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Dive Review of Village Bunaken in
Indonesia/Bunaken

Village Bunaken, Jun, 2013,

by Ian Kennedy, CA, US (Contributor Contributor 13 reports with 4 Helpful votes). Report 7035.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 4 stars Food 4 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling 4 stars
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments We stayed at The Village Bunaken, run by an Indonesian woman and her Dutch husband. Fly to Manado then get picked up for a 40 minute car ride to the markets on the river where a boat is waiting for a 30 minute ride to the island of Bunaken. The resort has about 8 bungalows, a couple with A/C. Bugs were not a problem when we visited in June. There is a nice pool. The resort is very modern, clean and well-kept, populated largely by Dutch tourists. The resort is all-inclusive. There is a fine, and inexpensive, spa service available. For example, a 2 hour massage and scrub for about $40. Perfect for my non diving wife. The food is adequate but after seven days becomes rather boring because it has to cater to all tastes. However, they are able to make a good mojito. All the staff are very friendly and helpful. I suggest you take the time to walk into town along either the narrow road or along the beach at low tide. The small town is quite interesting and attractive in its own way. There is an ornate church in the Christian section. The town seems to be divided subtly into two sections: Christian and Muslim. Pigs in one part; goats in the other part. It is worth the 20 minute walk to get to the town.

The dive operation is run by Jun who is a character. He is an instructor. My dive guide was Samuel - he was very good at his job, able to find various small critters. He was invariably friendly and helpful. On all my dives there were only two divers, myself included, for Samuel to look after. Most dives were a fairly short ride from the resort i.e., about 10 minutes to 20 minutes. On one day we went over to the mainland to a site called Wori. It was a muck dive, probably not up to Lembeh standards but interesting. We spotted a crocodile flathead, an octopus, a frogfish, sea horses, a spotted ray, a snake eel etc. Most of the diving was along walls. Some were better than others. Mike’s Point was disappointing, displaying a lot of broken and dead coral. Other sites were much better. The wall just off the village was perhaps one of the best. The corals were in good shape and there were large and small animals to spot. Maximum depths were generally no greater than about 80 feet with minor currents. Visibility was not great, typically about 50 feet. There were quite a few novice divers on my boat during my stay. These sites are suitable for divers with minimal experience.
Websites Village Bunaken   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving South Pacific, Hawaii, Caribbean
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, dry Seas calm, no currents
Water Temp 83-86°F / 28-30°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 50-60 Ft/ 15-18 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions All dives are guided and very close to 60 minutes duration
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? no

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 2 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Fresh water bucket provided on some dives
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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