Bunaken diving

      After acquiring my PADI certification in Maldives in 2009, I was convinced that I had adapted into some sort of marine creature. I returned home, but my newly developed modifications were finding it increasingly difficult to adapt to the conundrum of city life. I was rescued in the month of May 2010 when the family and I, flew to Manado, Indonesia to dive the Malay archipelago, North Sulawesi. 

    The warmth of sun kissed beaches pervaded the cool airplane compartment well before we landed. I could almost smell the salty sea air. 

    The moment we touched ground, we were greeted by a heavy downpour of Indonesian monsoons! Scrambling onto the violently rocking boat after a quick car journey, the torrential rainfall beat down in sheets, faster and heavier, restricting our sight to only a few feet ahead. 

    The adventure had begun!

    Against the spray of the waves, with the fierce wind in faces, the volcanic mountains loomed up ahead, washed fresh green by the rain. After two hours, we reached our island resort “Bunaken Cha-cha” at the Bunaken National Marine Park. We were given a hearty welcome by a Great Dane, Chiko, who came bounding down to meet us, followed by the fabulous resort owners-the Eurasian couple, Raph and Reiko. 

     The location was so remote, inaccessible and untouched, that there were only a few tourists. We almost had the whole virgin island to ourselves. As we sat down to a scrumptious lunch with the owners and the other divers at the dining table, we were back home with our new family. 

          Next morning the sky cleared to a startling blue, just in time for our dive. After we had waded to the boat, careful not to step on the crustaceans underneath, I bid adieu to land, and also to my parents who preferred to watch the fish darting across crystal clear water from the boat. Besides, there was plenty of snorkelling for them to do. After wearing the cumbersome diving equipment onboard, we were finally relieved of its burden, as we somersaulted into the Indonesian waters, weightless once again!

Porcelain crabs

Crinoids

Coral

   I was thankful that this location was so obsolete, for had it been more popular, the stupendous treasure trove of aquatic life would have long been plundered. What first struck me was the variety and vibrancy of the coral life that far surpassed Maldives diving. Sting rays, Eels, barracudas, dozens of damselfish, angelfish, and batfish, we saw them all. The sunburst let in the light, all the way down to 40 meters and the visibility was excellent.

    In the subsequent dives, we sighted an occasional reef shark, a banded sea snake or turtle swimming across the high reef walls, journeying on into the bottomless blue. 

    The macro enthusiast in me could not complain, for Bunaken had something for everyone. Nudibranches, shrimps, crabs and a variety of critters endemic to these waters, charmed us all. After we hopped onboard for a tea break and off board again for our noon dive, we returned to have lunch with our extended ‘family’.

   An evening dive came next and a night dive too after! Our dive master showed rare skill and endurance, when we faced the wrath of a storm in the middle of the night dive, which threatened to submerge our boat. If it hadn't been for her, we wouldn't have made it back to the island, the currents were so strong. 

   The rest of my week passed by in blue tones of bliss, as we dived and explored the underwater world of Bunaken, punctuated only by bouts of eating and sleeping. The dive sites had no other people at all, and I truly felt as though we were diving uncharted territory, so pure, that only a lucky few had that privilege.

   On our last day, we reluctantly bid farewell to all the people we had grown so fond of. Our newfound friends gathered at the jetty, and as their waving hands faded in the distance, the island of Lembeh appeared far out in the horizon, on the opposite side. 

   Time for another adventure!

  

P.S. All the underwater photographs can be viewed on my website.