Bunaken Island, Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia 2005

[AlanWald]

Bunaken Island, Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia 2005 in Nine Parts
September 5, 2005- October 6, 2005

Dive Operator Two Fish Divers http://twofishdivers.com/

Part One of Nine

Details Dive Sites
Around Bunaken Island and nearby islands.
The usual suspects were there in great quantity and variety, red tooth trigger fish (the little blue ones), other trigger fish, banner fish, butterfly fish, pipefish, trumpet fish, angel fish, anemone fish, cleaner wrasses, huge Napoleon wrasses, oysters, coral clams, five huge (a meter across) giant clams in a row, peacock flounders, parrot fish, batfish, ornate ghost pipe fish, all kinds of lion fish, leaf scorpion and other scorpion fish. stone fish, mantis shrimp, spiny lobsters, all kinds of crabs, cleaner shrimp, a big sponge crab the size of basketball (but flattened out) on a night dive, pygmy seahorses (the classic pink knobby ones as well as the recently described yellow/orange ones), little yellow and blue scrawled file fish, sea turtles, white tip and black tip reef sharks, blue spotted rays, garden eels. Saw a baby eagle ray, stone fish, trevally (Caranx species, in USA known as Jack) , big schools of bump head parrot fish near the surface. On the wall of Siladen Island near the pier saw the blue ringed octopus in the daytime.

We saw Dolphins underwater while using scuba. Quite rare. Also often saw Pilot whales and dolphins at the surface. Small school of Tuna circling near the surface. Another group saw a dugong (relative of the manatee) underwater far away from shore but we missed it. There is a species of coelacanth (you won’t see one as they live at 100 meter (330 feet) in volcanic caves at the base of Manado Tua, the volcanic island clearly seen just before landing at Manado airport). Lots of hard corals and sea fans. Mating Mandarin fish (seen during the dusk dive), nudibranchs, Unicorn fish. Sea cucumbers, sea starts. Barracuda. Black and white banded sea snake (krait) and the similar looking eel and the snake eel. Hawkfish. Lizardfish. Often saw the shrimp goby and its companion shrimp. We often saw the juvenile sweetlips nicknamed the “Cha Cha Cha” fish because of its dancing movement.

In 2004 I did not see the elusive nocturnal Comet fish (Calloplesiops species) but I saw it in 2005. It tends to stay hidden inside caves and crevices in the daytime. Carry a small underwater flashlight (torch) to discover this interesting and attractive fish.

North of Manado City just off the mainland
Plentiful Blue ribbon eels, .frogfish, demon stingers as well as many other members of the scorpion fish family such as Lionfish (also known as Turkey fish, Zebra Fish, Pterois species). Friendly cuttlefish. Good place for mantis shrimp. Crocodile fish. Stargazers.

Tanjung Pisok dive site, just off the mainland, a bit north of Manado city not far from Black Rock there is a huge forest of large green tree corals. Most looked healthy and strong about 6 feet (nearly 2 meters) in height. Even in the daytime in a mild current most of the corals were feeding.

Near Black Rock dive site is a very intact Dutch wreck, almost sixty years old, just off shore a few minutes north of Manado City.

continued in part 2

 

[AlanWald]

Part Two of Nine

South of Manado City just off the mainland
Popo
A recently discovered muck diving site an hour south of Manado just off a mainland village called Popo. During one of our dives someone saw the mimic octopus twice. We saw cuddling cuttlefish doing their mating dance with intertwining tentacles . Also saw the Pegasus (sea moth) crawling along the bottom. Many lion fish in debris at the bottom. Many moray eels Big eye squid.. Lots of pipefish including ornate ghost pipefish and big thick pipefish, razor fish that swim with head down. Flying Gunard. Baby barracuda. Good place to find peacock flounders on the bottom. Lots of regular size seahorses. Halimeda Ghost pipefish. Possible to see a dugong here. We saw one in 2004 If you are not also going to Lembeh, I recommend at least one trip to Popo.

Long Day Trip to the North of Lembeh/Bunaken Islands
Bangka Island
An island off the north end of Northern Sulawesi, about an hour an a half from Bunaken also accessible from Lembeh) we saw three beautiful egg cowries with black mantles partially showing. Different than the Bunaken diving. A little colder, a little rougher (more exposed to the open sea), much less crowded. In 2004, Risko, the guide, found a small gorgonian fan about the size of ping pong paddle with ten pygmy seahorses on it. Soft coral.

On my trip during every minute of the dives there was either something new, something rare, something special, large quantities or just an old favorite. I made over 55 dives in four weeks.

