South-East Asia
MANADO, SULAWESI
Spectacular diving off Indonesia's starfish island
Season: Year-round diving
Visibility: 12-30 metres
Water Temperature: 27-30°C
Anemonefish, Bunaken Marine Park, Manado (Martyn Guess)
Shore-based resorts:
Santika Seaside Resort and Thalassa Divers
Kima Bajo Resort and Spa and Eco Divers
Liveaboards
Paradise Dancer
Diving: House reef, walls, coral gardens, critter diving, shore diving, boat diving, sharks
Snorkeling opportunities
Nitrox (Kima Bajo, Paradise Dancer)
Willing to share option on Paradise Dancer
Can be combined with: Twin centre stays with resorts on the Lembeh Strait and Gangga Island are very popular, or why not compliment your liveaboard cruise with an extra week on shore?
Non-diving activities available include rafting, forest and volcano hiking, wildlife and bird watching, cultural tours, spas
Stop-overs are available in Singapore depending on flight routing.
Set in the middle of the Indonesian archipelago, and astride the equator, the starfish-shaped island of Sulawesi hosts a rich marine environment. Something like 3,000 species of fish populate the Indonesian islands and seemingly a high proportion of them live in the waters that surround Sulawesi!
Close to the northern tip of the island is the bustling town of Manado, easily reached by direct flight from Singapore. Only a few miles away, within an easy boat ride, is the Bunaken-Manado Tua Marine Park, an area of great underwater beauty. Here you may see varieties of fish species and invertebrates that have rarely been encountered before – the local dive guides frequently spot new species for the area or even sometimes undescribed species. Schooling species and colourful reef fish are all to be found in abundance, and with luck you may encounter a pod of Short-finned Pilot Whales or dolphins whilst travelling to the dive sites.
The Bunaken-Manado Tua Marine Park boasts one of the richest varieties of marine life in the world. Coral reefs surround each of the five islands within the reserve, beginning with a flat reef crest at about 3 metres and then sloping down steeply or dropping off vertically for hundreds of metres. The walls are crowded with hard and soft corals, barrel sponges, sea fans, whip corals and red and orange encrusting sponges. Amidst all this is an abundance of brightly coloured tunicates and a profusion of colourful feather stars perched on upstanding corals and sea fans. Vast schools of smartly coloured Pyramid Butterflyfish and masses of anthias dance around the reef edge and the upper part of the wall. Banded Sea Snakes are frequently seen winding their way through the crevices in the reef. White-tip Reef Sharks, Napoleon Wrasse, Spotted Eagle Rays and Bumphead Parrotfish are but a few of the larger fish regularly seen. Leaf Scorpionfish, the weird Giant Frogfish, blennies and gobies, and Blue Ribbon Eels (including the yellow female and black and yellow juvenile forms) are less easy to spot but are not uncommon.
There are at least 20 recognized dive sites, mostly concentrated off the south and west coasts of Bunaken Island. Most dives are slow drifts along the reef wall but some sites have an occasional stronger current offering a more exciting drift, while others are interesting ‘muck dives’ on areas of silty sand or coral rubble.
What better dive site to start with than Mandolin Point on the western side of Bunaken? A wide flat reef top only a metre or so deep is bounded by a steep drop-off where you can explore at your own chosen depth. Luxuriant coral growth on the wall provides a suitable background for an abundance of purple, yellow and white tunicates that sit like ceramic ornaments on the ledges and encrusting sponges. White-tip Reef Sharks, barracudas, sea snakes and turtles are often spotted here.
At Fukui Point the stepped profile of the reef is encrusted with an amazing ‘field’ of stony corals, including table, elkhorn, staghorn, lace, brain and cabbage, covering the gently sloping ‘hillside’. Carefully search amongst the ‘arms’ of the colourful crinoids and you are may be rewarded with a sight of an Ornate Ghost Pipefish. These remarkably camouflaged small fish (well-beloved of the underwater photographer) float head down within or close to the arms of the crinoid and at first glance may appear like a detached piece of the crinoid’s ‘arms’. The dive guides will be sure to point out to you the giant clams. Four giant clams with iridescent blue, green, purple, brown and black mantles lie in a regimented formation. Their slowly opening and closing siphons offer an amazing opportunity to gaze right inside the animal! The sloping reef gradually gives way to the deeps and at this point large schools of Teira Batfish glint and shimmer silver and gold in the sunlight while barracuda and schools of Midnight and Black Snappers drift over the reef. A curious Napoleon Wrasse is often attracted to the boat anchorage to gaze warily at the strangers from beyond his realm.
