My dive expeditions

BUNAKEN ISLAND
(MANADO, NORTH SULAWESI)

On the North side of Sulawesi we find the town called Manado. This is a dirty little place that doesn't have much to offer besides ghosts and rats. People here are however very friendly and most of them are Christians as well. From the towns port you can catch a local boat to the island of Bunaken which is surrounded by the amazing Bunaken National Marine Park (85) This is a true Robinson island with absolutely no stress from tourists or cars. You can get accommodation in bamboo huts from about 60 000 IDR a night including all meals and coffee & tea. I recommend staying at Panorama Cottage which is owned by a local couple. 2 minutes from your bungalow is an amazing snorkeling site. Snorkeling on this island is so good you can log it as a great experience. The best dive sites are situated just outside the island and within short distance from each other. The sites are however best reached by boat. A lot of the species found here exists nowhere else whish has put Bunaken National Marin Park on the worlds dive map and has made it a haven for underwater photographers. Giant Barracudas, Napoleon, Turtles, Tuna, underwater volcanoes and sea snakes is just some of the species you can encounter here. Lekuan II is my favorite dive spot. On the other side of Manado lays Bitung Harbor and outside here you'll find the island Lembeh. For the ones interested in very special fish, seahorses, nudibranches and other micro creatures this is a haven. Also, this is a must visit place for photographers. So, have you made it this far, you might as well go to Tangkoko National park, it is definitely worth the visit. Here, you'll among other things find the worlds smallest monkey, the Tarsius Spectrum. It lives in a tree and only comes out to hunt during night. Which means you'll have to spend the night out in the forest to see it.

TULAMBEN
(SINGARAJA, NORTH BALI)

Tulamben (Wreck dive). Off the coast of Lombok the 120m long American cargo USA Liberty hit by a Japanese torpedo during the WWII. Amazingly enough no life was lost but the ship was totally destroyed. The American army made planes to tow the ship to Singaraja harbor (North Bali). However, the port was occupied and the ship was left on the beach of Tulamben. In 1963 the volcano Agung's eruption pushed the ship out to sea again and left it where it lies now at 3-29 meters. and about 50 meter from the shore. Even though it is too early for hard corrals, you'll find a lot of soft corrals and colorful sponges along with numerous species of fish. This is an easy shore dive. Simply swim out until you see the top of the ship and then start descending. Visibility: 15- 30m. Current: none to moderate. Situated about 50m from the shore Tulamben wall About 2-300m from the ship and the same easy shore dive since the reef starts at about 1m and goes down to about 40m. This is a favorite spot for many Australian divers who come here. The wall has a great variety of fish and corrals including giant Gorgonia fans and a lot of Nudibranches not found anywhere else. You'll also encounter larger fish here and with some luck even the great Hammerhead here. Current can be a bit strong here but this is definitely one of the best dive sites in Bali. Just the site of the girls carrying your dive gear down to rocky the beach is worth the trip. Visibility: 15-30m. Current: none to moderate. (Shark point can have strong current). Situated about 65m from the shore

LABUAN BAJO
(FLORES, NTT)

What first meets the eye when your plane lands, is the silence and tranqulity at the little airport. About a kilometer away you'll find the charming fishermans village that are just as quiet and tells you this place is totally undisturbed from mass-tourism. This village is the best place to start to get out to the Rinca and Komodo islands. Bima, or Sape harbour is closer to Bali (on Sumabawa) but my advise is to start from Labuanbajo, simply because you here find a better offers when it comes to combinations on trecking, snorkeling, scubadiving and exploring. Accomodations in Lubuanbajo is very cheap. Gardene is a great place to stay and has absolutely the best restaurant. Breakfast is included and for lunch and dinner they'll serve you delicious Red snapper, Barracuda, Tuna and a variety of other foods. I can even recommend the juices and milkshakes here. The restaurant has a great view over the harbour and the surrounding dive sites and this, along with its excellent food, makes it packed especially on weekends. Along the ain road, you'll find many diveshops, mainly run by Europeans and Americans. A backpacker can easily get a job here and few of them are serious enough to be worth diving with. An exception is CNDive, owned by Mr. Condo a silent and funny bloke fro Jakarta. He is one of the first that started diving in Komodo and West-Flores and is recognized in Europe and the US for his under-water flora knowledge. Wellknown under-water photographers will most likely use him as a guide in this area and is by most people considered far better than his competitors. So, what is so special about Labuanbajo and the diving here? As simple as this…… A World ClassDive! You'll find untouched corrals and a 20-30m visability. Whaleshark, Whale, Blacktip shark, Whitetip shark, Hammerhead shark, Manta ray (often in scools as large as 800!), Blue Fantail Stingray, Black Blotched Stingray, Spotted Eagle Ray, Blue Spotted Stingray; Giant Moray, Blue n Yellow Ribbon Eel, Black Ribbon Eel, White Ribbon Eel, Snake Eel, Catfish, Ghost Pipefish,Harlequin Ghost pipefish, Spotted Seahorse, Scorpinofish, Stonefish, Firefish, Coral Cod, Barramundi Cod, Queensland Groper, Red Snapper, Barracuda, Napoleon, Black Marlin, Indo-Pacific Blue Marlin, Southern Bluefin Tuna, Octopussy, Spanish Danser, Nudibranch, Turtles, Oysters, Cuttlefish, Dolphins, Crabs, Lobster and so much more. You can also spot perle-farms that can be worth a visit. Outside the village I visited a cave called Batu Cermin (Mirror Rock). It is located about 4 km from the village towards the airport. The fee for entering is about $3 and make sure to bring a good flashlight cause the cave is pitch black. By the entrance is a big bees nest, and inside you'll be met by loads of bats and big black poisonus spiders, along with snakes and other creatures. The cave has a many diffent trails wich leads diffent ways to several different room. Be careful and Ps. Never enter the cave without a local guide!!