Not only did we have beautiful sunsets and sunrises. For a few nights the moon rose red from the sea and turned yellow and then white. Fantastic. Plus the water was clear, calm and warm.

Air Travel
I flew Singapore Airlines (SQ) from Los Angeles International Airport in California (LAX) to Singapore (SIN) via Tokyo (TYO) and then on to Manado (MDC) on Silkair (MI) (subsidiary of SQ). Round trip (return) cost was about USD$1100 but with fuel prices going up expect to pay a lot more. Flight was also off-season and discounted, direct with one stop. Avoid Jakarta. See details below.

Dive and Resort Operators.
I dove with Nigel and Tina at Two Fish Divers ( http://twofishdivers.com/ ) which is based on Bunaken Island in the middle of the marine preserve I dove with them in 2004 at about the same time of year. They now have a Lembeh Island operation also. See details below.

Weather: and Water
The weather was perfect. Except for one brief heavy downpour, the dry season lived up to its name. Water temperature was about 85 degrees F ( 29 C) for most of the dive sites The seas were calm. Night temperatures are mild.

continued in Part 3

 

[AlanWald]

Part Three of Nine

The Style of Diving
The dive boats will pick you up wherever you surface. There is a lot of boat traffic (dive boats and locals), so pay attention when you surface. I recommend that you carry the standard surface signaling devices (safety sausage, air horn, whistle).

When you stay on one of the islands like Bunaken or the nearby Siladen, you generally do a dive and come back for siesta and lunch then do another dive. Most of the dive sites are only ten to twenty minutes away if you are staying on the islands. If you stay on the mainland, it is usually a day trip (about 15 minutes to hour travel time each way depending on the resort and dive spot) and you do all your dives and have lunch on the boat before returning.

Most dive operations offers guides. This makes a big difference as they generally have better eyesight and know where the critters hide. Be sure to ask about the ratio of divers to guide.

Saw lots of great stuff. Highly recommend the Manado region (Bunaken, Lembeh, Bangka and other islands) I am planning a third trip for mid-September.

Details: Dive Guides
I don't know the policies of the other dive operations, but at Two Fish divers (located on the Bunaken Island and with another location on Lembeh Island starting in December 2005) there is a guide for every three people, occasionally you have one guide for one or two persons. If you have a group of six people in may be possible to get your own boat and set your own schedule.

Only once we had four divers for one dive guide because of a temporary shortage of guides.

They try to keep you with the same guide as much as possible and match you up with other divers of similar abilities and interests. If you want to switch boats for any reason (scheduling, destination) or not dive inform the staff as soon as possible.

Details: Dive quantity and times
Two Fish Divers is very flexible. You can do as few or as many dives as you want. Guides will stay with you as long as you wish to dive. There is no artificial limit on dive times. Dive times were from 70 to 100 minutes, with most being about 85. If other members of the dive group need to surface the guide will signal you to stay where you are and he will take them to the surface and the boat will pick them up and you and the guide will continue diving with you.

Night dives and dusk (as the sun starts to set) dives are available almost any night. The main attraction of the dusk dives is to see the mating Mandarin Fish.

continued in Part 4

 

[AlanWald]

Part Four of Nine

Details: Your Dive Schedule
At Two Fish Divers, dive departure times and locations are flexible. An erasable white board in the dining area near the reception desk lists the boat schedules/destination and who is on what boat. Feel free to request a change or sign up for a possible future special trip to Popo or Bangka (there is a fuel surcharge due to the long distance to the dive site). Advise your guide if you want to cancel or add a dive.

Details: Dive Gear
There is equipment available for rent (contact the dive operation in advance to make sure there is sufficient gear and that they have your size) and all dive gear except tanks and weights goes into a big "milk crate" type plastic box and is stored on the boat that way and taken off at the end of the day to be washed (weight belts stay on the boat) and stored in the locked dive equipment shed.

Hold on to your booties between dives so you can use them to walk out to the boat during low tide. There may be stingrays or stonefish in the shallows.

Marking your gear so that it is easier for the guides to make sure that the right gear gets on the correct boat. The dive guides will also tag your gear. At the end of your trip re-pack using a list to confirm have everything.

Details: Dive Instruction
PADI dive instruction from Open water to rescue diver and divemaster (long stay required) is available. Current instructors are Nigel and Tina.

Details Boat
Two Fish divers had three full size wooden local style dive boats plus the "speed boat, a tiny open skiff used mostly to transport students to a nearby shallow area for training.