At the marvellous Engine Point (named because a brand-new boat engine was lost overboard just off here in 100 metres!) the entire dive can be completed within the top 12 metres. A pair of Blue Ribbon Eels live in adjacent holes, but occasionally pose for visitors by ‘snarling’ and gaping out of the same hole. Goldspeck Jawfish (fascinating fish who incubate their young within their mouths) can be seen warily peeping from their borrow and Mantis Shrimps, either hiding in crevices or scuttling frantically around before zooming under a rock, are a common sight here. Beautiful and brightly-coloured nudibranchs can be found in abundance and the sharp-eyed dive guides may be able to find you a strange and almost perfectly camouflaged Robust Ghost Pipefish floating like a fragment of dead turtle grass.
A night dive at Black Rock will certainly rate as spectacular, even by those who normally shun the idea of night diving! Coral bommies litter this shallow sandy shelf and the jewels of the ocean are certainly here to see. Slowly wandering sea urchins with their small ‘families’ of fish and shrimps ‘walk’ over the sand in a glow of red and black when spotlighted. Perhaps a hermit crab whose shell is decorated with swaying anemones may crawl past. Deep crimson ‘sea hares’, stroll along the sand. Peep into a crevice or under a rocky shelf to find the small elegant Banded Pipefish or perhaps a surprise if a Black-edged Conger Eel is hunting there! Why not use the safety stop to wriggle around and produce your own light show from the luminescent micro-organisms?!
The superb Bangka Archipelago dive sites can be thoroughly explored either by liveaboard boat or by staying on Gangga Island. For details please see our Gangga, Bangka & Sangihe holiday description. Those staying at Santika Seaside Resort can enjoy some of these dive sites by taking a special trip. The journey takes about one hour by Thalassa’s swift speedboat and is well-worth taking!
For those wishing to take a break from diving, Northeast Sulawesi offers some fascinating attractions. A short car drive away is the volcano Mahawu. A trek up a well trodden path through lush thick vegetation brings you to the top of the crater. Walk around the perimeter and look down on the seething turquoise cauldron. Drive alongside rich green rice fields by Lake Tondano where local fish farmers and their families live on the water in timber shacks balanced on stilts, or make a trip through small villages alive with local life. Enjoy the spectacular mountain scenery or explore the tropical rain forest at Tangkoko in search of the Spectral Tarsier, the smallest carnivorous monkey in the world, Black Macaques (four tribes of these wonderful primates live in the forest here and are easily seen) numerous bird species that are only to be found on Sulawesi and huge iridescent butterflies.
HALMAHERA
To the east of Sulawesi lies the island of Halmahera: little visited by tourists and only very recently dived by a few pioneering liveaboard boats. Diving the area between Sulawesi and Halmahera is in its infancy but recent research and trip reports reveal an area of pristine hard corals with good populations of reef fish. There are some spectacular walls and deep coal ridges where one can find schools of larger fish such as Big-mouth Mackerel and Skipjack Tuna. Fusiliers, surgeonfish and Oceanic Triggerfish pour over the reefs.
Sharks are hunted and fished all over the world, but here Grey Reef Sharks and both Black-tip and White-tip Reef Sharks can still be seen on many dives. Even the amazingly large Dogtooth Tuna still swims in these waters.
At more sheltered dive sites one finds beautiful soft corals and splendid invertebrate life, so ‘critter-lovers’ can spend some time flirting with nudibranchs or enjoying encounters with crustaceans.
Halmahera cruises are for those divers who enjoy a variety of marine life from the big fish encounters in blue water and off-shore locations to the enthralling marine life that populates both hard and soft corals and sponges.
Mandarin Siren, a new addition to the Worldwide Dive and Sail luxury liveaboard fleet, will cruise the waters between Sulawesi and Halmahera, commencing in July 2010.
