Our Story
Dr. Han Batuna and his brother Sander began diving the reefs of Manado in the early 1970s. Years later, Dr. Batuna had the opportunity to attend Tulane University in the United States, where he earned a Master of Public Health and completed his first dive course. Learning the science and safety practices behind a sport he had largely taught himself was eye-opening. As he later joked, “I couldn’t believe I was still alive!” He returned to Manado determined to make diving safer and more accessible.
In 1988, that vision led him to found Murex; in 1992, he launched Indonesia’s first liveaboard, which regularly explored the reefs of nearby Bunaken. The area had been designated a national park the year before—something Dr. Batuna had long advocated for—and is today recognized as one of the world’s most biodiverse marine environments, home to nearly 400 species of coral and more than 2,000 species of fish.
Dr. Batuna’s influence extended far beyond Murex. He was inducted into the Historical Diving Society in 2013 and the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame in 2014.
His daughter Angelique and her husband Danny have since taken over from Dr. Batuna and his wife, Ineke. Under their leadership, Murex has grown to three locations across North Sulawesi and more than 250 team members—including some who have been part of the company since its earliest days.
Murex continues to embody the family-like, safety-first, and deeply personal approach that Dr. Batuna established more than three decades ago.
Read more about our story in the blogs below: