NORTH SULAWESIFROM MUCK TO MARINE PARKSHave you heard about the world-famous muck diving in the Lembeh Strait? The phenomenal wall dives and turtles of the Bunaken Marine Park or the kaleidoscopic coral reefs of Bangka Island? These three locations offer some of the best and most diverse diving in North Sulawesi, Indonesia and it’s possible to see them all in one trip.

The Indonesian province of North Sulawesi lies in the heart of the Coral Triangle – the most marine rich region on Earth. Whilst you may have heard of Bunaken, Bangka and Lembeh, you may not realise they’re very close to each other. So, diving the best of North Sulawesi doesn’t mean you have to choose between locations – you can dive all three in one trip.
© Paul VingerhoetsBunaken Marine Park

Bunaken Marine Park was one of the first Marine Protected Areas in Indonesia – and it shows. The dive sites around this small island are characterised by vertical coral walls which are teeming with life. The resident population of green sea turtles has grown from strength to strength and at some dive sites you’ll lose count of the number of turtles you see in a single dive.

Nearby Manado Bay is home to wide ranging marine life and diverse dive sites. It is becoming increasingly recognised for its volcanic, black sand muck diving sites which are home to a plethora of unusual critters from numerous cephalopod species through to seahorses, nudibranchs, and crustaceans. The Molas wreck is an exciting wreck dive which also offers a myriad fish and critters. To the south of Manado Bay lays Poopoh – a record breaking site where 385 different species of fish were recorded in just one morning.
© WasoBangka Island

Bangka Island is as beautiful underwater as it is on land. This lush green island is surrounded by white sandy beaches and a fringing reef of soft corals bursting with colour. Schooling snappers, passing reef sharks, occasional dugongs and an array of reef fish and critters have all made Bangka Island their home. Bangka offers phenomenal diving and a chance to get completely off the grid on this remote tropical island. Just a few years back this island was threatened by an exploratory mining license, but thankfully, the local diving community rallied and fought off this ecological threat.

Lembeh Strait

The Lembeh Strait is home to highest concentration of rare and unusual marine life on Earth. Exploring Lembeh’s world famous muck diving sites is akin to opening a treasure trove of critters. Even the most seasoned of divers can’t help but be impressed by the species found here: eight different species of frogfish, flamboyant cuttlefish, wunderpus, mimic octopus, blue ring octopus, bobtail squids, harlequin shrimps, tiger shrimps, three species of pygmy seahorse, countless species of nudibranch, bobbit worms, Ambon scorpionfish and rhinopias – to name but a few.

For information on how to book a dive trip to North Sulawesi, contact the team of experts at Diveplanit Travel. Diveplanit.com Phone: 1800 607 913 Email: enquire@ diveplanit.com Dive shops and groups please contact Jess@diveplanit.com