Diving In Bunaken

To dive in the deep waters of the Bunaken Island 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 you can see seven times more genera of coral than Hawaii, 33 species of butterflyfish and over 70% of all fish species known to the Indo-western Pacific

The Bunaken National Marine Park was formally established in 1991 and is among the first of Indonesia's growing system of marine parks. The park covers a total surface area of 890.65 km², 97% of which is overlain by sparkling clear, warm tropical water. The remaining 3% of the park is terrestrial, including the five islands of Bunaken, Manado Tua, Mantehage, Nain and Siladen. Although each of these islands has a special character, it is the aquatic ecosystem that attracts most naturalists

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.

North Sulawesi enjoys an equatorial climate, which means it's sunny all year round. There are only two seasons - the wet season and the dry season.

The wet season usually falls between November and February and is characterised by intermittent downpours during largely sunny periods.

You should be aware that during the peak season months of July and August, Bunaken gets very busy. Many a Manado dive resort will not be able to accept walk-ins during high season since they are fully booked and you must try to book several months in advance. It is also worth noting that although the diving is good during peak season, at this time warm water brings more plankton and reduces visibility. We recommend September to June for the best conditions for scuba diving in Manado. Furthermore your chances of cetacean (whales and dolphins) spotting are best around August and September.