North Sulawesi was almost exclusively discovered by divers. Why, is obvious; it is one of the richest and most diverse area’s in the world. You won’t find any difficulty to get there since there are direct flights from Singapore 3-4 times a week depending on the season.
The highest season is from June to October and the lowest is from November to March. Still it is very good to dive anyway. Temperatures range from 28 to 35 degrees Celsius (82 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit) on land and 26 to 29 degrees Celsius (79 to 84 degrees Fahrenheit) under water.
You can find that there are three dive sites; the first is the clear waters of the Bunaken National Marine Park which was voted the global winner of British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Award in 2003. The amazing walls of the park teams with thousands of different fish species, huge sponges and beautiful hard corals, and countless number of fascinating critters. Specialists claim that in Bunaken National Park alone, one can find over 58 different genera and sub-genera of corals and an estimated 2000 species of fish.
Roughly we can divide Bunakem National Marine Park in 2 different dive area’s; Bunaken National Park North side (the islands Bunaken, Siladen, Manado Tua, Mantehague, Nain and Nain Kecil, as well as 12 kilometers of coastal area.) and Bunaken National Park South side (Popooh) in which you can enjoy steep coral walls.
The second area on the other side of the mainland is Lembeh Strait, and it is known as the world’s best ‘muck-diving’. The reputation of Lembeh Strait as a mecca for divers interested in odd and rare macro fauna continues to grow. These waters are full of extraordinary marine critters, many of which are the masters of camouflage.
The third diving area you can find is a group of tropical islands with white sandy beaches and beautiful coral reefs of Bangka Island with amazing soft corals and even more critters.
In total the area offers over 150 dive sites and is suitable for any level of experience. We advise a 3 mm full wetsuit as the most practical protection against jellyfish, sunburns and cold. The wet season is usually less pronounced than in many other parts of Southeast Asia because of it’s location close to the equator and thus not really a serious concern in North Sulawesi.
While you enjoy the dive sites in North Sulawesi, remember to visit other attractions such as the bustling city of Manado, the lush vegetable gardens of the Minahasa highlands and the tropical jungles in Tangkoko Nature Reserve.
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