Tanks are standard aluminum 80s with “international” style yoke (A-clamp) pumped to 3000 psi (200bar). You need to be able to climb up the ladder after passing up your weight belt and BCD/tank and fins. Other dive operations have bigger boats. If you have a DIN regulator, be sure to bring your yoke adapter.

Details Night Life
At night at Two Fish there is a television so people can show their digital photos or videos of the day's dive and a bar by the beach and some of the dive staff who live at the resort generally sing and play guitar all night. You can also do a dusk or night dive just about any time. They have a DVD player but it is currently only plays commercial DVDs that are made for the Asian region or DVD with no region (like personal DVDs) . If you want to bring commercial DVDs, inquire if they have obtained an All Region Player.

How to Decide which Dive Operation
It all comes down to how fancy do you want the accommodations, variety /quality of food, quality of boat, travel time to dive site (longer from mainland, but better accommodations on the mainland) and surface intervals (mainland boats have minimal surface intervals and may have policies limiting dive time, be sure to ask) and the guides.

At Two Fish Divers, based on the Bunaken Island and now at Lembeh Island, surface intervals were about one hour if doing two morning dives. If doing a morning and an afternoon dive, intervals were between three and four hours and from 6 to 7 hours if doing a morning dive and a night or dusk dive (to see mating Mandarin fish nearby the resort). Safety stops were five minutes to 45 minutes. There is still plenty to see at shallow depths while making safety stops and the guides were terrific and constantly looking for things to show to the divers.

continued in Part 5

 

[AlanWald]

Part Five of Nine

Details: Special gear to bring
Bring a magnifying glass!!! The pygmy seahorses are so tiny you can't see them clearly without a small light and a magnifying glass. I have not seen them shallower than 75 feet (23 meters). Visibility was generally excellent. Bring a small underwater light (torch) like a Underwater Kinetics (UK) SL4 or SL6 to look for things in small caves and cracks and under ledges in the daytime and to see the tiny shrimp and pygmy seahorse. Bring surface signaling devices. I always carry a dive knife on the dive plus additional tools & a repair kit on the boat.

Details: Depths and currents
The reason to go deep is to see the pygmy seahorses (often at 85 feet or 26 meters), the shipwreck off the mainland (propeller at 120 feet or 37 meters) or to see big pelagic fish in heavy current areas (of which there are only a few spots with strong current) like the dive site Pangulingan off Manado Tua, the adjacent volcano island. This area has strong lateral currents sometimes which can have downward direction as well.

Details: Exposure Suit
In the Bunaken Island area, I wore an Aeroskin brand polyolefin full body suit for protection against sun, stinging things and abrasion (no insulation). Polyolefin is a very rugged fabric. I was never cold.

Some divers wore 5 mm full neoprene wet suits and 5 mm neoprene hoods and were still cold. I dive southern California in the summer in a 7 MM suit and am never cold

The dry season (May-September) is truly dry. Sometimes it may rain in Manado city (it has mountains behind it) but not on Bunaken Island. The water at Lembeh is a bit colder than Bunaken I have been told.

I highly recommend that you do NOT wear a shortie and that you have full coverage of arms and legs to protect against abrasions, sun and stings.

Details: Peak Season
Peak season (because of summer holidays and weather) is July-August. Though June and September (when I went) should be good as well. In general the currents are mild, some dives are mild drift dives.

Details: Clothing/Footwear
I recommend wearing sandals or shoes all the time on land because there millipedes on the island and they are poisonous and the bite is very painful.

Also, when walking to or from the boats during low tide if you are island based, you will need to wear booties because of the deep thick mud and possible stone fish or stingrays in the shallows.

Bring lots of shorts and lightweight shirts. It is not cold at night. If you have any extra T-shirts you want to give away to the staff, most everyone on the island wears T-shirts.

Rain gear if going during the rainy season. In the dry season, rain is possible especially in Manado City.

Continued in Part 6

 

[AlanWald]

Part Six of Nine

Details: Health
There is no malaria and few mosquitoes (at least they didn’t bite me) on Bunaken Island. However other parts of Indonesia do have malaria. A healthcare worker from Ternate in the Moluccas (the original Spice Islands) told me that about 20 to 30% of the locals have malaria. I met a Canadian who had contracted malaria on Flores Island (east of Bali).

Bunaken is near the equator, so the sun is strong. Bring plenty of sun screen and use it. Bring a hat. Sunglasses.

