Manado | City of Spices, Land of Beauty
Manado, also known as Manado, is the capital of North Sulawesi, Indonesia. The water temperature of the sea area is maintained at 28 degrees Celsius all year round, coupled with very little development, the marine resources are very rich, and the marine ecology here is quite diverse. The abundance of spices such as cloves and cardamom on the island also gave Manado a reputation as the "Island of Spices".
Manado can be described as a gem, it is backed by a volcano, facing the sea, half flame and half sea water. Absolutely zero pollution, the entire original ecological island, exists like a paradise, waiting for people to discover its beauty. It is collectively assessed as the best diving site in the world by five major international diving organizations. The three main diving areas here are Bunaken Marine Park (Bunaken) in the west, Bangka Islands (Bangka) in the north and Lembeh Strait (Lembeh) in the east. Its BUNAKEN is certified by the International Diving Association. It is the top five diving resort in the world, leaving the Maldives and the Great Barrier Reef behind. There are 72 dive sites in Manado, each with its own characteristics.
Dive site introduction
- BUNAKEN
Located in the center of the nature reserve, it is a star-moon-shaped coral reef island surrounded by steeply descending coral reef walls. The dive sites near this island are all similar. They are all deep cliff diving, and there is still room on the steep coral reef wall. Decorated with large and small caves, there are many beautiful marine creatures distributed in them, and sharks, large stingrays and Napoleon can also be seen in the deeper parts.
The more famous dive sites are Lekuan I, Lekuan II, and Lekuan III outside Lekuan Beach, where you can see turtles, whitetip sharks and Napoleon.
- BUNAKEN TIMUR
The environment of the dive site is similar to that of the former. Sachiko's Point has well-grown soft corals and there are many caves at 30 meters for exploration. Please note that there is a current here. In addition, there are 13 dive sites of various sizes, such as Mike's Point, Raymond Mandolin, Fukui Point, Stingray Point, etc., located on the island.
- MANADO TUA
Located to the west of Bunaken, there is a beautiful bell-shaped Hugh volcano. The diving sites surrounding this island are mostly steep cliff diving or canyon terrain. Here you can see shoals of barracuda, whitetip sharks, bulging parrots and Napoleon. If you are lucky, you can also see hammerhead sharks!
- MOLAS BEACH
There is an iron-clad shipwreck in a 5-minute boat ride from the beach. It was discovered in 1980. It was inferred from the porcelain on board that it was a Chinese merchant ship (there is also a Dutch or German merchant ship). The deepest point is 40 meters, and the shallowest point is about 40 meters. 25 meters from the surface of the water; the visibility of this dive site is usually poor. It is recommended to dive along the anchor rope. This 60-meter-long ship is still intact, and there are even some places you can go in and visit. It is full of various small creatures, and if you are lucky, you can see whitetip sharks sleeping on the bottom of the boat during the day.
- MONTEHAGE, NAIN and SILADEN
The two islands located in the north of BUNAKEN; MONTEHAGE is a larger and flat island, this island is also surrounded by a coral wall, but it is much gentler than the previous two islands. The NAIN in the north is much smaller, and the islands are surrounded by flat skirting reefs, which are similar to the dive site environment of the Siladen islands to the east of BUNAKEN.
There are many soft corals, crinoids, huge chamomiles, and six kinds of clownfish; if your eyes are bright enough, it is not difficult to spot the puffy seahorse.
