Oct 8th to Oct 18th, 2022

Best Diving Experience in North Sulawesi- 2 Resort Adventure

First 5 Days:

Bastianos Bunaken is situated on Liang Beach, on the west part of Bunaken Island. After many years in operation, Bastianos has gained a respectable team and facilities will ensure you see the best of Bunaken Marine Park and surrounding islands, both under water and above. Bastianos is a fantastic place to unwind, relax and enjoy the wonderful diving.

Second 5 Days:

Bastianos Lembeh is situated right in the heart of the famous Lembeh Strait, on the North east coast of Sulawesi. This incredible dive destination is home to some of the world’s most weird and wonderful critter’s! Nestled on a peninsula, with an all-round sea view, Bastianos Lembeh is a must on any divers bucket list.

Trip Includes- 3 Boat Dives a day, 3 meals a day, Superior Room with AC, Round Trip Transfers.

Airfare will be added at an extra cost- optional

Diving in Bunaken

Discover the colorful unspoiled coral gardens with some crystal clear blue water through schools of fish and pelagic along the magnificent vertical walls of Bunaken, one of the world top dive destinations.

Bunaken Marine Park is a popular destination for divers from all over the world due to the unique coral reefs and numerous different species of marine life. The park offers some of the best dive sites in the world and diving in Bunaken will be a close encounter with an amazing underwater world. The park was formally established in 1991 and is among the first of Indonesia’s growing system of marine parks. The park covers a total surface area of 89,065 hectares, 97% of which is overlain by sparkling clear, warm tropical water. The remaining 3% of the park is terrestrial, including the five islands of Bunaken, Manado Tua, Mantehage, Nain and Siladen. Although each of these islands has a special character, it is the aquatic ecosystem that attracts most naturalists.

Oceanic currents may explain, in part, why Bunaken National Marine Park is such a treasure trove of biodiversity. Northeasternly currents generally sweep through the park but abundant counter currents and gyros related to lunar cycles are believed to be a trap for free swimming larvae. This is particularly true on the south side of the crescent-shaped Bunaken Island, lying in the heart of the park. A snorkler or diver in the vicinity of Lekuan or Fukui may spot over 33 species of butterfly fish and numerous types of groupers, damsels, wrasses and gobies. The gobies, smallish fish with bulging eyes and modified fins that allow them to attach to hard surfaces, are the most diverse but least known group of fish in the park.

The waters of Bunaken National Marine Park are extremely deep (1566 m in Manado Bay), clear (up to 35-40 m visibility), refreshing in temperature (27-29 C) and harbor some of the highest levels of biodiversity in the world. Pick any of group of interest – corals, fish, echinoderms or sponges – and the number of families, genera or species is bound to be astonishingly high. For example, 7 of the 8 species of giant clams that occur in the world, occur in Bunaken. The park has around 70 genera of corals; compare this to a mere 10 in Hawaii. Although the exact number of fish species is unknown, it may be slightly higher than in the Philippines, where 2,500 species, or nearly 70% of all fish species known to the Indo-western Pacific, are found.

Biologists believe that the abundance of hard corals is crucial in maintaining the high levels of diversity in the park. Hard corals are the architects of the reefs, without them, numerous marine organisms would be homeless and hungry. Many species of fish are closely associated with particular types of corals (folious, branching, massives, etc.) for shelter and egg-laying. Others, like the enormous Bumphead Parrotfish, Balbometopon muricatum, are “coralivores” and depend on hard corals for their sustenance. Bony mouth parts fused into an impressive “beak” allow these gregarious fish to crunch corals like roasted peanuts.

Diving in Lembeh

You will dive with the same guide and the same boat crew for your whole stay – because good mood on the boats is just as important as good diving. And diving with the same staff everyday means also, that the guide knows, what you like, what you have already seen and what you still need to see. And the boat crew gets familiar with your dive equipment and camera.

Lembeh Island lies directly opposite the port city of Bitung, which is the 2nd largest city in Northern Sulawesi after Manado. Between Bitung and Lembeh Island you find the Lembeh Strait, internationally famous for its amazing muck diving conditions. Lembeh Strait is a dive area rich with life. You can see more macro subjects here than you ever dreamed possible. The area of Lembeh is rich in dark volcanic sand, which is partially responsible for the rich marine life.

Larry Smith pioneered diving in Lembeh Strait in the early/mid 1990’s and he is the one who introduced the magnificent of muck diving to everyone and he claimed that Lembeh strait is one of the best muck diving destination in the world.

Lembeh’s low surge and mild currents make it ideal for macro and supermacro photography. Visibility is usually never great, but is always good enough for macro. While most famous for macro, Lembeh also has a decent number of wrecks, and a couple wide-angle spots to the north. Although finding rare critters is easier in Lembeh than in most other dive destinations, the Lembeh Strait is much more than just the renowned muck-diving capital of the world.

Booking online now, or call our shop at (415) 897-9962