Bunaken offers the beauty of coral reefs that are second to none in the world. Groups of migrating whales, green turtles, strange sharks, various shrimps, to shipwrecks that you can explore. We will summarize the 10 best diving spots that you can visit in Bunaken Marine Park for both beginner and professional divers.
- Muka Gereja
In front of the Church, this diving spot with a depth of 25 meters and medium-scale water pressure offers views of the top of the reef inhabited by beautiful fish. At the visibility of 10 to 30 meters, you can see various types of anemones, parrotfish, whitefin reef sharks resting in caves, batfish, and beautiful table corals. Diving in the waters of Muka Church is fun because the currents in this area are pretty calm. When diving, you may see fish such as best national parks in usa map catfish with a striped body whose size is huge, resembling a whale. When it comes to the surface of the water, you will see the beauty of an 800-meter-high volcano in Manado.
- Mandolin
Here you will meet beautiful fish such as bannerfish, barracuda, damselfish, eagle ray, fusilier, turtle, sea snake, napoleon wrasse and others. When diving, you will be treated to views of the peaks of beautiful and naturally formed rocks. However, to dive comfortably in this spot, you need an experienced certificate because the currents around these waters are generally quite strong. There are many small caves with a variety of beautiful coral reefs.
- Siladen
Flora and fauna of Bunaken National Park look so real at the Siladen diving spot. The part of the sea floor shaped like vertical steps forms the peak of a spectacular coral reef. Hard and soft corals can be found here. These water conditions are suitable for beginners to visit. Various colorful corals with coral reefs as high as 10 to 15 meters become a stunning charm in these waters. You can find fauna such as ribbon eels, reef fish, moray eels, anemone fish, and mantis shrimp while diving.
- Puncak Barakuda
Here you will find a completely different diving experience. Not only because of the stunning colorful underwater scenery, in the lower waters you will see the changing boundaries of sandy areas and areas filled with coral reefs. When diving you will see a group of barracudas with a size large enough. Of course, it is an interesting photography object that you should not miss.
- Nain Island
The next diving spot in Bunaken is Nain Island. Hard coral surrounds the island. The diversity of invertebrate fauna is quite high in these waters, including large fish. The depths of the ocean floor are quite challenging, from 40 to 70 meters to the seabed. Only experienced swimmers can pass. You can see hammerhead sharks in these waters, various fish, colorful coral reefs. Although some of them have been damaged by dynamite explosives, some have been preserved.
- Mantehage Island
In the waters of Mantehage Island, you can see hordes of up to 200 barracudas in large sizes. In addition, you can also find large trevally and cockatoo fish while diving. At the bottom of the waters, you can also see sandy slopes which are a favorite location for dog tooth tuna and eagle rays. Current conditions in the waters of Mantehage Island are difficult to predict. Under certain conditions, the current can be very heavy, so it is only recommended to dive in this place for experienced divers.
- Lekuan I and II
In the waters in this area there are wonderful coral slopes formed in such a way in a calm bay. The amazing diversity of corals, fish, and sponges. There are quite some snorkeling spots in this water area. Lekuan I and II have become the most famous diving spots because of the truly amazing beauty of the seabed. There are thousands of fish blocking the view of the beautiful coral reefs.
You will find fish such as fusiliers, bannerfish, pyramid butterflyfishes, and damselfish in large numbers. There are also reef sharks, hawksbill or green turtles, napoleon wrasses, great barracudas, eagle rays, scorpionfishes, snappers, and leaffish.
In addition, you can find various types of hard coral to giant clams while diving. If you dive on the southern side of the waters of Lekuan I and II, you will see a unique view of large green turtles that will appear to be sleeping on the water wall. Sweetlips with diagonal bands and pelagic birds such as tuna mackerel will appear swimming in a beautiful blue color. In addition, you will also see sea lions which will usually stop at the hard corals in shallow waters.
- Manado Tua
An active volcanic island north of Bunaken that is interesting to visit as a diving spot is Manado Tua. While diving here, you will find nudibranchs, leaf scorpions, anemone prawns, damselfish, various species of anemones, red fire goby fish, and Christmas tree worms. In addition, you will also see various corals, whip corals, lobsters, giant gorgonians, red snapper, great emperors, dog tooth tuna, groupers, eagle rays, white reef sharks, giant snakes, turtles, barracudas, manta rays, and whale sharks.
- Tanjung Pisok
Tanjung Pisok is also one of the diving spots that you must visit while in Bunaken. You can see a 75-meter long wreck of a cargo ship belonging to the Dutch colonialists at a depth of 24 to 40 meters. The wreck is covered in colorful soft corals that hide beautiful fish.
Here you can see scorpionfish, nudibranchs, leaffish, and flatworms. In this section of the wreck there is a gentle slope of coral. Black sand filled with ghost fish, nudibranchs, and pipefish that only exist in these waters.
- Pangalingan
The Pangalengan diving spot is located on the south side of Manado Tua. For those of you who like drift spots, this is an enjoyable location. You can also find soft and hard coral types here. While diving here, you will meet groups of swimming snapper, fusiliers, and other fish swimming around the beautiful corals. The sea water in this area contains abundant nutrients for the existing fish. Don’t be surprised if maybe you see a unique type of fish that you never expected before. If you are a beginner diver, you need to be a little wary if, at any time the current is in heavy conditions.
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