BUNAKEN, MANADO INDONESIA

Who does not know Bunaken, which is very popular with underwater tours (diving) it. Bunaken is an island covering an area of ​​8.08 km ² at Manado Bay, situated on the northern island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. This island is part of the city of Manado, the provincial capital of North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Bunaken island can be traveled by fast boat (speed boat) or a rented boat with about 30 minute trip from the port city of Manado. Around the island there Bunaken Bunaken marine park that is part of the Bunaken National Park.

 

   

This marine park has marine biodiversity among the highest in the world. Scuba diving attracts many visitors to the island. Bunaken marine park as a whole covers an area of ​​75 265 hectares to the five islands within it, namely the island of Manado Tua, Bunaken Island, Siladen Island, Island Mantehage follows several children of his island, and island Naen. Although it covers an area of ​​75 265 hectares, the location of the dive (diving) is limited in each of the five beaches that surround the island.

Bunaken marine park has a 20 point dive (dive spot) with varying depths of up to 1344 meters. Of the 20 point dive, dive 12 points of which are located around Bunaken Island. Twelve-point diving is the most frequently visited by divers and lovers of the beauty of the underwater scenery. Most of the 12 point dive in Bunaken island lined up from the southeast to the northwest of the island. In this region there is a great underwater walls, also called the hanging walls, or walls of a giant rock that stands vertical and curved upward. These rock walls are also a source of food for fish in the waters around Bunaken Island.

Bunaken National Park is representative of Indonesia's tropical aquatic ecosystem consisting of mangrove ecosystems, seagrass beds, coral reefs, and land / coastal ecosystems. In the northern part of the island of Bunaken, Manado Tua island, the island Montehage, Siladen island, the island of Nain, Nain Small islands and some coastal areas of Cape Pisok. While in the Southern Cape coast includes some coconut.

Potential land islands national park is rich in species of palm, sago, woka, silar and coconut. Animal species that live on the mainland and coastal regions such as Sulawesi black macaques (Macaca nigra nigra), deer (Cervus russa timorensis), and possum (Ailurops ursinus ursinus). Plant species in the mangrove Rhizophora Bunaken National Park is sp., Sonneratia sp., Lumnitzera sp., And Bruguiera sp. This forest is rich with various kinds of crabs, shrimp, mollusks and various types of sea birds such as gulls, herons, tern, and cangak sea.

Types of algae found in this park include the type of Caulerpa sp., Halimeda sp., And Padina sp. Seagrass Montehage dominated mainly on the island, and islands are Thalassia hemprichii Nain, Enhallus acoroides, and Thalassodendron ciliatum. Recorded 13 genera of corals living in waters of Bunaken National Park, dominated by fringing reefs and barrier reefs. The most interesting is a vertical cliff as far as 25-50 meters.

Approximately 91 species of fish found in waters of Bunaken National Park, including fish gusumi horse (Hippocampus horse), white oci (Seriola rivoliana), lolosi yellow tail (Lutjanus kasmira), goropa (Ephinephelus spilotoceps Pseudanthias hypselosoma), ila trunk (Scolopsis bilineatus) , and others. Types of mollusks like giant clams (Tridacna gigas), head of the goat (Cassis cornuta), hollow nautilus (Nautilus pompillius), and tunikates / ascidian.

How to reach the location: Bunaken National Park can be reached through the port of Manado, Marina Nusantara Diving Centre (NDC) in the District of Molas and Marina Blue Banter. From Manado harbor by boat motors toward the island can be reached Siladen + 20 minutes + 30 minutes Bunaken island, the island Montehage + 50 minutes and +60 minutes Nain island. From Blue Banter Marina with yachts that are available to the tourist area on Bunaken island can be reached within 10-15 minutes, while the NDC harbor to the dive sites in Bunaken island by speed boat to within + 20 minutes.