Snorkelling at Bunaken Island

The Bunaken National Marine Park around Bunaken Island is part of the National Park that also includes the ocean around the island of Manado Tua, Siladen and Mantehage. Visitors can see various strange and colourful marine life within the Bunaken Marine Park along its sea bed. In the Bunaken Marine Park, you will encounter a real “mermaid”, and you can also get a glimpse of sea life. To reach this park, you can take a motorboat. The journey from Manado takes around 40 minutes.

The marine park was formally established at Bunaken in 1991. It was among the first of Indonesia’s growing system of marine parks. The park measures just under 80,000 hectares of land (3%) and sea (97%), located in Manado in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. It comprises the 5 islands of Bunaken, Manado Tua, Siladen, Montehage and Nain. It is part of the Indo-Pacific region which supports the highest marine biodiversity on earth.

The park was established because of the marine biodiversity it supports, because it is on a migratory route for protected animals, and is of high economic value for fisheries and tourism. There are over 20,000 residents in the area who depend on the natural resources of the park. The fear was that if the area was uncontrolled then over-fishing, destructive fishing practices and unchecked pollution would ruin the marine habitat which would be to the detriment of everyone concerned.

In addendum to its vast biodiversity, Bunaken Island is also a place where rare and endangered animals such as coelacanths, dugongs, whales and turtles, and dolphins can be found.

The park has a unique bathymetry, an attraction to tourists scuba diving at Bunaken Island. The absence of a continental shelf in the northern part of North Sulawesi allows the coastal area to drop directly down to the sea floor.

The translucent waters of Bunaken Island enable people to view numerous sea biota clearly. Bunaken Island has 13 species of coral reefs, dominated by edge ridges and block ridges of rocks. The most stunning view is the steep vertical sloppy coral reef that plunges down as deep as 25-50 meters.

Feast your eyes on 91 types of fish found in the Bunaken National Park, amongst which are the locally known Gusimi Horse Fish (Hippocampus), the White Oci (Seriola rivoliana), Yellow-Tailed Lolosi (Lutjanus kasmira), Goropa (Ephinephelus spilotoceps and Pseudanthias hypselosoma), Ila Gasi (Scolopsis bilineatus) and others. Divers may also meet mollusks like the Giant Kima (Tridacna gigas), Goat Head (Cassis cornuta), Nautilus (Nautilus pompillius) and Tunikates/Ascidian.

This is a great place for those who enjoy snorkelling, with about 20 snorkel spots to choose from. You will have the chance to swim below the sea and frolic joyfully while admiring the sea creatures. Most snorkelling occurs near Bunaken Island and Manado Tua because of the many excellent sites. The following are representative of dive spots in the area.

Steep walls are marked with deep crevices, sea fans and giant sponges. The wall, often protected from stronger currents, is frequented by bumphead parrotfish, turtles, and Napoleon wrasses. The shallows are filled with fish. You can also explore the island on foot or take a boat to move from one dive site to the other Just walking around the beach is already a most enjoyable experience