Bunaken overated?

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no. Ive been there. I've been to Philipnes and Similans too;To Cozumel and 2 times in Red sea.Go ther at the right period ( April to November ) Go with Froggies or Celebes divers. Celebes are a bitmore expensive, but great food extremely nice bngalow and beach in Siladen. Easy diving, not a lot of divers everywhere neither. A must do onece in a life. Cozumel too. Sudan Also. And Tubatah reef And some others; but if you are looking for big fishes (Hammerheads, Whale shark, Mantas ) go somewere else.
 
i go there very year and sometimes more than once a year. go figure!!! of course the corals like everywhere else has been deteriorating over the years.

besides bunaken, there are plenty of other dive areas around manado coast and world famous muck diving lembeh straits
 
It is not overated. Of course, old timers will tell you about the good old days when it was nicer than it is now....
Anyway, you cannot travel in time, so go there and check the amazing walls, and spend your time to look for the tiniest living creatures on them. You will be amazed.

Now if you look for big fish, that's not the best place, although I have seen nice bumphead and napoleons, eagle rays, white tip sharks,... It's even better when you do not expect things, no?

Tell you what. It is a must to do.
 
If it wasn't me who replied on that other board that Bunaken was over rated, i'll say it here : "I have the sense that Bunaken is over rated".
(Philippe, Hallboy #2) already knows my opinion about the place... coral devoid places, lack of biggies, mediocre viz, Bunaken was for me a HUGE disappointment. Bangka straits is really worth, as well as Lembeh, otherwise I felt like losing time in Bunaken park.

As for my credentials, I went in N/Sulawesi 4 years ago, dived for approx 8 days on premises, 3 on Bunaken marine park and... left the place for Manado, Lembeh or Bangka dives. I was not the only one i my party to have the same opinion.

I'm not an old timer on this place, grouching about the glory of past diving, nor a novice : for me there are lots of places that IN MY PERSONAL OPINION rate above Bunaken, below or topside, such as the Visayas, sipadan/mabul, other spots in Indonesia and some selected spot in Thailand's Andaman side.
 
It's perhaps overpromoted, but is great diving. Could be that some people expect too much from Bunaken. IMO the diving at Lembeh and Bangka is better, and (though I have not been) the Togian islands are also rather good. If you have more than a week to dive then its easy enough to try Bunaken and Lembeh.

Some dive site information:

Bunaken

Lembeh Strait

Bangka

Togian Islands
 
just come back from Bunaken..had more than 25 dives both in Bunaken and lembeh..previously I dived in maldives, sıpadan-kapalai, red sea, andaman, cuba, pemba (tanzania) and I can say those dives were my best dives I had ever..don't expect big stuff...
don't waste time, go for it...
 
The walls are OK. Make sure you have a good operator. Personally I like to stay on Gangga Island and dive the Bangka Islands. Lembeh is not to be missed.
 
Was there in July 2005 and previously 2003. Our comment was that it seemed better and apparently others said the same. Been going for 9 years! The dive operators are investing in the marine reserve and local environment. They don't make a big publicity of it but a proportion of the earnings go to education etc in the communities in the area whose livelihood is connected to the sea. They are actively supporting the reserve in long term education and management.

Agree about sightings of big stuff - but don't forget the spinner dolphins and pilot whales that surround your boat out in the bay. Larger whales have also been seen. Does swimming through shoals that are so thick it's like fish soup count as big stuff?
 
I was not overly enthusiastic about Bunaken, but I had just come from diving Komodo, eastern Flores, and the Togean Islands--all of which are much more remote. Spoiled, spoiled. Looking back on the trip, I'd say I had a fine time. Visibility was so-so during my visit, but the marine life was very interesting. I mean, I saw two pygmy seahorses (!), and they made the whole trip worthwhile.

The area also has a very interesting history. I highly recommend reading up on the Coelocanth fish, which everyone thought was extinct for many centuries. The second ever living specimen was discovered in Bunaken.

The rediscovery of this fish is a great story, which you can read in entirety in the nonficition book "A Fish Caught in Time : The Search for the Coelacanth" by Samantha Weinberg. It'a fantastic read for anyone, particularly if you're into fish!

But if you want a brief rundown, check out:
http://www.mnh.si.edu/highlight/coelacanth/
 

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