Get vaccinated. If you have not had a polio booster shot as an adult, talk to your doctor about getting one. There was an outbreak of polio in the Jakarta area in 2005. It’s a good idea to get your tetanus booster (every ten years or after any serious and dirty puncture wound). Typhoid and Hepatitis A and B would be good vaccinations for any travel outside North America and Europe.

Resort operators supply bottled drinking water at the resort and on the boat. Bring your own water bottle so you can have a supply with you on the boat and back in your room

Details Time Zones(UTC is current term for GMT)

Manado (Indonesia – Sulawesi UTC + 8 hours
Hong Kong (UTC+8 hours
Singapore (Singapore)UTC + 8 hours
Tokyo (Japan) UTC + 9 hours
Los Angeles (U.S.A. - California)UTC minus 8 hours in winter (Pacific Standard Time) Manado is 16 hours ahead of Los Angeles
In summer when Daylight Saving Time is in effect
In Winter Los Angeles (U.S.A. - California) UTC minus7 hours (Pacific Daylight time) Manado is 15 hours ahead of Los Angeles.

Details Air Travel
As of Dec. 2006 Silkair flies roundtrip on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from Singapore to Manado

September – October 2005
Manado Airport (MDC) and Singapore Airport (SIN) are in the same time zone as Hong Kong
In 2005 airfare was about $300 cheaper after the September Labor Day Holiday in the USA.

Flight #: SQ0011 Airline: Singapore Airlines
Depart: 14:35 Airport: Los Angeles Int'l Arpt (LAX) from Terminal B (Bradley International Terminal located between Terminals 3 and 4) Los Angeles, CA, USA
Arrive: Two days later at 01:10 AM at Singapore Changi Airport (with one hour stop in Tokyo (TYO) Aircraft: Boeing 747-400 Mileage: 8762 Air Travel Time: 18.25 hours

Later that morning
Flight #:SQ5274 n Singapore Airlines OPERATED BY Silkair (MI) – MI 0274 Non-stop
Depart: 09:25 Airport: Singapore Changi Arpt (SIN)
Arrive: 12:55 Airport: Manado Samratulangi Airport (MDC)
Manado, North Sulawesi Indonesia Aircraft: Airbus A319 Mileage: 1446
Air Travel Time: 3.30 Meal: Yes

Return Trip
Flight #: SQ5273 Singapore Airlines OPERATED BY Silkair (MI) – MI 0273 Non-stop
Depart: 13:40 Airport: Manado Samratulangi Airport
Arrive: 17:05 Airport: Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2
Aircraft: Airbus A319 Mileage: 1446 Air Travel Time: 3.25 hours Meal: Yes

Overnight in Singapore
Flight #: SQ0012 Singapore Airlines
Depart: 09:45 Airport: Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2
Arrive: 12:50 the same day: Los Angeles Int'l Arpt at the Bradley International Aircraft (Terminal B) : Boeing 747-400 Mileage: 8762 Air Travel Time: 16.55 hours.
(travel from west to east will be faster because of the jet stream)

Unfortunately no frequent flyer miles in Economy Class with Singapore Airlines.
The service was prompt and impeccable and the video on demand (sixty movies, 120 TV programs and tons of music) was great. You can stop and start as you please.

It’s a long trip but worth it.

Continued in Part 7

 

[AlanWald]

Part Seven of Nine

Details: Manado Airport
The airport at Manado is small but modern and spacious with only a few flights each day. Upon departure (after checking in there is a counter behind you where you pay the departure tax) you will have to pay in local cash an international airport departure tax of 75,000 rupiah as of October 2004 (at 10,600 to the US Dollar that is about US$7). If flying domestically it will be 15,000 rupiah at Manado airport and international tax from Jakarta is 100,000. Check upon arrival as it may change. There are restaurants and shops and a newsstand in the departure area upstairs. There is a snack bar just outside the airport building downstairs.

Details: Singapore Airport
Great transit airport. Lots of transit counters if you need boarding passes for connecting flights. There are transit counters scattered through out the airport if you need a boarding pass for a connecting flight. In Los Angeles they issued me the boarding pass for the Singapore Manado flight but in Manado they were not able to give me my boarding pass for the Singapore – LAX leg so I had to go a transit counter which was well organized.

On the third level (one level up from the departure/arrival) of terminal two (the same terminal is used by Singapore Air and Silk Air) there are two “premium” lounges. These are like mini-hotels here you can rent a room for two to four hours at time and or take a shower.

