Instant Reader Report on Diving
Celebes Divers/Mapia Resort in
Indonesia/North Sulawesi in
2003/05

by
Carl Scott, TX, USA
Report Number 030602113645999

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 Palau, Thailand, Belize, Cozumel, Cayman Islands, St. Croix, Costa Rica,
Gulf of Mexico 

Celebes allowed us to dive our own profiles, with the only guidelines being
that we follow the general plan of the dive (swim in the right direction). 
They were quite flexible, essentially allowing us to determine how deep we
dived, how long we stayed down, etc.  

Let me make this clear - the subject matter was endless!  I shot over 600
frames in 5 days of diving (16 dives).  However, the boats did not have a
rinse tank or bucket, even though one was requested after the first day. 
Given the light crowd on board (3 divers and crew), there was plenty of
room for gear, and they encouraged the use of bottled water (there was
always plenty on board) to give equipment a quick rinse.  The owners are
avid photographers, and, in fact, one of them brought his camera along 2
days to dive with us.  Apparently, they don't value an immediate rinse in
fresh water after a dive. There are equipment rinse tanks on shore, but not
in proximity of the dock.  Given the general level of service, however, I'm
sure that a rinse bucket would have been provided, had one been requested
prior to boarding (I never remembered, either!).  

Overall Rating

Let me say this again - subject matter for photography was endless.  The
marine life here is amazingly abundant, far exceeding numbers that I've
seen at any Caribbean destination I've visited.  Bunaken Marine Park is
protected from the trade winds by the high (3,000+ feet) mountains of North
Sulawesi, so the seas are glassy smooth each morning, not much different in
the afternoons.  While a decent current was encountered on one dive, all
others were nearly absent of any noticable current, making diving a breeze.
 All but a couple of the dive sites are walls, with the edge of the reef at
about 20' and sloping gently upward towards shore - perfect for a very long
safety stop among thousands of tropicals at the end of each dive.  These
reefs were as healthy as I've seen anywhere.

Celebes Divers is owned in partnership with Mapia Resort, and one of the
partners is a practicing marine biologist (not just a former biologist, but
one who currently works with Italian universities), who really knows his
stuff.  Not only can this guy not be stumped on the scientific names of any
local species, but he provides as much detail as you want to hear about
their histories, habits, etc.

They offer day trips across the island to Lembeh Strait, which is worth
the hour and a half van ride to the dock for anyone who is interested in
seeing creatures that are very rare, or absent, in other destinations,
including the pygmy seahorse, ghost pipefish, beautiful nudibranchs, etc.

Mapia is a rather simple resort, with cottages made of wood and furniture
made of bamboo.  Nothing fancy, but certainly adequate and comfortable.  I
have only a couple of beefs.  The bathrooms are not air conditioned, and
there always seems to be one or two mosquitoes in there.  The provide
insect spray, if you want to use it, though.  Also, they don't pick up the
trash that washes ashore on the beach.  This seems to be an endemic
practice, judging from the surrounding areas.  The restaurant is open air,
but always a comfortable seaside atmosphere.  The food wouldn't quite rate
gourmet, but it was always a good home-cooked meal, and there was plenty of
it.  Breakfast is toast and fruit, with cofee and juices, but the cook was
quick to accommodate me with an omelet each morning, upon request.  The
typical dinner consisted of a combination of Italian and Indonesian dishes,
with a choice between two different main courses.  Nothing I ate was a
throwback.  Dinner is served family style in 4 courses, providing a nice
atmosphere for sharing stories, etc.

Service was second to none.  All staff were eager to accommodate any
request to the best of their abilities, and smiles were plentiful.  One
thing that I enjoyed was the constant singing of the staff while working,
resting, etc.  They love song, and they never sing out of key.  Of course,
English isn't spoken very well by most, so the words are a bit incomplete
when they sing popular American songs (their favorite).

Incidentally, if you want to pack a little lighter, they offer prompt and
good laundry service, so you can bring just enough clothes to get you there
and through a couple of days at the resort.  All laundry left in the basket
will be washed and delivered back to your room before you return from the
day's diving.

In closing, it amazes me that more Americans don't make the journey to
visit this diving paradise.  The price is right, and it's definitely worth
the trip. 

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