Bunaken Marine Reserve is a amazing underwater world. To get there, we flew to Manado, a port town on the island of Sulawasi in the country of Indonesia. We disembarked into a modern airport terminal that didn't exist 5 years ago when I dove here before. We had already booked with Nusantare Dive Centre where I stayed last time and our driver met us as we exited customs and whisk us over country (meaning bumpy but beautiful) roads to the village of Molas Village. Nusantare Dive Centre is owned and run by Indonesians which as a drawing feature for us. It is basis, comfortable, and very "local". (click on the maps for larger views)
We spent 8 straight days diving. Although there is a national park and volcanic hot springs up the mountain which interested us, the underwater world won out. It took about an hour to reach the dive spots on the locally built boats. It is beautiful views all around on the ride and one day we were joined by dolphins.
I still continue to describe diving here as "solid life". The walls and entire surface of the reef are covered with living marine organisms. The pictures don't do it justice.
Neil's favorite is still the anemonefish which strongly protects the anemone that gives the fish a home. They will swim at you and even ram you to try to chase you away.
We have a new digital camera with an underwater house, but the strobe didn't arrive in time for our trip. Most of the pictures that turned out well are of slow moving critters because the fast moving fish just blur in the long shutter speed. I have to give the credit to Neil for almost all the pictures. I am still getting used to the camera.
The nudibranchs are such amazing colors.
