Diving Bunaken & Manado Bay
Bunaken Marine Park is within easy reach of Murex Manado Resort and Manado Bay is just minutes away
WATER TEMPERATURE
Consistently 28 – 29 degrees all year round
VISIBILITY
On average 15-25 meters, often up to 30 meters
TOPOGRAPHY
Mainly walls in Bunaken. Sloping sandy reefs in Manado
CONDITIONS
Generally easy conditions with little to mild currents
TRAVEL TIME
30 minutes to Bunaken’s iconic dive sites
CONSERVATION
Bunaken Marine Park is a Marine Protected Area
DIVE GUIDE RATIO
Small groups for a more personal experience
KNOWLEDGABLE TEAM
Marine biology and underwater photography trained guides
Diving Highlights of the Bunaken Marine Park and Manado Bay
Diving Bunaken
Stunning walls and hard corals. Lose count of the number of turtles in a single dive. Look out for reef sharks, schooling fish, sea snakes, passing eagle rays, stingrays, abundant critters, and macro life. Resident dolphins and pilot whale pods often swim alongside the boat, and there are occasional dugongs, seasonal sperm whale sightings, and no shortage of vibrant, colorful corals.
Diving Manado Bay
A mixture of coral reef and both black and white sand muck dive sites that are home to some of Indonesia’s most unique critters including mimic octopus, flamboyant cuttlefish, seahorses, numerous crustaceans, nudibranch, and frogfish species. For macro underwater photographers, Manado Bay’s dive sites are treasure troves bursting with opportunities.
Dive Schedule
Choose your divesStart your day with a two dive trip to the Bunaken Marine Park which is just 35 minutes away. Our surface interval is spent on board the boat while cruising to our 2nd dive site and enjoying light refreshments along the way. Look out for the resident spinner dolphin pods that swim and breach alongside the boat.
We return to the resort for lunch, followed by a third dive in the afternoon to explore Manado Bay OR opt for a three dive safari trip with lunch served on the boat.
Manado Bay night dives reveal a host of rare, nocturnal critters. Join us for a blackwater dive and witness some of the most unusual marine life from the deep – an experience not to be missed!
House Reef
Just a step off the beachThe Murex House Reef is available to dive at any time.
Up to a depth of 12m there is a coral slope with beautiful table corals and lots of macro subjects. Below 12m you will find a sandy slope with patches of corals and several artificial reef balls that are nicely overgrown with corals and sponges.
The House Reef offers generally easy conditions and it is suitable for all levels. Several underwater trails make it perfect to explore by yourself or with your buddy.
Night diving is especially interesting on the House Reef and reveals a host of nocturnal critters.
Dive Boats
Designed by diversMurex dive boats are purpose-built for your comfort, safety and to deliver a smooth ride. With 7 boats in our fleet, which range in size, we are able to offer flexible schedules and cater for private boat options as well as for larger groups of families and friends.
Facilities onboard include
- Shaded areas and sundeck
- Toilet onboard
- Long ladder and non-slip steps
- Individual tank racks & gear space
- Freshwater box for cameras
- Hot & cold refreshments
- Personal towels for guests
- First aid kit & oxygen
- Spare equipment
- Communication devices
- Life jackets
Bunaken and Manado Bay Dive Sites
Murex House Reef
Access: Beach | Level: all level | Depth: 12 meters | Current: Mild | Visibility: 10-15m
The Murex House Reef is just a step off our beach in front of the resort. Up to a depth of 12m there is a coral slope with beautiful table corals and lots of macro subjects. Below 12m you will find a sandy slope with patches of corals and several artificial reef balls that are nicely overgrown with corals and sponges. Several underwater trails make it perfect to explore by yourself or with your buddy. Night diving is especially interesting on the House Reef and common sightings include Spanish dancers, starry night octopus and a host of other cephalopod species and crustaceans.
Lekuan 1, 2 and 3
Access: boat | Level: all levels | Depth: 25 meters | Current: variable | Visibility: Up to 30m
Lekuan dive sites are the most famous dive sites in Bunaken Marine Park. These huge walls are covered with enormous sponges, soft and hard corals and offer both macro and wide-angle opportunities. The walls go down to about 40m before sloping out. You will find swarms of pyramid butterfly fish and an occasional eagle ray will pass by out in the blue. Those keen on macro life will find pygmy sea horses, orangutang crabs, nudibranch and much more. Other highlights include a colorful hard corals, barrel sponges and soft corals, countless green sea turtles and reef sharks.
Sachiko’s – Bunaken Island
Access: boat | Level: all levels | Depth: 25 meters | Current: mild to medium | Visibility: 10-30m
Sachiko’s Point is a beautiful wall dive on the north side of Bunaken Island. It is covered with gorgonian sea fans and we often spot barracudas, black tip reef sharks and Napoleon wrasses in the blue water. The reef shallows are perfect for snorkeling and a group of bumphead parrotfish is often seen feeding on the hard corals.
Bunaken Timur
Access: boat | Level: all levels | Depth: 25 meters | Current: generally mild | Visibility: average 15-25m
This dive site, named after its location, is on the east side of Bunaken Island (Timur, means “East” in Indonesian). It’s a 40m deep wall, covered with hard and soft corals. The shallow reef top is one of the most pristine around Bunaken and offers the best snorkeling around the island – this is also a great site for green and hawksbill turtles, occasional passing eagle rays and an array of macro critters.
Pangulingan or Tanjung Kopi
Access: boat | Level: advanced divers| Depth: 40+ meters | Current: can be strong | Visibility: up to 30+ meters
Located on the northern side of Manado Tua, this is an advanced dive because of the strong currents that can sweep you across the reef. The reef plateau starts at 5m deep and slopes down slowly to 30m. At 30m the wall drops down to greater depths. Due to the current you can often see bigger fish here. There are resident schools of batfish and jackfish that hang out in the current and often Napoleons make an appearance.