SANTIKA SEASIDE RESORT & THALASSA DIVE CENTRE
Built on a low hill above the shoreline, the attractive Santika Seaside Resort looks out across the sea to the offshore islands, including Bunaken and the conical Manado Tua. The resort aims to balance the high standards required by their western guests with the flavour of the east and local ambiance. There are 101 very well-appointed guest rooms with en-suite facilities and air-conditioning. Most rooms are situated in the main hotel, but there are also 28 cottages scattered about the grounds. All the rooms and cottages are decorated in modern style, are air-conditioned and have TV, mini bar and tea and coffee making facilities. Deluxe rooms overlook the gorgeous tropical gardens, have a large double bed or twin beds and en suite bathroom with shower. Premiere Rooms have a stunning view across the sea to Manado Tua and have a bath and shower in the bathroom. The Garden Bungalows offer especially spacious and well-equipped accommodation with a king-sized bed or large twin beds. They have a spacious, well-equipped bathroom. Separated by a low screen from the main bedroom is a small seating area with sofa and low table. A small private terrace with chairs offers the opportunity to sit outside. The hotel has a lovely swimming pool with pool-side bar. The impressive public areas are especially pleasant, being built in local style and open to any breezes blowing in from the sea.
There is a choice of two restaurants serving local Indonesian and International cuisine. The Big Tree Restaurant offers great food, a choice of drinks and a stunning view across the sea to the islands beyond. The Maleo Restaurant menu comprises mostly Indonesian dishes and often has some live musical entertainment. The Pari bar, in the main lobby area and the Lumba-Lumba bar at the swimming pool both serves an excellent variety of cocktails as well as fresh fruit drinks. But personal service is paramount at the Santika Seaside Resort, so if you would like a private barbecue in the gardens it will be arranged for you. Nothing is too much trouble.
The Amaryllis Spa is next to the swimming pool and offers a full range of massages and treatments. Choose between relaxing inside the spa or outside in the private gardens while you feel the benefit of the treatments creeping over your body. The masseuses are all professionally trained to offer the highest service.
The extensive range of facilities, which include day trips and activities, offered at the Santika Seaside Resort, along with the comfortable and safe environment, makes this an ideal choice for groups or couples with non-divers amongst them. For once you will be able to enjoy your diving knowing that your partner or friends are having an equally great holiday!
The Thalassa Dive Centre at the hotel is a PADI 5 star centre and is run by Simone Gerittson, an enthusiastic Dutch expatriate. Thalassa has all the latest equipment and their fast aluminium dive boats or powerfully driven wooden boats will whisk you out to dive sites at Bunaken in a mere 10-20 minutes! Situated close to the hotel’s swimming pool, the dive centre is connected by a long walk-way to the boat pier and your dive gear will be transported for you. At the end of the day you can take a hot shower at the dive centre and enjoy complimentary coffee and snacks in the pleasant reception area. On some evenings lively entertainment is provided in Thalassa’s bar. There is 24 hour internet service, a digital downloading and CD burning facility, dedicated charging room and photo-equipment handling room, which is air-conditioned, and a magnificent ‘care and carry’ service for your equipment. At the end of your trip Thalassa will provide a log print out of all your dives at the end of your stay.
Thalassa’s standard diving programme includes two dives at different sites and a picnic lunch taken either on the boat or on a beach, but up to 5 dives are offered each day. Thalassa is used to catering for keen underwater photographers and the dive guides here are remarkably skilful at finding rare or unusual marine ‘critters’ to fascinate and excite their clients. Thalassa divemasters often ask you to make up a wish list of what you would like to see that is smaller than 1 metre and indigenous to the area. Because you will only dive in small groups (4 divers to 1 guide) there is every chance that you will have crossed off everything, or almost everything, on your wish list before you leave. Trips to Bangka Island and to Lembeh Strait can be arranged locally for an additional charge. Night dives can also be arranged locally on Tuesdays and Fridays. Dives boats leave the dock each day at 0800, 1000, 1400, 1600 and 1800. Nitrox is currently not available.
Stays can be of any length. Prices given below relate to a 7 nights stay.
Price: from about £268 for 7 nights. Includes: airport transfers; 7 nights room and breakfast accommodation on a twin/share basis in a Deluxe Room at Santika Seaside Resort. Various dive packages are available; for example a 10 dives package costs about £280. A Bunaken Marine Park fee of US$15 (subject to change) is payable locally. Single Occupancy Supplement: from about £150 for 7 nights.
