Dive Review of Bunaken Oasis/Bunaken Oasis Dive Resort and Spa in
Indonesia/North Sulawesi

Other Indonesia reports
Subscriber Content Preview
Active subscribers go here

Bunaken Oasis/Bunaken Oasis Dive Resort and Spa: "An Indonesian Paradise", Mar, 2024, by Dan McMillan, NY, US ( 1 report with 1 Helpful vote). Report 12931 has 1 Helpful vote.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Reachable from Europe and North America with only one change of planes and an easy boat ride, this resort boasts outstanding snorkeling and diving on vibrant, protected reefs. Built on a lovely hillside overlooking a sheltered bay, Bunaken Oasis provides five-star accommodations and service at a lower price than other top quality dive resorts. It’s not cheap but it is a terrific value. Sitting squarely in the “coral triangle,” featuring the greatest marine biodiversity on earth, this resort is only a short boat ride from dozens of beautiful dive sites, with nearly 90 sites within range. I spent ten days at Bunaken Oasis in March of this year and promptly booked my next stay, this coming December and January. Most of the dive sites are slopes or walls of coral. The walls are spectacular - vertical to overhanging in steepness with bottomless blue below, 600 meters and deeper. Visibility is excellent - 15 meters counts as “bad” and 40 meters is common. Though walls predominate there is also a wreck worthy of several visits. While these waters don’t offer true muck diving, some sites feature a wealth of small creatures in shallow water. Since Bunaken Marine Park lies only eight miles from the coast of North Sulawesi near Manado, wind seldom creates serious swells and the water is generally calm. On most of my dives it was glassy smooth. Divers at all levels of skill and experience do well here. The only deficit of the diving is that sharks are scarce, Mantas nonexistent, and large schools of fish not common. Turtles, however, are everywhere. You practically have to get out of their way. The dive operation is excellent and meticulous about safety. The typical ratio is one guide for three customers or fewer. I had a private guide during my entire stay with no extra charge. The dive center offers certification in a wide range of skills, including technical diving and the use of scooters (DPVs). I got certified on the scooters and recommend the experience of cruising past four or five dive sites along a wall. One of the resort’s managers is training as a free diving instructor so you can learn that too if interested. The staff clean and store your gear after every use and put it on the boat for you. Just as remarkable as the diving is the snorkeling. Many dive sites feature a gorgeous reef top at safety stop depth or shallower, so snorkelers frequently go out on the dive boats. Even better, the house reef sits in 3-6’ of water (depending on tide) in a sheltered bay less than a hundred yards from the jetty. Every day the water was like glass and you can spend hours following the edge of a dramatic drop off, deep blue on one side and vibrant, varied coral on the other. Snorkeling is just as important as diving for me. In more than 50 years of snorkeling and nearly 30 of diving I’ve never seen anything this good. Until you’ve experienced it, it’s hard to imagine how delightful it is to snorkel in warm clear water as smooth as a lake on a windless day: no current to fight, and no chop or swells to stir up sand, jostle your camera or splash water into your snorkel. It’s bliss. Just as delightful as the diving and snorkeling - especially for me traveling alone - was the warm and welcoming vibe and social life for those who want it. Couples and families who want to keep to themselves can do so but senior staff gather with guests for drinks and dinner at the end of the day. Fortunately for me I got to meet the founders and owners, Simon and Elaine Wallace, who are delightful company. The owners set the tone and everyone who works there is warm, friendly and attentive. It’s not just that the food is great and the service impeccable. The staff at Bunaken are happy. They know they’ve got caring and enlightened employers, they feel lucky to be there, and they want to make you happy too. The dive staff love to dive, work constantly to up their game, and enjoy sharing great experiences with you. You reach Bunaken Oasis by flying to Manado, a 3 ½ hour flight from Singapore. Nonstop flights to Singapore leave daily from multiple airports in Europe and North America. At Manado the Bunaken staff take charge. From then on everything is easy – a short boat ride to Bunaken Oasis and a warm welcome from the resort’s managers.
Websites	Bunaken Oasis Bunaken Oasis Dive Resort and Spa
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Thailand, Maldives, everywhere in the Caribbean.
Closest Airport	Manado	Getting There	Easy! Nonstop flights to Singapore leave daily from multiple airports in Europe and North America. From Singapore it's a 3 1/2 hour flight to Manado, and a short boat ride to Bunaken Marine Park.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, cloudy, dry	Seas	calm
Water Temp	77-80°F / 25-27°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	40-150 Ft/ 12-46 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	I gave them only four stars on these questions only because although I use a camera, I'm hardly an expert and don't feel qualified to judge. That said, they have a drying table with air guns to sped up drying and each diver gets an individual bay to charge and work on their cameras. The dive guides are great spotters and several staff have expertise, while the resort frequently brings in professionals to teach courses.

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here

Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 1528 dive reviews of Indonesia and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

All Indonesia Dive Reviews and Reports
Diving Guide to Indonesia
Diving Reviews for All Dive Destinations

Want to assemble your own collection of Indonesia reports in one place?
Use the Mini Chapbook Facility to create your personalized collection.

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.

Undercurrent Home

Page computed and displayed in 0.38 seconds

Get more dive info like these and other important scuba updates sent monthly to your email. And a FREE Recent Issue of Undercurrent
Get a free monthly email and a sample issue!

Dive Review of Bunaken Oasis/Bunaken Oasis Dive Resort and Spa in Indonesia/North Sulawesi

Bunaken Oasis/Bunaken Oasis Dive Resort and Spa: "An Indonesian Paradise", Mar, 2024,

Photos Submitted with this Report

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

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

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

Dive Review of Bunaken Oasis/Bunaken Oasis Dive Resort and Spa in
Indonesia/North Sulawesi