Dive Manado Tua

Manado Tua non active volcano is an Island  at about 35 min. boat ride from Kima Bajo Resort.

There are several diving sites around it. My favorite one is Pangulingan as we can often see some school of jacks, bat fish, napoleon wrasse, reef sharks and lots of fusilier.

The sloping reef reaches until 35m after that the drop off starts and goes down more than 70m deep. The visibility is all year around between 20-30m. As this diving site is right in the corner of the island often we can have currents coming from different directions, therefore we can go there just when conditions are favorable. However, during your week of diving we should be able to find the right conditions to go there.

Relax and Dive Manado, Bunaken and Lembeh

Two Fish Divers is a small and friendly PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Dive operation with two dive resorts that offer some of the best diving in Indonesia:

Bunaken Island, Manado - right in the heart of the award-winning Bunaken Marine Park, the diving offers beautiful corals, lots of fish, amazing small critters, and some larger exciting creatures including reef sharks, turtles and barracudas.

Lembeh Straits - hunting for amazing critters in Lembeh Straits, the muck diving capital of the world. From Lembeh we can also offer great day-trips to nearby Bangka Island or Gangga Island (about an hour away) where there are some stunning soft-coral dives.

Each small and cosy resort is characterised by:

• Beach-side accommodation - wooden cottages or rooms that are clean and comfortable, with cooling fan and western-style toilets. Facilities include 24 hour electricity, computers for viewing pictures and burning cd's, large balconies with hammocks for relaxing, internet service and a book swap facility. NEW – hot water showers now available in our resort in Lembeh.
• Personal & friendly - our resorts are small, flexible and personal with really friendly staff.
• European management - Two Fish Bunaken is managed by Tina and Nigel, and Two Fish Lembeh is managed by Sybille. They have all been diving the area for many years, and they run each resort as they would like it if they went on a dive holiday.
• No crowds - as a small operator, we only cater for maximum 20-22 divers at each resort.

National Park Dive Sites

The Manado dive resort area and Bunaken Marine Park are among the highlights of Indonesia scuba diving and have earned plaudits throughout the world.

The facts say it all - when you're scuba diving in Manado you can see over 70% of all fish species that exist in the Indo-Western Pacific. Marine biodiversity is the name of the game in Indonesia generally and in Bunaken diving specifically.

The park is adored by marine biologists, photographers and recreational divers alike since the richness of its waters ensure that no 2 dives are the same and that there is always plenty to see, study, photograph and marvel at.

Included in the measures to protect this eco-treasure, is the creation of the marine park for which all divers must buy a pass which is used to fund conservation and village development programmes. It has long been recognised that the Manado area is an area worth preserving both for the good of the environment and the local economy. Various schemes are being undertaken to encourage responsible attitudes towards the reefs, the sea life and with regards to refuse disposal in the area. In Bunaken your few dollars really do make a difference!

Scuba Diving in North Sulawesi

Full of natural wonders, and offering an almost unparalleled levels of marine biodiversity, North Sulawesi has become one of the worlds premier destinations for ecotourism and adventure travel in recent years. Today, large numbers of scuba divers travel to this distant part of Indonesia, to sample some of the finest dive sites to be found anywhere throughout South East Asia.

The diving in North Sulwesi is focused in two main areas, the Bunaken National Marine Park and the famous muck diving capital of Lembeh Strait. There are other destinations where good diving is on offer in North Sulwesi, including the dive sites in Sangihe Island and Pulau Bangka, however it is the dive sites in Bunaken and Lembeh which draw large numbers of scuba divers here year after year.

The Bunaken National Marine Park was established in 1991, and the deep waters of the park offer one of the greatest levels of marine biodiversity to be found anywhere in the world. A home to over 70% of all fish species found throughout the Indo-western pacific region, the waters of Bunaken are home to an incredible array of coral and marine life.

The scuba diving in Bunaken is predominantly characterised by the awesome vertical walls which almost surround the island. Along these walls, an array of cracks, caves and crevices are home to a wide range of fish life during the day as well as the night. Dive sites including Fukui Point and Black Rock provide divers with access to stunning corals as well as stunning array of smaller marine life.

