Snorkeling
OK- I'll start with where we stayed - Bunaken Sea Garden. They are one of the few places that let non divers stay. Most accommodation just wants divers. The snorkelling from the small beach (at high tide ) is beautiful. at low tide you have to wander along the beach for about 2 minutes and then go through the mangroves on a path.
If you want to know what it's like, then here is an excellent website (called just that)
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Walking:
The island is big enough to have decent walking opportunities, or you can hire a motorbike and explore that way. We walked from Sea Gardens north west to the harbour and markets on the west coast then hired a guy with an outrigger to take us back to Sea Gardens. I also enjoyed walking around the town at the south tip of the island, not that there are any huge tourist sites, but it does have a quaintness.
We found we didn't really have to book ahead and could change our minds about how long we stayed places fairly easily.
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Box Jellyfish:
2. Re: box jellyfish or irukandji
Mar 26, 2015, 4:22 PM
I was there in May for two weeks diving several years ago, No sign of what you mention, there were lots of little stinging "things" A full suit and gloves are recommend when diving. Certainly nothing to worry about though.
DiveTribeTeam
Sao Vicente, Cape...
Level Contributor
5 posts
13 reviews
3. Re: box jellyfish or irukandji
May 5, 2015, 12:46 PM
In fact, coming back from my trip with my family I can state that finally this is not an issue.
Irukandji is definitely not present at all.
In what concerns the box jelly fish, sightings are very rare and not close to shore. There was only one sting that was recorded in recent years, but I believe (and so the dive guides) that it was an unfortunate isolated accident that took place under very exceptional circumstances (heavy rain, winds, etc.)
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Snorkeling - currents and entering and exiting the water at low and high tide
If you want to enjoy your time on Bunaken Timur, you need to pay attention to sea currents. A shifting current usually shakes the place; it can randomly run northwards or southwards. Swimming against it can be exhausting: consider drifting along it during your exploration. All you have to do is entering and exiting the water from different points.
When tide is high, you can enter and exit the water each time a small beach or a channel appears amidst the mangrove swamp. However at low tide there are only two recommended entrance points: the pontoon in the south part and Lorenso’s Cottages channel in the central part (follow the small “snorkeling” sign set on the beach). Don’t hesitate to ask locals for tide times and current conditions.
If you take part in a snorkeling tour, your boat will take you directly to the reef.
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Day Trip to Monado - Ferry leaves Bunaken around 8 or 8:30 in the morning, returns around 2:30 or 3.
Most resorts will arrange transfers from the airport for their guests.
Alternatively, a public boat leaves daily except Sundays at 2-3 PM from the canal on the north side of Manado market. The cost is Rp 50,000 one way for tourists (May 2015) and Rp 10,000 for locals. It returns to Manado from the jetty in Bunaken village around 8-8:30 AM every morning except on Sundays.
You also can charter a private boat to bunaken in the Manado harbor (behind the Celebes Hotel
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Water
There is no natural potable water on Bunaken. Insist on bottled water at all times and ensure that coffee and tea is also made with bottled water.
The local spirit Cap Tikus (literally rat brand) is a distilled palm wine and is actually quite nice on the rocks with a slice of lemon.
Bintang is the number 1 beer in Indonesia and is available cold at many of the resorts.
Wine is also become more and more available at the Resorts on the island, both imported and also local balinese wines made from imported Australian grape juice
(from wikitravel)
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Wifi - only in Restaurant at Happy Gecko resort
Internet access only in the restaurant.
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Monkeys, Pigs, Chickens, Dogs, and Dugongs are on Bunaken
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Happy Gecko resort email
Yes, I would appreciate transfer from the airport on my arrival - I will be coming in on the silk flight from Singapore (Silkair Flight 274), which arrives at 1:20 to Monado.
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Personal item silk air
It sounds like they only allow one carryon on of 7kg - no laptop bag at silk air
Your laptop and all its accessories have to fit within your hand baggage allowance. For example, if your allowance is one piece, you are not allowed to bring your laptop on board in a separate bag next to your hand baggage, as this would be counted as two pieces. In this case, we suggest you pack all items in one bag.
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Message from Happy Gecko 11/18/2018
Hi James,
I will make sure our driver is at the airport to pick you up from your Silk Air flight at 1.15 pm. We will add the 35 euro fee for the transfer to your total bill, which you pay upon check-out. We do accept US dollars.
You can join our dive boat for snorkeling for 5 euro per day. We offer PADI dive courses too, in case you won't have the chance to do a course before you arrive here.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included in the price for an overnight stay. We also offer free coffee, tea and drinking water.
You can find more information about our place on www.happygeckoresort,com
See you next year!
