Diving in Manado, Indonesia

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Singapore
Hiya,

After a fantastic trip to Similans, we are planning a trip to Manado in February. Would like to find out if anyone has done a trip there before? Who would you recommend and why? Any tips, advice or even trip reports would be much appreciated! :)

Thanks!
Agnes
 
The star is of course: Lembeh strait, somebody told me there are over 50 (FIFTY !!!) sites in the strait alone. It's macro, it's pygmy seahorse. I've almost been there *boe hoe hoe...*if only my boss didn't give me warning to come back to office on time - I would have given in to the temptation.

I dove Likuan II, Bunaken island, once. I had never done wall dive before but I thought the wall is fantastic. Visibility was 20-30 meter. I met shark, 2 eels in one hole, three turtles and one huge beautiful angel fish. Later I read it's written as one of the best dive sites in the world.

Prior to that, I did 5 day liveaboard in Sangir-Talaud islands, northern area of Menado. Visibility in general was over 15 m. Many of the islands are volcanoes. There is also an underwater volcano. I stopped by a spring of bubbles and washed my face with warm bubbles. Marine life in general was in very healthy condition. Macro life, corals & sponges, big pellagic - plenty.

Now, if you're interested in corals, Mahangetang is the place (still in Sangir-Talaud islands). The coral surrounding this island does not grow in patches like most places. They grow in 3-5 sqm fields. So in a hot day with crystal clear water, it looked really amazing, a field of cabbage coral - then a field of blue coral, then a field of table coral, a field of staghorn coral. A Napoleon Wrasse had a late lunch there when I dove the place. Too bad it's early evening dive, soon it got dark and we couldn't see anything.

I dove with Murex Liveaboard. The owner, Dr. Batuna is one of the diving pioneers in Menado. They sure know precisely where and when to go. A new DM saw the rare comet fish twice during this trip - till today we're still arguing whether what he saw was comet fish or some other fish.

I saw a lot of things during every dives and I usually banged my tank to show the others my found - sadly only to find that my founds are common. Everybody was nuts about me ;-). Well, 3 white with black stripe nudibranch, flounder fish, catfish digging the sand like dogs, brown-black pipefish, yellow pipefish, yellow fish with purple lipstick pouty mouth, juvenile trigger fish, a shrimp digging a hole with a goby standing nearby guarding the place --- in my place those are called RARE.

Oh yesss - and a lot-lot-lot of puffer fish, I dove more than 20 dive sites and I think I met different colored puffer fish each time.
 
Hi,

I have been to Manado 3 times. Stayed in Tasik Ria twice. I will go back to Tasik Ria again. If you are going in Feb 2002, BBC have an excellent package (pls see below).

Tasik Ria Resort is excellent and has one of the best dive operator in Manado with two very comfortable dive boats.

Apart from the usual dive spot in Bunaken and Manado Tua, you have to do a few dives at the house reef (House Reef for free, Circles Critter and Pygmy Point) just in front of Tasik Ria Resort. You can find excellent macro in these house reefs. Pygmy, Ghost Pipefish, Frogfish, leaf fish, hingeback shrimps, anemone shrimps and crab, ribbon eel, 6 - 8 lionfish in the open and lots of juvenille fishes.

BBC Diver

S$2225 for 2 divers.

FA) 4th Feb to 9th Feb 2002 FB) 6th Feb to 11th Feb 2002 *
FC) 11th Feb to 16th Feb 2002 FD) 13th Feb to 18th Feb 2002
FE) 18th Feb to 23rd Feb 2002 FF) 20th Feb to 25th Feb 2002
FG) 25th Feb to 02nd Mar 2002 FH) 27th Feb to 04th Mar 2002

BTW, I am not working in BBC Diver

liang
 
Hi,

BBC gave me the quote, if you have an email address, i can forward you the mail. Or you can call Stanley at BBC and tell him I told you about the Manado package.

liang
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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