Lembeh Strait is widely acknowledged as being the ‘muck diving’ capital of the world, and offers what can only be described as a truly unique experience in diving. The diving itself is shaped by the black sandy bottom of the ocean in the region, which is home to a wide selection of critters and smaller marine life. It is for this reason that underwater photographers often choose to make the longer journey out to Lembeh Strait, to sample some of the finest opportunities for underwater macro photography to be found anywhere in South East Asia. Octopus, flying gunnards, frogfish and dwarf lionfish can all be found throughout the numerous dive sites in the Lembeh Strait.

Diving is possible in North Sulwesi throughout the year, although the best conditions are to be found from late March through to November. From January through to March, heavy rains and strong winds can be found throughout the region, leaving the conditions unfavourable for scuba diving.

Without doubt, the scuba diving in Sulawesi is of the highest standard, and the region fully justifies its claim to be one of South East Asia’s leading scuba diving destinations. The superb dive sites of Bunaken and Lembeh undoubtedly ensure the longer journey time to reach here is worthwhile, and leave you only thinking of when you can return!

Diving in Celebes sea Bunaken

Diving ... holidaying... is all about good experiences and living in different conditions, meeting people, having a good time.

One thing I love about this trip was staying at the Bunaken Cha Cha resort on the Island of Bunaken. Its similar to Sipadan. Swim out 30m from the shore and you're at the drop off point, overlooking a blue sea abysse. Great for snokellers and free divers. They say its what Sipadan was like 20 years ago.

The weather and sea conditions were a bit choppy at times. Overcast conditions mostly. We had to forfeit one day diving due to a storm; no charge. On two of the wall dives - there were swarms of thousands of baby trigger and yellow angel fishes. It looked like a Windows Computer Screen Saver.

Had trouble breathing for some reason. I just couldn't relax. Turns out that there was a setting for my breathing regulator- it may have been turned down to low.

The Bunaken Cha Cha resort has a lot of rustic charm going for it. The chalets are built into the side of a tropical jungle forest. The buildings are well made- and use plenty of concrete for their foundation and flooring. Teak is used for the bedroom and verandas. It feels so idyll lying on the hammock by the veranda and looking into the sea. Surprisingly very few mosquitoes. I don't have any bite marks at all.

Its also very exclusive- the resort only had about 10 guests when we were there; it could fit 20 guests in total. We had 2 - 3 senior dive guides on all the dives.

The resort also has broadband internet connection and mobile phone reception.

Bunaken National Park Sulawesi Indonesia

Pink anemonefish

Twelve members of Orca Divers, based in Chorlton, Manchester, enjoyed a week's scuba diving in North Sulawesi using the Thalassa Dive Centre, based at the Santika Hotel near Manado.

We dived in Bunaken National Marine Park which includes the five islands of Bunaken, Manado Tua, Mantehage, Nain and Siladen. Manado Tua rises to 820m above sea level but its walls plunge to over 1000m into the Celebes Sea. Each of the islands is surrounded by a dense coral reef and provides excellent wall diving, drift dives and stunning coral slopes. The visibility is generally around 25 to 30 metres and the water temperature is a very comfortable 29 to 30 degrees C! Bunaken has a great diversity of marine life, from tiny pygmy seahorses and nudibranchs to sharks, huge turtles and a manta ray (which I missed!).

Bunaken has one wreck, that of a steel-hulled German merchant ship which sank on 22nd February 1942, just 5 minutes from Molas beach. It was found in 1980.

Around two hours drive away is the Lembeh Strait, famous for the variety of rare macro life on the volcanic sand. Lembeh Island creates a calm, narrow channel and the waters are rich due to currents bringing a rich supply of plankton, accounting for the poorer visibility (around 10 to 15 metres). Buoyancy control is vital so as not to disturb the sand. My first introduction to 'muck diving,' this area is one of the best sites in the world for rare and unusual marine animals.
An hour's journey by boat takes you to Bangka Island, off Sulawesi's northernmost tip,for more superb dive sites.

