Diving in Manado and Bunaken

Scuba Diving in Manado & Bunaken

Manado & Bunaken Diving Highlights

The diving in Manado is spread between several dive regions, including mainland Manado, Bunaken National Park, and Bangka Island. Each has distinctly different diving, keeping divers dreaming of getting back in the water no matter how long their trip.

The islands around Bunaken offer some of the best coral reef diving in Southeast Asia, with large numbers of schooling fish racing by on most dives. Some of the best critter diving in the world is nearby in Lembeh Strait.

Where is Manado?

Manado is the capital city in North Sulawesi, where the area's domestic and international airport is located (MDC). Whether you plan on diving around Manado, Bunaken, or Lembeh, you'll have to fly into Manado. 

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Dive Overview

Bunaken is primarily wall diving. Some walls have a visible bottom below recreational dive limits while others have no visible bottom. There are almost always currents, creating anything from a very mild drift dive to undiveable and dangerous conditions. Because of this, there are dives to suit divers of all skill levels. Manado also offers some great diving, although visibility is less than out at Bunaken and photographers will tend towards macro. Bangka Island is close and offers incredible pinnacle dives full of soft coral. Again, these dives are very dependent on currents.  

Read more about Bunaken and Underwater Photography here... 

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Diving Information 

Marine Life

Bunaken - Lots of butterflyfish, triggerfish and the most fun, turtles. The shallows are filled with small fish rising in and out of the coral that will make you want more than a 3-minute safety stop. Bangka is also very fishy and every reef can be dived wide-angle or macro depending on your interests.

For another great macro destination, check out diving in Anilao, the Macro Heaven.

Manado - A focus on reefs and macro for shrimps, crabs, cephalopods, nudibranchs and other abundant critters in the reefs and sand.

Check out this article on shooting wide-angle photography whilst diving Bunaken Marine Park.

Diving Conditions

• Water Temperatures: 81-86°F(27-30°C)
• Visibility: 66-115 ft (20-35m)
• Average Depth Range: 16 - >131 ft (5 - >40m)

Best Dive Sites

Bunaken's best dive sites for fish are Manado Dua, Barracuda Point, Sachiko, Mandolin, and Likuan I.

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Travel Information 

How to Get There

Most people fly to Manado through Singapore on a 3.5-hour flight, with Scoot operating direct flights on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. You can also get a direct flight from Jakarta on Garuda, Batik, or Citilink. Note that flights from Bali transit Jakarta. Resorts will usually pick you up at the Manado airport. Two hours after you get your bags, you should be at the resort.  

How to Dive Manado & Bunaken

There are a lot of great dive resorts in Manado & Bunaken. For diving, we recommend visiting more than one area on your trip. If you’re diving Manado and Bunaken, save a few days to dive the famous Lembeh Strait. And on the way, provided you have time, stop at Bangka or Gangga Island to round out the underwater offering of the area. Many people say the combination of these areas is unparalleled and return frequently.  

Best Time to Dive

Diving is good all year round, but the best diving season is from March to October during the dry season.

Topside & Non-Diving Activities

Manado and North Sulawesi are filled with topside activities for the adventurous diver looking for some culture. The Minahasa and local island people are genuinely friendly, making interactions with locals an opportunity to learn, share and enjoy new experiences. Touring the Minahasa highlands and beautiful countryside is a nice day trip. The area has a history of clove and flower growing with beautiful villages and scenery. Farmers create terraces up the sides of Mahawu Volcano, which offers breathtaking views of Manado, the Bunaken National Park and a volcanic crater that is still steaming. Make sure to tour the Tomohon Market, but we forewarned that there is food of all sorts on display. Lunch at Gardenia restaurant (also a mountain resort) offers a sampling of many local Minahasan dishes. Other activities include touring Tangkoko National Park, White Water Rafting and more.

If you have the time, stop by the Tangkoko Nature Reserve - a conservation area for endangered species (about 70 kilometers from Manado). Bring your binoculars and watch tarsiers, black macaque monkeys, maleo birds, and cuscus in their natural habitat.

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Liveaboard availability

The rates shown below are per person in USD. Some of the operators quote in other currencies and the pricing at the time of booking may vary depending on the latest exchange rates.

Search results include trips to Manado, Bunaken, and the surrounding regions. 

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Other Useful Information 

Practical Information

• Currency: Indonesian Rupiah (IDR)
• Main Airport Code: MDC
• Electricity: generally is 220 volts, with 2 round pin plugs (European Standard)
• Vaccines: None are essential for US visitors. It is recommended that you are up to date with Typhoid, Tetanus/Diphtheria, Hepatitis and Polio for any trip to the tropics.
• Visa: Visitors from most countries can purchase a 30-day visa upon arrival to Indonesia. Make sure your passport has a blank page, and is valid for 6 months.
• Language: Bahasa Indonesia is the language of Indonesia. It is very easy to learn, and we suggest you learn hello, thank you, how are you, and what is your name before your trip.

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