Bunaken: is it just me or this place has changed?

[Jpalcg]

It was in September 2010 that I first dived Bunaken. It was my first South East Asian diving experience and I was very impressed with it: beautiful coral, abundance of fish... It became my benchmark for my following experiences in SEA.

I am now staying in Manado for a few days and managed to fit in a day trip to Bunaken. I know that a single twin-dive is not enough to form an opinion, but somehow I got the feeling that the place is different. The coral does not seem so healthy and the fish, well the fish seem to have reduce dip their numbers significantly. I was wondering how many of you have the same feeling, or if it is just the effect of me going back to an illusion (although the dive guide has confirmed she also felt the same)

Edit: not to mention the price of diving here, it has sky-rocketed... And I cannot understand why as the level of service and the baseline operation cost do not match the price they practice....

Cheers
Joao


Life Sauntering - Travel and scuba diving blog with a dash of photography
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[Indah]

Maybe it has something to do with the terrible floods this parts of North Sulawesi suffered from, one month ago?

 

[Luko]

It was in September 2010 that I first dived Bunaken. It was my first South East Asian diving experience and I was very impressed with it: beautiful coral, abundance of fish... It became my benchmark for my following experiences in SEA.

...or maybe you've dived other places in SEA to compare in the meantime .
To be honest, I've dived quite a few places in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, Bunaken never made it up to my top10 for the reasons you mention

 

[Jpalcg]

@indah, visibility was ok if we consider we are in the rainy season. Although I am no coral expert my feeling is that this is a degradation through excessive diving and fishing (somehow I doubt that the reservation limits are being respected... But I am just making guesses)

@luko that is also a possibility like I've mentioned, going back to a place you have a great impression of might always prove a disappointment. But the fact is I recall much better coral and much more life than I found now. But again, one single day is not enough to make a judgement. One thing I can tell you, the prices are too expensive for Indonesia, so I doubt I will return here. If the quality and safety were up to the price I could understand that... But again I may be rushing to conclusions

 

[gekodivebali]

Joao: it's gonna be hard to match all that padangbai goodness...

I went to Bunaken in 2011 and was not particularly impressed. It was around this time of year. That might be the problem...

 

[Jpalcg]

Cedric, padangbai was indeed very good I will try to match it as I'm heading to the Togian next week... We'll see how it goes


www.lifesauntering.com

 

[pughio83]

I have never been that impressed with bunaken and in a whole week there found it very repetitive with scattered foci of macro only some big fish schools, nothing big. Maybe I didn't do the right sites but remember doing mandolin, lekuan's, fekui and found them average to other places I have been.