Indonesia was calling! The idea was to team up with Sophie Rennie plus a non-diving friend in order to celebrate a significant birthday at a world class dive destination. Sophie recommended the Bunaken Oasis resort, having met its owners Simon and Elaine Wallace back in 2012, on a liveaboard trip. Back then, Elaine spoke of her dream to create a truly magnificent dive resort that would revolutionise the industry. Then, she and Simon made it happen. Bunaken Oasis has won numerous high-end awards and is today recognised as a standard bearer for boutique luxury and ethical practice. Could it possibly live up to such a garlanded reputation?
Bunaken island nestles within a series of sheltered, nutrient-rich bays formed by the horseshoe shape of North Sulawesi’ s coastline and the deep volcanic basins of Bunaken Marine Park. These create stable temperatures and protection for nursery habitats contributing to its biodiversity.
It is one of Indonesia’ s strongest marine conservation success stories, supported by a long-running partnership between the community, dive operators, and park authorities. Visitor fees fund reef protection and ranger patrols, while no-fishing zones and strict environmental practices help keep human impact low. Healthy mangroves, community education and waste-management initiatives further strengthen the park’ s resilience.
Underwater photographer, explorer, author, and marine conservationist Michael Aw has described Bunaken as one of the most spectacular and successful marine conservation stories in the Coral Triangle,“… a place of extraordinary biodiversity, dramatic walls, and a thriving turtle population”.
The turtles are the dominant part of the success story. Over eight months in 1993, Aw documented just five hawksbills. By 2025 it was possible to see more than 10 on any single dive. Our dive guide tallied 64 sightings of green turtles cruising by or resting on the reef on just one dive. While we were at the resort, green turtles were officially regraded from‘ Endangered’ to‘ Least Concern’ on the CITES list regulating trade in endangered species.
Bunaken is one of the best locations to dive with green turtles
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