The photos are my first attempt at underwater photography. I used a Canon G9 with a waterproof case and Photoshop CS2 'tidied' the original shots. A web album on Picasa saved converting the images for the web. If you have time to look at that album I would be most grateful if you would vote (giving the picture numbers by way of a comment on this posting or a separate email via the 'Contact us' button on our website) for your two favourite underwater images - that's how many I'm allowed to enter in the Orca photography competition.

Thanks to Nick and Caroline of Orca for organising such a superb trip, and for their photography tips.

Frogfish

Bunaken Island

Have you ever heard about Bunaken Park Island in the Manado city, Sulawesi Island, Indonesia? Actually, I have not had to go to BUNAKEN because I don’t have a time which the other reason is my residing now is too far to reach the bunaken location. So, please read below the little information that I have taken from the reliable source. At least this little information can make you know about Bunaken Island and park. But, I apologize because this information is not myself experience but from the other source.

Bunaken island is a whole 8.08 km ² in the Bay of Manado, which is located on the northern island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. This island is part of the city of Manado, the provincial capital of North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Around the island of Bunaken, there are Bunaken marine park, which is part of the National Marine Park Manado Tua.

This Park sea marine biodiversity has one of the highest in the world. Scuba diving attracts many visitors to the island. Overall Bunaken marine park covers 75,265 hectares wide area with the five islands in it, namely, the island of Manado Tua, Bunaken Island, Island Siladen, following several Mantehage Island, the island’s children, and Naen Island. Although the area covering 75,265 hectares, location, diving (diving), only limited in each of the five coastal circumnavigate the island.

Bunaken marine park has 20 point dive (Dive spots) vary with depth of up to 1,344 meters. From 20 point dive it, the 12 point dive in them located around Bunaken Island. Twelve point dive this is the most frequently visited by divers and lovers scenic beauty under the sea.

Most of the 12 point dive in Bunaken Island line from the southeast to the northwest of the island. In this region there are great underwater Walls, which is also called Good Night Walls, or the walls of the giant coral standing vertical and vaulted to the top. This wall of coral also become a source of food for fish in the waters around Bunaken Island.

Only that? Yes, because my source only tell that. But, I have added some photos about Bunaken Island and park, enjoy it…

Driving Bunaken National Marine Park Sulawesi

The coral reefs off Bunaken Island are a divers paradise and should not be missed while you are in Manado, Sulawesi. Relatively unspoiled and magnificent virgin reefs await divers and the drop-off walls at Liang cove has caves, gullies and caverns, harbouring an immense wealth of marine life. Spectacular reef formations begin at about 5 m depth and then plunges downward to form underwater vertical crevices with often reach depth on several hundred meters. On these beautiful reefs, a wonderful collection of marine life thrives. The Bunaken reef is world famous and is a chain of over forty five star dive spots. The Marine Park is spectacular with the greatest concentration of tropical fish and coral species. Clear, warm waters, light currents and calm seas allow easy access to the five islands of the Bunaken-Manado Tua National Marine Park which sits directly offshore of Manado.

Most of the diving can be found near Bunaken and Manado Tua because of their many excellent sites. Here area few of the best dives that will leave you in awe and yearning for more:

Muka Gereja

Muka Gereja is a pretty site with thousands of fishes in the shallows and deeper canyons that lead to the wall.

Barracuda Point

Barracuda Point, on northwest Montehage, is one of the furthest sites. A school of giant barracuda are regulars along with jacks and tuna.

Manado Wreck

This 60m (200ft) long German merchant ship sank near Molas Beach in 1942. It sits upright with the bow at 23m (78ft). The ship is split near amidships back to the stern, exposing the wheelhouse and cargo holds. Dives finish up on a nearby shallow reef. Expect 10-15m (30-50ft) visibility.

Lekuan Walls

This long wall on Bunaken is divided into three sites: Lekuan I, II and III. Together they represent the park’s best. Steep walls are marked with deep crevices, sea fans and giant sponges. The shallows are filled with fishes. The wall, often protected from stronger currents, is frequented by bumphead parrotfish, turtles, and Napoleon wrasses.

