teradesa.com Bunaken is an island with an area of 8.08 km² located in Manado Bay, north of Sulawesi Island. Bunaken is also part of the administrative city of Manado. The marine park around Bunaken is part of the National Park which also includes the ocean around Manado Tua, Siladen and Mantehage islands. Bunaken Marine Park is a paradise for a variety of unique and colorful marine life. In fact, here you can see a real “mermaid”, you know! Well, to reach this park, you can take a motorboat from Manado which takes about 40 minutes.
A Paradise of Waters
The clear sea water in the waters of Bunaken allows you to clearly see the variety of marine life in it. There are 13 types of coral reefs dominated by coral cliffs. The most interesting view is the vertical steep coral reef 25-50 meters deep. The scenery in the sea is even more vibrant with the presence of 91 species of fish found in Bunaken Marine Park, including Gusimi Horse Fish (Hippocampus), White Oci (Seriola rivoliana), Yellow-tailed Lolosi (Lutjanus kasmira), Goropa (Ephinephelus spilotoceps and Pseudanthias hypselosoma), Ila Gasi (Scolopsis bilineatus) and other types of fish. While diving, you will also find several types of mollusks such as Giant Kima (Tridacna gigas), Goat Head (Cassis cornuta), Nautilus (Nautilus pompillius) and Tunicates or Ascidian.
For those of you who love diving, Bunaken is the perfect place. With around 20 dive sites, you will have the opportunity to swim underwater, while frolicking happily with the marine life. The majority of diving activities are done near Bunaken and Manado Tua, as these two places have many good and interesting sites. Lekuan Walls I, II, III are long walls in Bunaken that are some of the best dive spots in the Bunaken Marine Park.
The steep cliffs are characterized by deep coral crevices and ornate soft corals and giant porifera become places frequented by rare marine life such as parrotfish, Napoleon fish, and turtles. You can explore some of the nearby islands by boat. However, walking around the island is equally impressive.
Wander around
You can explore some of the islands by boat when moving from one dive site to another. However, walking around the island is equally impressive!
Access to Bunaken
Bunaken Island can be reached easily by motorboat from Manado. You can depart from Manado port, Molas, Kalasey, and Tasik Ria Beach. Ferry from Manado to Bunaken departs every day around 14:00 (depending on the tide), except on Sundays which usually depart from Jengki Market near Manado harbor. For the return trip back to Manado, the boat usually departs in the morning at around 07:00 or 08:00 local time. There are also charter boats that depart in the morning and return in the afternoon as an alternative vehicle. However, this is usually provided as a tour package managed by hotels or travel agents.