Willeke
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Review of snorkeling at Bunaken Oasis Dive resort, next door to Happy Gecko
Diving in Bunaken is something else! I came in as a snorkeler, and saw turtles, clown fish, and even a small shark just from the surface. It tempted me so much that I actually tried scuba diving, and went through my Open Water course with one of their fantastic diving centre instructors. Knowing I was slightly unsure about this new experience, I was helped along every step of the way by Julian who I am so thankful to! The course was not only highly educational but fun! If you want to experience diving this is the place to do it! Their equipment is first rate across the board, high end items from the wetsuits to the boats and even the classroom, and safety is at the absolutely paramount to them. I had hoped to see a turtle, and at one point had 5 turtles all around me, amongst the thousands of brightly coloured fish, against the backdrop of a vivid reef wall. There were nudibranches, frog fish, barracuda, sharks, turtles.. These sights will never leave me! When I said I'd love to see a seahorse, I was taken to a dive site where I saw a seahorse within two minutes. When I said I wanted to see dolphins, I was taken on a trip where I was hundreds within about 20 minutes of the resort! For more experienced divers, they offer every level of tuition and of dive you could possibly want including tech diving and re-breathers.
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Happy Gecko Review - trash, Manado Harbour smell, going to other side of island
Be warned that Manado harbour is dirty so take something to cover your nose! The end of the beach where the resort is built is the less pretty end and much narrower end, with a mangrove in front, but you can still swim well in the lagoon, or walk further up to the other end of the beach (when the tide is out) or walk up the back of the resort to go to the beach on the other side of the island - 15 or so minutes - plenty of options. In general it's too hot to sunbathe so lazing in the shade, on your bungalow verandah, in the gazebo or dining room is also great. Fifi does a marvellous massage. Bunaken has obviously changed in 12 years so sadly you will find plastic and rubbish at high tide along the beach and sometimes out in the dive sites as it drifts in from Manado, but don't be deterred as the diving is really spectacular.
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Need footwear because of urchins
We were snorkelling only but no problem we were able to join the divers and we had our own trips too to some brilliant corals - even to Siladen. But you dont have to go far. At low tide you can wade out and swim out the shallows to the corals but have some footware as there are urchins near the shore and it saves you worrying about putting a foot down.
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Snorkeling with Divers
if the diving boat is full, offer to go later or don't go at all (it costs $5)
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Snorkeling in front of the Sea Gardens on the east coast is very good:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN32McZEomU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tcbk3_hk7RM
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You can swim to the house reef on the southeast side of the island at high tide; at low tide you have to walk with reef shoes
During high tide, it’s pretty frustrating to be swimming against current and see the same patch of grass under you as you swim inch-by-inch until you reach the house reef. I actually prefer low tide, where you can walk 2 or 3 of the Olympic pool lengths, and then drop down for a shorter swim out. It feels safer because you know if current changes, it’s not a far swim until you get to a height where you can stand in the water.
The house reef is less than 400m from the beach, so you can swim there during high tide and go snorkeling. Despite the short distance, there are still abundant coral reef lives you can see!!
The barrier coral reef that runs along that part of Bunaken Island's shore line is 200 meters from The Village’s beach. The first 100 metres is over seagrass and the second 100 metres over sand and dead coral rubble. Whether you wade out (you'll need to wear reef shoes) as far as you can (damaging the seagrass ecology in the process) or swim, you still have to travel 200 meters to get to the coral. When you get to the barrier reef the quality of the coral is great, but you are a long way offshore and exposed to the sometimes challenging currents of the Bunaken National Park and local boat traffic. Remember, after spending time (we usually spend an hour plus) snorkelling, you still have to get back to the beach.
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Current can change on the southeast side
It is *hard work* to get to the dropoff, unlike other places I’ve been to in this area. I can snorkel for 1 hour without a break, but because it takes 15 minutes to get out to the housereef, and 15 minutes to return, that leaves only 30 minutes to actually look at the house reef. Also, be very aware of your surroundings -- the currents change. One minute you’re fine and the other minute you’re fighting against the current. It will switch from one direction to the other direction. It is not predictable; not even the divemasters can predict it.
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Better than Maldives
We have been to the Maldives and Flores and we saw some of the most incredible marine life and reef ever!!!
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No TV and Wifi is slow
There are no TV's and the wifi is slow
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Make sure you have your yellow buoy - bring two - one started linking last year
Snorkelers are accompanied by a guide at least in part to ensure safety from other boat traffic.
