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Introduction of Bunaken Marine National Park. Reef type: Steep coral walls Access: 45 minutes to 1.5 hr by boat Visibility: Fair to very good; 12-35 meters Current : Usually gentle; at some sites to 2 knots or more Fish: Good numbers and excellent Highlights: Pristine walls; sheer number of species; interesting wreck Bunaken island and the four islands (Manado tua, Naen, Montehage and Siladen-75,275 ha) became national marine reserve in 1989. The Bunaken Marine Reserve features some dozen and a-half dive sites. Most are concentrated off the south and west coast of Bunaken, a low, crescent-shaped coral island completely surrounded by steep fringing reef. Adjacent Manado Tua is a volcano, well-shaped cone reaching 822 meters. Four other islands complete the group: tiny Siladen Is, northeast of Bunaken, and Montehage is, north of Bunaken, surrounded by a large barrier reef. The reefs on Bunaken (features 13 dive sites) are basically untouched, steep, and drop off so near the shore. Good coral growth usually extends down to 40-50 meters, and in the deeper parts of the wall one can see sharks, large rays, turtles and Napoleon wrasse. The variety of marine life here is excellent; the surfaces of the walls are crowded with hard and soft corals, whip corals, sponges, and clinging filter-feeders like crinoids and basket stars. Huge schools of pyramid butterflyfish and black trigger fish and clouds of anthias swarm around the reef edge and the upper part of the wall. Sharks and school of Barracuda, rays, moray eels, and sea snakes are relatively common here. With careful observation on this one island, you could probably see the majority coral reef fishes found in Indonesia! |
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Last modified:Wednesday, July 02, 2003 Copyright@RICO Tour Design by Heisje/Rico |