Nearby is the free “movie” theatre, which is darkened theatre with seats and carpeting and a gigantic video screen showing movies from the STAR satellite broadcast. It is possible to sleep here at night. Airport Security officers may check passports and boarding passes so have them handy.

Don’t miss the Koi (fish) pond in the Orchid Garden on the second level at the far end (shopping and departure level). There is also a fern garden and the opposite end of the airport from the Orchid Garden.

There are free Internet terminals all over the airport most with 24 hour access) including in the departure lounges. There are also WiFi hot spots for wireless. Many places to watch local TV. Free land line calls via telephone phones on the wall to Singapore City. Lots of restaurants and shops including all night restaurants. Shops open very early in the morning and stay open late.

Details General information Flights and Airports
For passengers coming from the east coast of the US your best bet would be Singapore Air (SQ) from New York City to Singapore (SIN) and transfer to Silk Air (subsidiary of Singapore air) for the hour flight to Manado (MDC).

For those in Europe you may also fly to Singapore as well. I would not recommend flying to Jakarta unless there is a good reason as your connecting flight to Manado stops in Makassar in Southern Sulawesi.

For those already in Indonesia, e.g. in Bali, there are a several domestic airlines that fly very cheaply to Manado (as cheap as US$80 in 2004) via Makassar. There is also an Indonesian island an hour by ferryboat from Singapore that has domestic flights to Manado.

It is often difficult or impossible to book inexpensive domestic flights from abroad unless you have someone locally handling it for you. Small airlines don’t have sophisticated online computer systems for web based booking. It may be possible for the dive operator in Indonesia to get you a booking.

Also I have been told that prices for advance booking on domestic Garuda flights tend to be very high when booked from abroad from in advance but will drop drastically in the weeks before the actual flight in order to match the low cost domestic airlines.

Currently (October 2005) the flight Malaysia Airlines (MH) from Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Malaysia to Manado (MDC) via Kota Kinabulu (in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo). has been cancelled.

For those flying from the West Coast of the US out of Los Angeles International Airport LAX) the best connection (but the costliest) is Singapore Airlines flight SQ 19 from Los Angeles (LAX) to Singapore (SIN) departing at night 20:00 (8 PM) and arriving two days later at 6:35 AM (e.g. leave Saturday night arrive early Monday morning). This is a non-stop flight (about 19 hours) and it is considered a premium flight and is currently difficult to get discounted tickets on it and it costs more as well (maybe about $300 more, check current prices).

There are the regular one stop flights on Singapore Air (from LAX SQ 11) that can be obtained at a discount which is what I did. I prefer the one stop flight to Singapore because you get to leave the plane for an hour in Tokyo- Narita Airport (TYO). . I departed Los Angeles International airport (LAX) at 2:35 PM and arrived at One AM in Singapore.

Another disadvantage of the more expensive nonstop is that it takes off at 8 PM which means you face rush hour traffic on the way to the airport in Los Angeles, plus you don’t have much time to sleep before your flight to Manado. Then about three or four hours later you would depart at around 9 AM on Silkair flight MI 274 for Manado arriving at 13:00 (one p.m.).

Continued in Part 8

 

[AlanWald]

Part Eight of Nine

Details VISA
In Indonesia you will need to pay US$25 in US dollars cash (they prefer clean new crisp bills and have been known to ask for cleaner ones) for a visa on arrival, good for thirty days. It may be possible to get a visa for two months if one applies for it at an Indonesian Embassy or Consulate (there is one in Los Angeles). Passport holders of some neighboring countries (e.g. Malaysia) may not need a visa. Contact the embassy or consulate web sites or offices for the latest information.

For longer periods business type visas are available but you will need some supporting paperwork from Indonesia to show the nature of your business trip.

The Visa on arrival is only available to citizens of certain countries. US Citizens get the visa on arrival. Others need to check the Indonesian government web site. Dutch passport holders must currently get the visa in advance from the Indonesian Embassy or Consulate. Make sure your passport expires more than six months after your arrival. They are quite strict on this.

Currently (December 2005) there is about a six week wait for US passport issue so renew or get your passport now if you will be going overseas soon and have no passport or it will expire within the year get one now!!!!

Details: Miscellaneous tips
If you order any special meal (Asian Vegetarian or whatever) you will be served first on a large plane like a 747. Most resorts have book exchange libraries.

Details: Money
Most dive operations will take credit cards but may have a surcharge of about three and half percent or more as the prices they quote you usually "cash" prices. They may also accept US Dollar or Euro Travelers checks or Euro cash, US Dollars (USD) cash and local currency, the Indonesia rupiah (IDR). Consult with the dive operator about the best way to pay.