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Lekuan 1, 2, and 3 for snorkeling
We are passionate snorklers and have been to a lot of places (Seychelles, Maldives, BVI), but we haven´t seen such an excellent snorkeling area like Bunaken. Especially Lekuan 1-3 with their abundance of marine life (especially sea turtles -- one day, three excursion, over 30 turtle sightings) is by far the best we have ever seen.
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Visit Timur Dive Site
The most important thing is this national park located in the heart of the Coral Triangle, an area where the marine biodiversity far exceeds the Caribbean and Great Barrier Reef together, but less research and conservation efforts have been done. Due to the corrupt and inept local government's failure to manage trash issue, I fear this paradise will be gone soon, and that makes me want to visit this place again and again before paradise fades into history.
I always visit in the dry season (June to September) so I have not observed those "trash issue" that much. The fact is, Bunaken National Park has more than 20 dive/snorkel sites. One bad review about a few sites doesn't accurately portray the entire park. Some places have 50 meters of visibility, while other just 15. Liang beach is one side of Bunaken island that unfortunately suffers from trash that is brought by the current from Manado, and it is worse during the rainy season. But the opposite side of the island is very clean. If you only have limited time to visit, make sure you research about "Bunaken dive sites", and choose which ones you want. Don't just go where your boatman takes you. Do you want to do wall diving, see more big fishes, rare creatures, a lot of turtles, or just fun free diving/snorkeling around coral reefs with many cute colorful fishes surrounding you? They have everything here, you choose. I myself like the idea of high visibility with high biodiversity conveniently located in one place, so my favorite site is Bunaken Timur. And I don't do scuba diving anymore there, just snorkel or free dive. I am able to see the same abundant species I see when scuba diving, without concern over time limit/out of oxygen. The drop-off in Bunaken Timur is the cleaning station for a lot of big fishes and turtles so I can see rays, sharks, school or barracudas, huge napoleon wrasse while only snorkeling. I can snorkel for hours and hours and never get tired because it is not the same species over and over. If you stay at one of the resorts in front of Bunaken Timur, all you have to do is just walk and swim from the beach. No need for boat hiring. Even before you reach the corals, you pass the mangroves and seaweeds that is also another habitat for different sea creatures, nursery for many fishes include sharks, which is quite interesting to explore too while walking and swimming (since it is too shallow to scuba dive there). You will be amazed by the abundant quantity and quality of sea life there, and it is not impossible to even discover a new species there!
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Bunaken and Siladen - many divers we spoke with were slightly disappointed with Bunaken (especially when compared to Komodo, Lembeh or Sipaden) but snorkelers had nothing but praise. The currents are strong and can change quickly; you can often go with the current and exit elsewhere and walk back to your start point on a good cement track. The Bunaken wall is magnificent, especially on the east side of the island. There can be lots of floating garbage on the west side, from Manado. The further that you stray from the major sites, the more bombing destruction you will encounter. Even so, the north side offers good snorkeling, so rent a boat for the day and circle the island. We stayed at Daniel's HomeStay (good food and reef access). Access from Lorenso's (a dump, in our opnion) can be tricky due to wild currents. Although the reef is splendid, we felt that a five day stay was sufficient. The reef in front of the village at Siladen island is also excellent (accomodation available). THe island further north had reefs that had been annihilated by carpet bombing. Sad.
https://sites.google.com/site/chickensrunamok/indosnorkel
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We learned that from Dec - Feb. is "trash season" on Bunaken
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1071666-d1673817-Reviews-Bunaken_Island_Resort-Bunaken_Island_Manado_North_Sulawesi_Sulawesi.html
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Accessing Lukean from Shore
By "Freediving" I am assuming that you are actually a snorkler who holds his breath to go to lower depths, and that you are NOT a diver with a tank, oxygen, and all of the dive gear.
If so, here is what you want to know:
The very best snorkling with the best wall and the best place to see big fish is Lekuan 1 and 2 : It is located at the west end of Bunaken Village and extends a few kilometers toward the west beach. Part of Lekuan is just off the west beach, but the problem is that you cannot access it from the far end of the west beach because coral is too close to the surface most of the time -- except perhaps at very high tide but even then you are only inches above the coral if swimming out to the drop off. There is lots of shrubbery which separates the far end of the west beach from the beach in front off and near Bunaken Village.
Best access to Lekuan 1 and 2 is from the very far end of the beach in front of Bunaken Village where the shrubbery starts, but the PROBLEM there is that the drop off wall is a long distance from shore. You can swim out to the drop-off from there if you have good long fins, but it is a long swim, and will probably take about 15-20 minutes. I have done it several times from there with my long fins. Alternatively, you can hire a boy or man with a canoe from Bunaken Village to paddle you out to the wall and wait for you while you snorkle or free dive there. The water is so warm that you can stay in the water for over an hour without getting cold.
