The Heart of the Coral Triangle
Christian Loader/ScubazooThis dive site off southwest Bunaken Island has some of the island's most pristine hard corals, sprawling over a vast sloping reef. Thousands of red-toothed triggerfish rise up and down in the blue above the reef, and a large school of batfish can also be seen in the blue. On the rubble seabed at 50 feet (15m) there are three giant clams close to one another and surrounded by butterflyfish and wrasse, making for a great photo opportunity.
Christian Loader/ScubazooThis vast stretch of coral-covered wall along Bunaken Island's southern side has three prominent points called I, II and III, all quite popular with divers. Clouds of bright orange anthias, bannerfish and pyramid butterflyfish swarm around the reef edge, while Napoleon wrasse and groupers cruise by. Divers regularly spy a school of bumphead parrotfish, and tiny Pontohi pygmy seahorses are sometimes found hiding amongst hydroids and algae on the wall — some dive guides know where exactly to look, so be sure to ask. This large stretch of wall is also home to a large number of big, friendly green turtles. The currents can often be very strong at Lekuan, but this is one of the best dive sites in the marine park, and a good place for snorkeling too. This pygmy seahorse, just over half an inch long, was found on a wall at _Lekuan__. Though__ _Bunaken Marine Park's dive sites are mostly popular for wide-angle photography, interesting macro subjects such as this can be found all over the park.
Christian Loader/ScubazooOn the southern side of small Siladen Island, this vertical wall dive also makes an excellent snorkeling site. The reef top is covered with pristine coral, and along the wall, sponges are decorated with multicolored feather stars. Those with patience and good eyes could be lucky and spot pygmy seahorses on the gorgonian sea fans along the wall. Large, colorful gorgonian sea fans such as these offer some great photo opportunities for underwater photographers.
Christian Loader/ScubazooA huge table coral and diver on the shallow reef top at Bunaken Timur.
Christian Loader/ScubazooBunaken Marine Park is a perfect place to shoot wide-angle photography, but its walls and reefs are also teeming with small subjects for macro photography. Alung Banua, a wall with caverns and a sloping, sandy seabed, offers excellent macro subjects, such as leaf scorpionfish and ghost pipefish for those with good eyesight, as well as nudibranchs, razorfish, shrimp and crabs. Here, a trio of emperor shrimp sit on the surface of a sea cucumber.
Christian Loader/ScubazooMeaning “in front of the village,” this site is located on the southeast tip of Bunaken Island. The dive starts on a wall to the west, where you’ll drift along with schools of butterflyfish and triggerfish. A number of large green turtles can be found resting on ledges on the walls or swimming out in the blue; in the shallow part of the wall you’ll often see banded sea snakes swimming around the crevices in search of food. Drifting east, the wall gives way to a sloping reef, ending the dive in the shallow reef with large table corals. Here, a banded sea snake swims over the reef top toward the surface after searching for food on the wall.
Christian Loader/ScubazooLarge green turtles can often be found resting on ledges all over the marine park, as well as cruising in the blue. The turtles in the park are quite friendly and easy to film or photograph.
Christian Loader/ScubazooA pair of unusual red-coloured Halimeda ghost pipefish, hiding amongst red algae in a crevice on a wall at Bunaken Timur.
Christian Loader/ScubazooA resident school of friendly batfish can be seen at Fukui Point. This dive site off southwest Bunaken Island has some of the island's most pristine hard corals, sprawling over a vast sloping reef. Thousands of red-toothed triggerfish rise up and down in the blue above the reef, and a large school of batfish can also be seen in the blue. On the rubble seabed at 50 feet (15m) there are three giant clams close to each other and surrounded by butterflyfish and wrasse, making for a great photo opportunity.
Christian Loader/ScubazooAn array of macro critters can be seen at many dive sites off the mainland around Manado, which are part of the Bunaken Marine Park. Here, a painted frogfish is perfectly camouflaged against an orange sponge.
Christian Loader/ScubazooSchools of bright orange anthias hover above the hard coral at the dive site Mandolin.
Christian Loader/ScubazooSponges around the park are often decorated with colorful feather stars, such as here at Siladen Timur.
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In the heart of the Coral Triangle, North Sulawesi is a magnet for divers who come seeking both the stunning reefs and walls of Bunaken Marine Park and the muck diving of Lembeh Strait.
Bunaken Marine Park is made up of the islands of Bunaken, Siladen, Mantehage, Nain and Manado Tua, as well as some mainland dive sites just north of Manado city. Manado Tua stands out from the other islands quite literally, as a majestic, inactive volcano 1,900 feet (600m) high dominates the skyline. Hiking to the top makes for an arduous day trip, but those who make the trek, perhaps on their dry day, will be rewarded with fantastic views of the park. The oceanic currents swirling around the marine park bring an abundance of nutrients up from the deep, and, because of this, the area (with over 50 dive sites) supports some of the highest marine biodiversity on Earth, with over 380 recorded species of coral and over 70 percent of all fish species known to the Indo-western Pacific. From tiny shrimps, crabs and nudibranchs to green and hawksbill turtles, tuna, reef sharks, and eagle rays, coupled with pristine coral reefs atop sheer walls, this marine park offers a great deal for visiting divers. The most notable discovery here came in 1997 when a coelacanth was found at Manado Tua — a “living fossil” fish, thought to be extinct until discovered in 1938. Since then only a handful of these fish have been found in only two locations around the world. This discovery brought a lot of international media attention to Bunaken Marine Park and boosted the area's dive tourism industry.
There’s diving year round, but the best conditions are from March to October. From November to March, surface conditions can be rougher, with more wind and rain, while June to September brings the hottest and sunniest weather. The waters around the park are warm throughout the year, typically between 80 and 86 degrees F (27-30C). Visibility here can be excellent too, typically between 65 and 100 feet (20-35m). Although currents are often gentle, they can be very strong at times, with hair-raising up- and down-currents. Drift diving is the norm around the park, and the many dive sites suit divers of all levels, from beginner to advanced.
The park is just a 40-minute speedboat ride off the coast of Manado, North Sulawesi's biggest city, and a popular stopover for divers traveling to or from the famous Raja Ampat Islands in far eastern Indonesia. Manado city and its surrounding coast, as well as Bunaken Island, have a wide range of accommodation and dive centers for every type of traveler, from cheap backpacker lodges to 5-star resorts. It may take a little longer to reach Bunaken Island from dive resorts located north or south of Manado, but these resorts also feature dive sites close by on the mainland, including some stunning reefs and walls, as well as some fantastic muck diving sites to rival those in Lembeh Strait.