KIMA BAJO RESORT & SPA, & ECO DIVERS
The small, luxurious and romantic Kima Bajo Resort & Spa nestles amongst the gently sloping coconut groves that overlook tranquil Wari Bay and the Bunaken Marine Park. Just 25 minutes from Manado airport, the resort offers superb service and aims to provide every comfort a traveller could wish for. This is a resort that caters for divers searching for world-class diving, snorkelers who want to see fascinating fish and coral species in abundance, and non-divers who can relax round the pool (from where there are exceptional views of Bunaken Island and Manado Tua island) or take one of the resort’s ‘soft adventures’ (which include white water rafting, hiking and horse riding) into the Minahasa Highlands.
The accommodation includes nineteen Bunga Villas, each with a sunken outdoor bath and shower, twelve spacious Longhouse Rooms and an exclusive Grand Villa Suite with its own private swimming pool. Longhouse Rooms are air-conditioned and have one king-sized bed or twin beds with en suite bathrooms and fabulous tropical garden views. Other facilities include mini-bar, telephone, safety deposit box, tea and coffee making facilities, hair dryer and exclusive toiletries. Sprinkled throughout the lush grounds of the resort are the Bunga Villas, which have garden or sea views. These air-conditioned rooms have the same facilities as the Longhouse Rooms but also have an outdoor sunken bath and shower and a private balcony. The Grand Villa Suite has two exclusive air-conditioned suites with satellite TV, a private swimming pool and a covered sun deck. The main suite has a super king-sized bed, an outdoor sunken bath and shower plus an indoor bathroom and shower, a private balcony and entrance. The adjoining suite has twin beds, a private entrance and a bathroom and shower. The Grand Villa Suite has the same additional facilities as the Longhouse Rooms and Bunga Villas.
When there is time to relax, guests can enjoy the stunning sea-view swimming pool, or the sun deck which stretches out across the sea. An essential part of the holiday is to enjoy the views across the sea, which are especially beautiful at sunset.
The Nibong Bar and Restaurant offer a choice of dishes from both international and local menus. A few steps down from the restaurant is the fabulous sun deck and private beach. Can there be a more romantic setting than a table for two set just for you on the beach with the stars of Indonesia twinkling above? Irresistible!
The Mayana Spa is a very special place with several massage rooms, hydrotherapy villa and a ‘couples cove’ with a sunken hydro jet bath. Treatments are derived from Indonesian herbs and conventional aromatherapy essential oils. From invigorating massages to luxurious spa treatments, there is something to please everybody. The well-known and respected Eco Divers manage the PADI 5 Star Centre at Kima Bajo. Their purpose-built boats are in traditional style with double outboard engines. These comfortable boats have sundeck, camera rinse tanks, WC and shaded salon. Each boat takes a maximum of 8 guests, with dive groups limited to 4 divers per guide. Snorkelers and non-divers are always welcome on the boats. A camera storage facility and individual lockers are available at the jetty so it is not necessary to carry gear back to the rooms. The daily programme starts with a two-tank morning dive departing at 0800 and returning around 1300. After an enjoyable lunch the boat departs from the pier at 1500, returning around 1700. Night dives, special trips to Lembeh Strait and PADI dive courses can be arranged locally at additional cost. Nitrox is also available for an additional charge.
Stays can be of any length. Prices given below relate to a 7 nights stay.
Price: from about £817 for 7 nights. Includes: airport transfers; 7 nights full board accommodation (breakfast, lunch and dinner) on a twin/share basis in a Longhouse Room at Kima Bajo Resort & Spa; 6 days of diving (2 boat dives daily, dive guide). Supplement for a 3rd boat dive daily: about £93. A Bunaken Marine Park fee of €15 (subject to change) is payable locally. Reduction for non-divers. Single Occupancy Supplement: from about £87 for 7 nights.