From the center of the west beach where the dive boats pull in for lunch they have cut the coral to allow the dive boats to get close to shore. You can use that CUT to swim out to the reef there, I think it is called Cellah Reef for something like that. There is excellent coral there, but don't seem to be a lot of big fish, but it may be interesting for you if you go deep there. It is too far to swim (even with long fins) from Cellah Reef in front of the cafes to Lekuan 1 or 2.
In my opinion the snorkling off the west beach is much better than off the East Beach which has lots of damaged coral.
Most "Budget" travellers stay on the East beach, but there are also up-market dive operations on the East Beach. As for Divers with Tanks going out on the boat it doesn't matter where they stay because the boats go to various points on both sides of Bunaken to pick up divers, and they go to many different dive spots on both sides and to other islands, including Manado Tua and Siladen -- most of which are NO GOOD FOR SNORKLERS because most of the things the divers want to see are too deep.
To make it more clear:
Bunaken Village (and the narrow beach in front and to the side from which it would take about 20 minutes to get out to the Lekuan 1 Coral Wall with fins) is easily accessible by walking from most of the guesthouses on the EAST BEACH (such as Lorenso's), BUT it is NOT accessable from Liang Beach (the West Beach). That is because all that thick shrubbery which separates Bunaken Village from Liang Beach, and because the coral table close to shore is too close to the surface just off of Liang Beach.
Regarding Snorkling -- the Reef on the East Side of the beach in front of Lorenso's and other guesthouses in that general vicinity is Lousy in my opinion when compared to Lekuan 1 and 2.
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Snorkeling in front of Two Fish Resort on East Side
teemee
8 years ago
I remember loving Lekuan 1 and 2, but can also tell you that between dives, I did lots of snorkeling in front of Two Fish, up to Living Colour. It was... spectacular.
Both offer not too expensive accommodation if I remember correctly.
There is a nice little beach between the two, at least at low tide
Regarding Snorkling -- the Reef on the East Side of the beach in front of Lorenso's and other guesthouses in that general vicinity is Lousy in my opinion when compared to Lekuan 1 and 2.
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Freediving, Tide Difference, Downward Currents
I was recently in Bunaken and wanted to do some freediving- it didn't happen. I was there by myself and couldn't find anyone where I was staying who know anything about freediving for starts but apart from that almost all the dive sites I went to snorkelling/scuba diving had moderate to very strong currents including DOWNWARD currents. The currents seemed to really pick up along the walls (Often not too bad in a meter or 2 of water if you're snorkeling but if you're freediving you're looking for more than that I'd think) Scarey stuff if you're freediving particularly as the currents seemed to change around rapidly at times. In some places the walls run 100m+ deep apparently, so a decent downward current is not something I felt comfortable swimming in. Even the sideways currents wore me out after a while even with long fins as they got very strong.
I stayed on the east coast and the wall was maybe 100-150m or so from the beach so easily swim-able. Unfortunately the swim out there was VERY shallow and there is a really large tide difference so the first time I went out I almost got stranded out at the wall for the rest of the day as I had less that a foot of clear water between me and the corals when swimming back in. This meant only about 2 hours or so first thing in the morning at high tide were ok for going out for a swim without the boat.
Anyway my experience at least was although it's a very nice diving place, unless you can go somewhere where they're willing to take freedivers to more sheltered locations, its not great for freediving. If you've already been hope you had fun and more luck than me finding places to freedive!
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By far the best reef wall for SNORKLING off Bunaken Island is the reef called "Lekuan 1", and don't let anyone tell you anything different (Divers want variety because they can go deep, but for anything on the surface it's Lekuan 1 for snorklers that's the absolute best, including the opportunity of seeing sharks and turtles and barracuda, among other things). If you are staying on the EAST BEACH close to Bunaken Village (Daniels, Lorenso 1, etc), you can walk 7 to 10 minutes to Bunaken Village, and hire a boy to paddle you out to the Lekuan 1 reef wall from the end of the beach at Bunaken Village (closest would be from where the shrubbery starts and blocks access to Liang Beach), the boy will wait for you, and then paddle you back in. OR, if you have fins and are a very strong swimmer you can swim out to the reef wall, but it is a very long swim to the reef wall at that point. Therefore, for the very best snorkling you do NOT need to go out on a Dive Boat (or pay unreasonable fees to do so).
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The snorkel only boats for day trippers from Manado leave from the Liang beach pier at the south end - 1°37'07.26" N 124°45'58.89" E.
(2 1/2 football fields from Happy Gecko)
