Manado Diving at Bunaken Island
Bunaken National Marine Park
The Manado dive area and Bunaken Island are among the highlights of Indonesia scuba diving and have earned plaudits throughout the world.
To dive in the deep waters of the Bunaken National Marine Park in Manado is to be among some of the highest levels of biodiversity in the world, with outstanding fish variety and world-class wall diving. The clear, warm waters contain astonishingly high numbers of species, whether corals, sponges or fish. When you're scuba diving in Bunaken, whether from your choice of dive resort or Manado liveaboard, you can see 7 times more genera of coral than Hawaii, 33 species of butterflyfish and over 70% of all fish species known to the Indo-western Pacific.
Oceanic currents sweep past Bunaken Island bringing a steady supply of nutrients. It's a sure certainty that where there is plenty of food in the sea, there will be an abundance of marine life, and you can be here to witness this rich harvest too. From the smallest commensal shrimp to black tip reef sharks and eagle rays, there is something for everyone in this very special dive destination.
Bunaken diving is very popular with fun divers and marine biologists both of whom can take great pleasure from the diversity of coral and fish found here. You will surely encounter marine life here that you have not come across elsewhere.
The most notable recent find within the park was in 1997, when the coelacanth was discovered living in the lava tubes of Manado Tua. This 'living fossil' fish brought international attention to Bunaken. Unusual mammals that can be seen include dugongs, which feed on the sea grass beds in the south of the park, and sperm whales, which travel through the area on their way to calve in the Sangihe Archipelago.
The park is located just out of Manado Bay in the Sulawesi Sea, off the northern tip of Sulawesi, and features some 2 dozen diving sites spread across an area of 75,000 hectares and the 5 islands of Bunaken, Siladen, Manado Tua, Montehage and Nain.
Highlights
Lekuan I, II and III: Often referred to as 3 different dives sites, this area is one of those sites that typify why Bunaken scuba diving is such a dream for many divers. Excellent as a day or night dive, this site has some of the superb, healthy and varied coral that makes diving in Manado famous and against this pristine backdrop you can see turtles, Napoleon wrasse, tuna and plenty more.
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How to Dive Manado
There are a lot of dive resorts around the area of a variety of standards and not all are very good value for money. We recommend only those professional, well managed resorts that have high quality boats and dive staff, both on the Manado mainland and Bunaken Island itself.
There are also liveaboards that visit both Bunaken National Park and the Lembeh Strait. If you have time it really is worth seeing more of North Sulawesi than just the Bunaken area. Consider adding a few days stay in Lembeh where you can enjoy the best macro diving and critters in the world. Lembeh is really a must for any divers visiting the area.
Diving Season
You can enjoy diving in Bunaken and Manado all year round but, overall, the best season for diving conditions is from April to November. January to March sometimes sees winds and rains, so surface conditions can be occasionally rough then with 1 or 2 metre swells.
Reef Summary
Good for: Small animals, wall dives, underwater photography, drift diving, reef life and health, dive value-for-money and advanced divers
Not so good for: Wrecks and non-diving activities
Depth: 5 - >40m
Visibility: 20 - 35m
Currents: Normally gentle but can be strong
Surface conditions: Calm
Water temperature: 27 - 30°C
Experience level: Beginner - advanced
Number of dive sites: ~25
Distance: 18 km north of Manado Bay (40 mins)
Access: Manado dive resorts and liveaboards
Recommended length of stay: 7 - 10 days
Dive Site Descriptions
For more on the detailed Bunaken dive sites:
• Manado tourist information
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• Sulawesi - Indonesia
• Scuba diving vacation enquiries
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