Mandolin

Mandolin has a knockout reef crest and a wall that attracts thousands of fishes like schooling fusiliers, surgeonfish, unicornfish, and bannerfish. They are acclimated to divers and are easily approachable.

Bunaken Timor

There are strong currents and lots of fishes on this long wall. The shallow reef isn’t as spectacular as some but there are turtles, sharks, eagle rays, and other big fishes in the blue. Overhangs and small caves mark the wall.

Tanjung Kopi

Tanjung Kopi is a nice wall with a small school of barracuda and lots of sweetlips. Visibility in the shallows is not terrific but the numbers of fishes make up for it. Nudibranches and fire gobies are easy to spot here.

Siladen Island

Siladen has a beautiful wall of soft corals that bloom when the current is running. The shallows are nice with lots of fishes and schooling snappers.

Bunaken Diving Park

The Bunaken National Marine Park was formally established in 1991 and is one of the first Indonesian growing system of marine parks. The remaining 3% of the park is land, including the five islands of Bunaken, Manado Tua, Mantehage, Nain and Siladen.

The waters of Bunaken National Marine Park is very deep (1566 m in Manado Bay), clear (up to 35-40 m visibility), refreshing in temperature (27-29 C) and the port some of the highest levels of biodiversity in the world. Choose any interest group - the corals, fish, echinoderms or sponges - and the number of families, genera and species is bound to be surprisingly high.

Bunaken is the standout favorite, with the highest density of schooling fish and more likely to see the larger species, such as turtles, sharks, and Napoleon Wrasse. There are enough sites here to keep any diver happy for more than a week without going elsewhere. Bunaken The reef is a chain of more than 40 stars, five-point dive. The Marine Park is spectacular with the greatest concentration of tropical fish, coral species and world-famous diving wall. Clear, warm waters , light and the currents of the seas calm, allowing easy access to the submarine in hopes of attracting visitors to the five islands of Bunaken -Manado Tua National Marine Park that sits directly on the coast of Manado.

Most diving is done near Bunaken and Manado Tua, because of its many excellent sites. The following is the representative of diving in the area.
1. Lekuan Walls, This long wall in Bunaken is divided into three sites: Leku I, II and III. Together, they represent the best of the park. Steep walls are marked with deep cracks, sea fans and giant sponges. The shallows are full of fish. The wall, often protected by strong currents, is frequented by bumphead parrotfish, turtles, and Napoleon Wrasse.

2. Mandolin. Mandolin has a knockout reef crest and a wall that attracts thousands of schooling fish such as the Fusiliers, surgeonfish, unicornfish, and bannerfish. They are acclimated to the divers and are easily approachable.

3. Tanjung Kopi. Tanjung Kopi is a great wall with a small school of barracuda and a host of sweetlips. Nudibranches and fire governments are easy to spot here.

4. Siladen Island. Siladen has a beautiful wall of soft corals that flourish when the current is running. The shallows are nice with lots of schooling fish and snappers.

Bunaken island is easily accessible from Manado by motorized outrigger boat start from Manado port, Molas, Kalasey and Tasik Ria beaches. The public boats from Manado to Bunaken are leaving daily for about 2 hours (depending on the tide). Back to Bunaken in Manado usually early in the morning, around 7-8 am. You can explore the land on foot. And you can use a boat to go from one to another dive sites.

Other things to see and do in Bunaken, such: Diving, swimming, and snorkeling. Walking around the beach and sampling the tempting seafood cuisine.

Travel tips :
1. Entrance labels and tickets can be purchased through marine tourism operators based in Manado and in the Bunaken National Park, or can be purchased from one of three ticket counters in Bunaken and Liang villages on Bunaken Island and on Siladen Island;

2. You should be aware that during the absolute peak season months of July and August usually gets very busy. Many of the best resorts and dive operators can not accept walk-ins during that time, as they are fully reserved. Better make a reservation before;

3. Try to hire equipment from larger firms as these tend to be more reliable, but remember the responsibility of checking the equipment is ultimately yours.