A Diver's Paradise

  Manado, Indonesia
Sunday, July 22, 2007

After spending 1 more night in Manado than I had anticipated due to the unfortunate fact that there are no public boats to the Island of Bunaken on a Sunday I headed off to Bunaken on one of the public boats. I had expected something like a ferry but what it actually was was a wooden boat full of locals and a whole lot of supplies heading to the Island. On the trip over I met a French bloke who had been to the Island twice before and said he new a nice place to stay and do some diving. We arrived at the Seabreeze dive centre and were immediately greeted by a guy who instantly picked me for an Australian and happened to also be from Perth. We worked out what I thought was a fair deal for room and board and 2 dives per day for 4 days with equipment. Even with a fair price diving is one of the more expensive pastimes I have undertaken whilst on my travels. Definitely one of the most worthwhile though.

Bunaken is a small, quiet island which comprises of a local village and a row of dive centres offering food, accommodation and diving packages. The island itself is surrounded by a coral drop-off which is around 100 metres off-shore. There are approximately 40 sites around the island all of which offer spectacular diving. The place I am staying at has a whole lot of bungalows and a restaurant/common area on stilts right on the waters edge, which is a very nice place to enjoy dinner and a few drinks.
Basically my days here comprise of breakfast, then 2 dives followed by lunch then a substantial afternoon nap, dinner, then drinks and then more sleep. Very Relaxing! There is a very international crowd here with people from Spain,Germany and Holland. Terry the Australian part owner says that there are very few Australians that come here as the Island is not well known at home. God only knows why because everybody else seems to agree that this is some of the best diving in the world!


Some of the highlights underwater have been, the Black Tipped Reef Sharks, Turtles (including a huge one known as Grandpa), a Sea Snake, Scorpion Fish, Lion Fish. And that is only the tip of the iceberg.  I only wish I had an underwater camera so I could show you!

I am feeling a lot more comfortable diving now which means that I can take more notice of my surroundings now rather than concentrating on just staying alive.  I can't wait to get to the Philippines and do some more!