Most of the reefs of the Bunaken National Marine Park are rich and unspoilt, with pristine and abundant soft coral and fish life in huge concentration. The night diving in the park is spectacular, rare creatures are round every corner, and there's a WWII wreck in day range. Let's take a closer look at Manado's main diving areas:
The Bunaken National Marine Park consists of five islands: Bunaken, Manado Tua, Nain, Montehage, andSiladen, as well as a part of the North Sulawesi mainland. Diving in and around Bunaken is mostly wall diving and drift diving, but also includes several beautiful coral slopes. There are 22 official dive sites within the park. The variety of both fish and soft coral is outstanding, making this area one of the top places in the world with regards to biodiversity. In addition, tucked away on the precipitous walls, you find an abundance of invertebrates and small marine life forms. With visibility around 25m and water temperature 26-30 C, this is a world-favourite destination for underwater photographers and naturalists alike.
Manado Tua, the fascinating cone-shaped volcanic island, features steep slopes on land covered with coconut palms and even steeper vertical drop-offs under water. Here you find the prettiest and most pristine coral, as well as many nudibranches and other macro life. The impressive overhanging walls are a breathtaking experience to dive, packed as they are with life, whilst the shallows provide some of the best snorkelling. In the many indents, caves and outcroppings of the walls, you often find reef sharks and other big fish, making this a preferred area for deep diving.
A 60m-long WWII shipwreck with good visibility and fish life is an available option if you fancy a change of diving scene. There are more wrecks in Lembeh (see below). Night diving on the walls is a thrilling adventure with a whole new array of creatures rarely seen during daytime and beautiful colours on the reefs when the tentacles of the coral are out at night to catch plankton - yet another world to explore!
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