Northern Sulawesi
1.456979876795, 125.189569576999888
East of Borneo lies the oddly shaped island of Sulawesi. Located in the center of the Coral Triangle it retains a number of excellent diving areas both in the North of the island as well as in the South. Northern Sulawesi’s capital and largest city, Manado, is well connected by air to Jakarta and Singapore.
Lembeh
Best known by divers is the area of the Lembeh Straight, a narrow sea passage between Sulawesi and the smaller island of Lembeh. There, among the sand, rubble and occasional garbage one finds a myriad of rare and unusual critters – most of them small. You can see more macro subjects here than you ever dreamed possible. Just don’t expect beautiful reefs. Some of the dive sites are even in the busy port of the nearby industrial city of Bitung.
Bunaken
Next to Manado lies Bunaken National Park. A marine park established in 1991 it encompasses five small islands (Bunaken, Manado Tua, Mantehage, Nain and Siladen). Diving here is mostly along the underwater walls that surround these small islands. The coral is healthy and beautiful. Reef fish are plentiful and diverse – as are various types of sea turtles.
Bangka
Off the most northern tip of Sulawesi lies the island of Bangka. A car will bring you from Manado airport to the coast in an hour from where you catch a boat for a 45 minute boat ride to Bangka. There you will find classic reef diving with plenty of species both large and small.
