TRAVELSPECIAL
Hairy frogfish, Lembeh
Green turtle, Bunaken
BEST FOR Coral reefs, turtles and weird fish
Indonesia:
North Sulawesi
What to expect: Find the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on a map and you will see one of the world’ s weirdest landmasses. Defined by four massive peninsulas, it is the 11th largest island in the world. diving culture prevails in the northern peninsula, in particular the Manado area. Just beyond is the Bunaken National Park, home to 390 species of fringing and barrier reef corals. Established as a marine park in 1991, it is a conservation success story.
Close to the mainland there are muck dives over volcanic sand, while out in the marine park the diving is classic coral reef, the proximity of deep water ensuring decent viz. Bunaken is renowned for its green and hawksbill turtles – you’ re likely to encountrer them on most dives.
To the north lies the small island of Bangka, offering a more isolated feel, with silky white beaches. Known for its soft corals, it has a vibrant reef scene just as beautiful as Bunaken, and is known for the resident giant frogfish. There are now a couple of resorts on the island, reflecting its rise in popularity.
Exceeding Bangka in the popularity stakes is the Lembeh Strait, the ocean’ s weirdest square mile. There are reefs here, but they play second fiddle to the expanses of black volcanic sand. Why?
Mouth-brooding cardinalfish, Lembeh
Hairy squat lobster, Bangka Island
Because this is critter country, possibly the best place in the world for finding strange bottom-dwelling creatures. Sure, there are other places where you can find small stuff, but Lembeh has more of it, and it’ s relatively easy to find out on the sand. Hairy frogfish; mimic octopus; devil scorpionfish; mandarinfish; flamboyant cuttlefish... the list goes on. Some of the resorts urge their visitors to draw up a wish list of all the creatures they’ d like to see, and usually find them all over the course of six days. Don’ t leave without... Good buoyancy skills, especially if you’ re going to Lembeh. With all those creatures living in or on the sand, you need to be very careful where you put your fins.
Smugness rating: Water temperatures of 28 ° C and a sea brimming with life. Smugness settings to high.
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