From Lombok, we flew to Sulawesi, a crazy-shaped island to the north. After a long, multi-stop flight, we spent the night at a cheap homestay in the grungy port town of Manado, situated on Sulawesi’s northern tip. In Indonesia, calling something a “homestay” doesn’t usually mean it’s anyone’s home. Most often, it’s just a way to dress up a budget hotel with a bit of charm. But in this case we were actually guests in the large, beautiful home of a well-traveled local couple, whose vacation photos adorned the walls.
The next morning we took a taxi to the harbor and a short charter boat to our dive resort on the island of Bunaken, where we settled in for four days of diving in the marine national park. We chose Bunaken for our second diving destination because of its abundant, healthy coral. Although Gili Air has beautiful coral in patches, dynamite fishing has reduced its reefs to a fraction of their original size. In contrast, Bunaken boasts miles of pristine coral, growing from underwater cliffs that plummet just offshore hundreds of meters into the depths.
Living Colours, our Bunaken dive resort, is nestled in the mangrove forests that cover the the island’s shore and help protect its beaches from erosion with their unique, saltwater-resistant root systems. Not long after arriving, we were underwater with Alli, an affable British dive guide. The coral and accompanying reef fish did not disappoint.
Over our four days at Bunaken, we dove with several different dive staff, but our favorite was Vickli, who had an incredible eye for finding impossibly tiny creatures nestled in the coral, such as the rare pygmy seahorse. Less than an inch tall, this crazy creature is camouflaged in the exact color and texture of the coral on which it hides. When Vickli first pointed one out, it took us ages to see the little guy, even though he was floating right before our eyes.
Still, the glory of Bunaken is its giant walls and landscapes of flowing coral. Our favorite dive site was Lekuwan II, were the coral walls are bent in giant graceful S-curves, offering wondrous views across small underwater bays as we floated with the current. Sheltered within a little cave in one of these bays, three young reef sharks swam graceful circles as we looked on.
That same afternoon, in between dives, we were treated to a pod of dolphins swimming playfully right alongside the bow of our little dive boat. They danced across our path as we peered over the boat’s edge.
The one big downside to Bunaken – not unlike Rinjani – is its garbage problem. Indonesia is the world’s second largest source of marine garbage (after China). At Bunaken, trash washes in from Manado, and when the currents are right it can be a sad sight, both on the surface and underwater. We were lucky, however, and although there was a fair bit of rubbish on the beach, we saw mercifully little on our dives.
Our last day in Bunaken, we met Miika Turkia, an experienced underwater photographer. His shots of Bunaken sea life are far better than those from our little Go Pro.