Important warning about US Dollars cash. The bigger the note the better the rate. US Dollar bank notes must be as clean as possible. The cleaner and crisper, the better the rate at the money changers. US$100 bank notes must be the modern series (started in 1996) with the larger portrait of Benjamin Franklin or the brand new color series that should be out soon. Newer is better (2003, 2004, 2005 or 2006). Certain serial numbers such as those starting with CB will not be accepted because there was some counterfeiting of those bills.

You can get Indonesia rupiah bank notes from ATMs at the airport and in Manado City. Often there are two types of ATMs. One dispenses small bank notes and the other type dispenses only 100,000 rupiah notes (about US$11). It may have 100,000 written on the machine or on the glass window of the booth. The maximum per day is generally 2.5 to 3 million rupiah (US$270 to US$325) depending on the ATM.

Manado City is modern and the supermarket in the brand new air conditioned Mega Mall has lots of food from around the world if you want to stock up on snacks. There is a recompression chamber and hospital in Manado City.

Details: Luggage
Regarding Luggage. Those flying to/from North America (with no break of journey, overnight in a transit hotel or changing planes is not considered a break of journey) are subject to the more liberal piece system (abbreviated “PC&#8221 which is two pieces of luggage of a certain size maximum weighing no more than 50 to 70 pounds each (23 kg to 32 kg) (check with the airlines). When I checked in at LAX with Singapore Airlines (SQ) my checked luggage was sent directly through to Manado. Keep in your carry on anything you need for your flight and transit in Singapore or cannot afford to lose.

For my return trip, the agent at Manado airport understood that the piece system (PC) applied as I was returning straight to the US. Had I broken my journey by staying several days in Singapore I would have been subject to the standard international weight limit of 20 kilograms (about 44 pounds) total.

In 2002 Singapore Airlines allowed 10 kg excess baggage at no extra charge for dive equipment as long as it is in a separate bag. Check to see if this is still true. I have been told that Emirates currently (2005) gives an extra ten kilograms for divers. Ask before you fly.

If you are in a group, you can ask if your luggage allowance can be shared with all members of the group. You will still get your own claim ticket for each bag. This is up the airlines. Ask in advance.

For those not flying to/or from North America, you get the standard 20 kg. checked luggage.- Some small discount airlines in Europe have a limit of 15 kg. So beware if you have a connecting flight, check on the baggage limits. Sometimes negotiating will help if you are ever stuck with excess luggage charges.

For carry on, soft luggage is easier to stuff in tight spots.

Sew a luggage tag inside all your baggage in case the outside tags get torn off.

Continued in Part 9 (Last Part)

 

[AlanWald]

Part Nine of Nine (LAST PART)

Details: Airport Check in and Screening
Allow plenty of time if flying out of the Bradley International Terminal for security screening of luggage at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). It took me an hour in 2004. That could have been because I flew out on the evening of September 11th.

Singapore hand luggage screening takes place at the departure area as you enter the departure lounge for your particular flight. It is much quicker than at LAX where the screening takes place as you enter the terminal (after check in)

Details: Things you can bring for others
Ask your dive operator if they need specialized batteries for dive computers or memory cards for cameras or other items that you can bring from home.

If you use disposable batteries in your dive light (torch) when you are done with them give them to the dive/resort staff as there will be a enough power in them to run radios, etc.

Offer to bring on a CD or DVD downloads off the Internet for your dive operator. For example, manuals from Camera web sites or dive computer web sites, etc.

Excess dive gear makes good gifts for the guide. I gave all the guides an orange STORM Whistle. They also love T-shirts. Everyone on Bunaken Island wears T-shirts (or are selling them).

Details: Tips and Things to bring
Those wonderful zipper closable plastic bags. The American brand names are HEFTY ONE ZIP and ZIPLOC EASY ZIPPER bag. They seal out water, dust and bugs.

The Dive Operator for both my trips (2004 and 2005) was Two Fish Divers http://twofishdivers.com/

Bunaken Island and Lembeh Island, Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Many thanks to Nigel and Tina (the two fish) and the staff, guides and boatmen.

I am already planning a return trip in September/October to Bunaken and Lembeh Islands (Two Fish now has resort on Lembeh Island).

I highly reccomend this dive operation. It's like having a second home in a dive paradise.

Alan Wald
California
October 2005


End of Trip Report

 

[anemone]

Excellent report there, Alan! All was covered..hehe..We'll definitely go back to Two Fish Diver.