MANDARIN SIREN
Scheduled to join the Siren Fleet of luxury liveaboards in July 2010, the 24-metre Mandarin Siren is a handcrafted Indonesian phinisi constructed in ironwood and teak. She is purpose-built and designed by Worldwide Dive and Sail especially for divers, with superb facilities for the underwater photographers as well as for the watersport enthusiast or the adventurous sailor. Mandarin Siren carries 8 guests in four large, en-suite, air-conditioned cabins, each with its own computer and audio-visual entertainment system complete with 20-inch flat screen, high definition monitor integrated into the yacht’s network server in the saloon. Each cabin has a lavish array of luxury facilities including hairdryer, towels and individually-controlled lighting and air-conditioning. The boat has three decks; the lower deck has all the cabins, the main deck has the dining area and the dive area, and the upper deck has the lovely sun lounge area.
Delicious international and Asian cuisine is offered, with individual requirements happily catered for. Imagine enjoying a superb meal while looking out across the wide expanse of ocean from the covered outdoor dining area near the stern of the boat on the main deck.
The spacious and modern air-conditioned saloon has a cocktail bar, large flat-screen TV and a computer supporting the inter-cabin network. There is plenty of space to relax on the comfortable sofas while enjoying a post-diving drink.
The boat offers satellite phone facilities. Other facilities on board include a small boutique shop selling books, tee-shirts, hats and souvenirs. For those in the mood for some serious self-indulgence, why not try the massage service.
The dive area is on the main deck with plenty of space for the divers and for the dive crew. Each diver has his or her own place to store equipment. Divers set up their dive kit once only, at the start of the cruise. For the rest of the trip the crew will prepare your dive kit for you for every dive. Cylinders are filled in situ with air or with Nitrox (which is provided at no additional cost). The dive platform provides easy access to the dive tender. Divers usually enter the water from the tender boats and dives are usually ‘go with the flow’ drifts with an easy climb up one of the ladders on return. The tenders are staffed by very experienced crew and they will be there to greet you at the end of the dive. The crew comprises the most experienced, multi-lingual instructors who are available to teach PADI courses from Open Water to Divemaster. They are fully trained to look after your dive and photography gear, either as much or as little as you wish. Thorough dive briefings are given before every dive, and you may elect to dive with the dive crew or with your buddy. There is a fresh water shower on the dive platform and another two showers on the same deck for post-dive rinses. Photographers and videographers have their own large rinse tank with fresh water, which is changed on a regular basis. There is a further rinse tank for computer, mask and dive light rinsing.
Mandarin Siren offers a series of 10 nights cruises sailing between Manado and Ternate (a smaller island off Halmahera where the airport for Halmahera is situated) from April to October. She also offers a series of 6 nights cruises between the Bunaken Marine Park and the Lembeh Strait during the same time period.
Price: from about £1222 (6 nights Bunaken/Lembeh cruises); from about £2222 (10 nights Manado to Halmahera cruises). Includes: 6 or 10 nights cruise on Mandarin Siren on a twin/share basis with full board, plus coffee, tea, fruit juice, soft drinks, fresh fruit and beer; 5 or 9 full days of diving (up to 4 dives per day); air or Nitrox fills; escorted shore excursions where appropriate. Reduction for non-divers. Airport/hotel transfers are not included, but local taxis are inexpensive. Single Occupancy Supplement: 80% of the cruise cost (but you can avoid paying the supplement if you are willing to share a cabin).
PARADISE DANCER
This liveaboard, which sails out of Lembeh Strait and also visits Bangka Island and other remote dive sites, spends some time at Bunaken Marine Park near Manado. For full details, please see our Gangga, Bangka & Sangihe holiday description.
FLIGHTS: Prices from about £768 to Manado. There are daily flight connections to Manado (but the quickest and least expensive routings are not every day).
STOP-OVERS: These are available in Singapore, Jakarta or Denpasar, depending on flight routing.
COMBINATIONS: Why not combine an exploration of the Manado region with a stay at the fabulous Lembeh Strait, situated on the south side of the northern ‘starfish arm’ of Sulawesi and world famous for its unusual creatures and especially its ‘macro life’. The cost of staying at the famous Kungkungan Bay Resort or at Lembeh Resort can be found in the following Lembeh Strait holiday description. Alternatively, why not visit Gangga and Bangka islands with their wonderful marine life, including extraordinary soft coral gardens. As you will be passing through Singapore or Kuala Lumpur en route, side trips to any of the many famous diving areas in Southeast Asia can also be arranged. Talk to us about the possibilities.
Table coral and anthias in the Bunaken Marine Park (Thalassa Dive Center)
