Bunaken,Lembeh Trip Dec 2010

[highdesert]

So my question is this: for my month long trip to Indonesia in July, in which I plan on diving most of North Sulawasi (including Buyat Bay), will Bunaken just be underwelming? Should I cut my time in NS short and head to Komodo/ Bali instead? Or is it worth checking out since I will be in the area?

I personally think that, if you're in North Sulawesi, there is some excellent diving on Bunaken. The walls along the SW side, where most of the boats congregate, aren't necessarily spectacular, but there are other choices. Timur I & II on the east-facing side have amazing hard corals, and Timur II is one of the very best night dives we've ever done. If you can catch Pangalingan and Sachiko on the north side when the current is running, you have an excellent chance for bigger stuff.

Is it the world's best? Probably not, but still world class. If you're close, it's worth the time.

 

[jake11]

Luko,

You are right. Maluku Divers is not the place for non-divers to hang out on the beach(no beach) although I did get massages there 2x for 50,000 rupiah/hr.! Not sure if your wife would love that or not but they were excellent! There is a lot of cool "stuff" on a lot of the dive sites. Tony Wu was there when we were there the last time so that tells you it is a great place to dive. You have to love macro and be able to put up with some trash on some of the sites.. but you never know what is hiding in some of the trash!!! Samwell is an amazing dive guide and such a gentleman too! LiLi also has great eyes and is wonderful to talk to over dinner. We had someone on our boat who was not staying
at the resort but did have a dive package with them. You can check that out.
I am not sure if there are places to stay at with beaches or not? If you did decide to stay at MDR they do have HUGE patios that your wife could hang out on and relax. I know some people did go on a tour to see the eels that hang in shallow water as well.
I have been there 2x but only to Maluku divers and then the harbor where we took off on our AA2 trip. ( no exploring around the harbor) I do know that we were not able to see the Psy.Frogfish as it had moved since last May and they had not found it again as of November of this year. I hope this helps!

 

[Magrone]

After our liveaboard in the Banda Sea my girlfriend and I will be diving Ambon for five days. I am still trying to decide between Blue Rose Divers and Maluku Divers. I hear both have excellent dive guides. Also, I am sort of in the same situation as Luko. My girlfriend is not into macro as much as I am, so it would be great to know of some alternative topside activities for her. The massages sound great. Anything else?

Can anyone compare Tubbataha's walls to Bunaken? I was in Tubbataha last June and thought the walls were amazing despite all the coral bleaching above 30 ft or so. It did not really get that tedious since the walls were so massive and sharks + large schools of fish were seen nearly every dive

 

[jake11]

Both of the times that we have been to Ambon we have only just added 3-4 days onto a liveaboard trip. The last time( November of this year) we then flew on to Kaimana where we boarded our boat. Both times we have taken the red eye from Jakarta and started diving within a couple of hours of arriving . I guess what I am trying to say is that I never asked about anything to do other than dive when we were there. If you get in touch with Andy from Maluku Divers he can hook you up with top side activities. You could also get in touch with Marcel ( manager of the resort) on facebook and ask him about tours,etc. He is really nice and very helpful!! They do bend over backwards to try and help you out with all kinds of stuff. GREAT service!!
I hope this helps. I had many "firsts" there including so many mimics that we stopped counting, hairy octopus, psy.frogfish, solar powered nudis, etc.etc. Have a great time diving in Ambon!!!

 

[safagamarc]

Great report and thanks for that. I loved my diving in Bunaken hence why I'm returning. The walls are spectacular and on a rebreather its just amazing.

 

[leo]

Nice thread. I just started researching Manado area, not having found a location yet for an upcoming trip (Sep? Oct-Nov?), and first looking at Thailand, Philippine, Malaysia, etc. (been to Bali and Australia so far).

And, with my limited research, and wanting an easy off the plane commute, it seems a program of two or three of Bunaken/Bangka/Lembeh might be the call. And I kind of immediately took note of both Cha Cha and KBR as resort options (wanting nice resort, some wow factor for all the travel, internet and A/C, great Asian food menu, small uncomfortable but not cattle car dive boats).

If I were to hit only two spots, any thoughts on Bangka vs. Bunaken (to go with Lembeh)? I know my wife would like some nice beach, but then I'm sure she'll be fine in a spa and pool without it - but I do require some house reef for snorkeling (or a dive) right from the resort for an afternoon option.

Also, any other resorts that compare to these, offering much of the items I might appreciate?

Thanks!

 

[Centrals]

For me, I was happy to spend only 5 nights here. For others, the hunt is on and people we met go back here year after year. I don't think I would go back. Once is enough. But, we will definitely go back to Bunaken!

My buddy and I are totally agreed.

 

[Luko]

If I were to hit only two spots, any thoughts on Bangka vs. Bunaken (to go with Lembeh)? I know my wife would like some nice beach, but then I'm sure she'll be fine in a spa and pool without it - but I do require some house reef for snorkeling (or a dive) right from the resort for an afternoon option.

How about Gangga island resort near Bangka?
The bungalows are very comfortable with AC. There's also a spa and a pool, a nice beach.
For snorkeling, there is an included snorkeling boat that takes you to the snorkeling sites.

Their dive center is simply out of this world, the best I have experienced yet. No more than 2 divers per guide.


The only resort near Bunaken to compare with would be Siladen island resort (though never been at this one, personally I don't care much with Bunaken diving, been once and would never return).

You should check with safari tours Manado, they usually have good prices for the hotels around and they can arrange your whole trip, transfers included.

 

[leo]

How about Gangga island resort near Bangka?

So, insteand of staying on Bankga, stay on Gangga - could be an option.

But, not having a shore house reef might be a deal killer, as each afternoon I think I'd be hanging with the non-diving wife on the beach or shore/pool and I'd need a snorkeling option (since I hate relaxing on a beach or poolside) - having to take a boat would separate us and take us off our own schedule (or does the boat leave whenever a guest calls for it?).

Also, are the Gangga and Bangka dives sites close to the resort, like a 10-20 minute boat ride away, or not close by like a 30-40 minute ride away?

 

[Luko]

Also, are the Gangga and Bangka dives sites close to the resort, like a 10-20 minute boat ride away

yes, there are quite close sites, I think the mandarin fish dive site (sunset dive) is something like 5-10 minutes boatride, night dives are done 10-15 minutes away.

I am not sure with snorkeling, like I wrote above there is a snorkling boat that takes whoever wants to near sites. I am not sure about the distance since only my daughter and wife went while I was diving.

The REAL plus of this operation are the guides and the dive conditions.
You just show them your equipment on the first day and it will be kit up on the boat waiting for you every day and every dive, you won't hear about it until the day you're going back home.
As for the critters, point them on a book, they will try to find whatever.

For the rest and much more precise answers, you should directly mail and ask Gaspare, the italian owner of the resort. Gangga Island Resort & Spa, Manado - A luxury resort for divers and non-divers