative city of Manado , capital of North Sulawesi. The marine Park around Bunaken is part of the  National Park that also includes the ocean around the island of  Manado Tua – or Old Manado, Siladen and Mantehage.  

Within the Bunaken Marine Park, visitors can see various strange and colourful marine life along its sea bed. To reach this park, you can take a motorboat. The journey from Manado takes around 40 minutes.  Entrance fee is 25,000 rupiahs per person per visit.

The translucent waters of the Bunaken seas enable people to clearly view numerous sea biota. There are 13 species of coral reefs in this park, dominated by edge ridges and block ridges of rocks. The most attractive view is the steep vertical sloppy coral reef that plunges down as deep as 25-50 meters.

Feast your eyes on 91 types of fish found in the Bunaken National Park, amongst which are the locally known gusimi horse fish (Hippocampus), the white oci (Seriola rivoliana), yellow-tailed lolosi (Lutjanus kasmira), goropa (Ephinephelus spilotoceps and Pseudanthias hypselosoma), ila gasi (Scolopsis bilineatus) and others.

Divers may also meet mollusk like the giant kima (Tridacna gigas), goat head (Cassis cornuta), nautilus (Nautilus pompillius) and tunikates/ascidian.

For those who enjoy scuba diving, this is a great place to be. With about 20 dive spots to choose from, divers will have the chance to swim below the sea, and frolic joyfully while admiring the sea creatures.

Make sure to visit Bunaken during its best season between May to August. That way you can explore the Park  to its fullest.

To observe some of the fascinating images of Bunaken Marine Park, you can visit our photo essay: Bunaken&Derawan Underwater Paradise

Similarly stunning are the sceneries of Kalasey seas,at the outskirt of Manado in: The Deep Water Paradise of Kalasey Seas off Manado

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Posted in: Sulawesi

North Sulawesi is Your Gateway to Diving, Travel, and Adventure in the Southwest Pacific

North Sulawesi is your gateway to diving, travel, and adventure in the southwest  Pacific. Be one of the of the lucky few to visit our unspoiled tropical islands. North Sulawesi has an abundance and variety of accommodation and facilities available to meet the needs of travelers from backpackers and budget class to four-star resorts. The natural wonders of North Sulawesi make it well suited to both organized and adventure travel. The full spectrum of scuba diving activities is available in North Sulawesi.

The diving ranges from the magnificent coral gardens of Bunaken Marine Park and Bangka Strait to the walls of fishes and underwater volcanoes of the Sangihe Islands to the unusual and rarely seen critters of Lembeh Strait. Land-based activities focus on rain forest hiking in Tangkoko Nature Reserve (home to the largest concentration of black crested macaques and the world's smallest primate, the tarsier) and Dumoga Bone National Park (home to the fabled babirusa pig deer), along with viewing scenic waterfalls, volcano climbing and river rafting and even golf. Exploring the Tomohon/Tondano highlands area, rice paddies, coconut plantations and flower gardens rounds out the activities.

Dive the clear waters, steep walls and world-class coral gardens of Bunaken Marine Park. Visit Bangka Strait for an encounter with whales, manta rays and other pelagics. Sail to the Sangihe Islands and dive in search of a sunken city, through walls of fishes or on an underwater volcano. Explore Lembeh Strait and discover its rare and unusual marine life and WWII shipwrecks. Whether you are a novice or an expert, we have the diving for you.

Visit the highland towns of Tomohon and Tondano. Clove and coconut plantations, rice paddies and flower gardens fill our highlands with the same beauty and serenity found in our smiling people. Visit a small pottery village and a Chinese Buddhist Temple. Pack a lunch and hike to a mountain waterfall. Enjoy a soak in one of our hot springs. Overnight at a cottage on Lake Tondano. Relax in the peaceful atmosphere and cool mountain air, far from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Climb to the rim of a steaming volcano. Raft down one of our whitewater rivers. Trek through our majestic Asian rainforest. See the world's largest concentration of black crested macaques and glimpse a tarsier, the world's smallest primate, at Tangkoko Nature Reserve. Visit Dumoga Bone National Park where you can search for the fabled babirusa pig deer. Take a 3-day overland trip to the rainforests of Central Sulawesi.

Perhaps North Sulawesi's most valuable asset is its genuinely friendly and open people. For your next holiday, come visit the smiles of Sulawesi - you won't be sorry.

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Posted in: Sulawesi