Bunaken National Park, The Wonderful Underwater Enchantment

Before tourism increases as it is today, Indonesia has designated Bunaken as a protected National Park. For approximately 27 years, the beauty of this area’s marine life has been very well preserved where approximately 58 types of coral reefs and 90 species of fish inhabit this place.

Interestingly, in this place, several rare species only exist in Bunaken. One of them is the Hawksbill Turtle. This rare turtle is circling and playing around the coral reefs every day. This turtle usually plays with tree damselfish, clownfish, angelfish, and many more.

Bunaken Ecosystem

As known, there are so many species in Bunaken and various types of coral reefs, and this area has always been the main attraction for domestic and foreign tourists. They also did not hesitate to greet the fish and coral reefs that look beautiful like this painting.

Some of the fish that will greet visitors when visiting below are gusumi horse fish, ila gasi, yellowtail passi, white oci, goropa, and pseudanthias. This flock can be the object of the photo if it is below. Those familiar with tourists will be happy to style to the rhythm to be immortalized in a photo frame.

In addition to coral reefs, Bunaken also has an exotic coastline where there are mangrove plants with the types of Rhizophora sp., lumnitzera sp., sonneratia sp., and Bruguiera sp.. The mangroves will greet and give the desired charm.

Some plants provide coolness and shade over the sea, such as palm trees, silar, sago, coconut, and woka. They swiftly give the feel of a wind that will never stop, especially when the hot sun is scorching.

Several types of crabs are cute but a little fierce: shrimps, mollusks, several types of birds such as seagulls, sea pigeons, and storks. Lastly, there are the Sulawesi black monkeys, polecats, and deer.

A Brief History of Bunaken

After knowing the beauty of Bunaken National Park, there’s nothing wrong if you step back for a moment to find out how to establish this area.

Bunaken National Park was first inaugurated in 1975. This park can be said to be a remote area. Understandably, at that time, it was still the New Order era where people did not know what a holiday was. Maybe only a handful of people understand the meaning of holidays.

Some divers try to examine the beauty of the Bunaken Sea. However, these divers did not immediately dive smoothly. They received instructions from the local fishermen not to dive into the sea because of the evil spirit inhabiting it.

In the 1970s it was still famous for its magical elements and myths about the stories of spirits and ghosts there. However, the divers did not believe the story a little. They safely dive and find paradise under the sea. These divers finally gave their stories to the local government. In coordination with the central government, Bunaken National Park was formed.

Unforgettable Charm

Bunaken is indeed a paradise for divers, where there are approximately 20 diving spots that can be used for diving. Twelve of them can be found on the island of Bunaken itself. The uniqueness of diving here is the 20-meter visibility. It means that the water is very clear.

At certain times, visibility in this area can reach approximately 35 meters. That’s great, isn’t it? In addition there is a giant rock wall that is curved and vertically shaped in this place. The function of this wall is to feed the small fish in the sea.

Many say that the beauty of the sea in Bunaken cannot be matched. Its beauty is truly extraordinary. All other diving sites in the world can be lost when compared in this area. Therefore, many foreign tourists come to prove their beauty.

Not only does the underwater charm seem very friendly, but the residents are also famous for being very friendly and like to smile. Most of them are smart and fluent in English as one of the languages ​​used to greet foreign tourists.

Some of the fishermen who used to take diving visitors were fluent in several languages. They continue to learn to provide the best service so that visitors feel homey in their holidays.

This National Park is located in the Manado area. So, those who want to visit this area can take a plane to Manado city first. Then, from Sam Ratulangi International Airport the journey continues to Manado City by taxi as the fastest and most convenient transportation.

From Manado, you will be directed to the Marina Blue Banter port. Then, take a boat to Bunaken Island will take approximately 20 minutes. After that, you can have fun in this area.

Ready to start your getaway to Bunaken? Visit Wonderful Indonesia, and don’t miss out on the magic!