Diving  is a  potentially  hazardous  activity.  The materials  contained within  this  magazine  are for informational purposes only and are not intended as a substitute for proper and appropriate training.

Much ado about Manado

-Text William Tan with Gemma Koh                         Photos William Tan

Ever wonder why divers or all sorts - particularly those lugging underwater cameras - keep making a fuss about Manado? Recognising the  high rate of  quality  underwater  encounters, many  top underwater photographers  -  like  Mike  Sevens (who  has  a dive  site  named  after  him),  Fred Bavendam; film production giant Stan Waterman - make  return  pilgrimages to  North Sulawesi's, Manado to photograph their next  award-winning images. So do renowned biologists such as  Jack Randall who  keep coming  back in search of new species.

Blessed with an extremely deep  seabed and steep  walls close to shore, the Bunaken Marine Park, according to the  Bunaken National Park  Natural History  Book by  Arnaz Mehta,  boasts 79,056  hectares of  land and  marine area, supporting  58  genera  of corals and  over 2,000 species of  fish. In 1989, the  Indonesian government declared the area  north of  Manado - which  includes  the  islands of  Bunaken,  Manado  Tua, Siladen, Montehage, and  Nain - a marine reserve. At  present, the Pacific Asia Travel Association  (PATA)  and  its  division, the  North  Sulawesi  Watersports  Association (NSWA), are working  closely with  government officials,  local  communities  and dive resorts to  manage, develop and  conserve the park's  resources. Visitors  to the park need to pay an entrance fee  of Rp. 50.000 per day or Rp. 150.000 per calendar year.

ALL CREATURES GREAT At  the  park's  over  20  marked  dive  sites, it  is  possible to  encounter  monstrous Napoleons,  dogtooth  tuna,  yellowfin  tunas, giant  groupers,  schools  of  bumphead parrotfish,  barracudas,  eagle  rays,  manta rays,  sharks of sorts,  and even  elusive dugongs. Even at  Fukui, a popular  place  for a checkout  dive, and the  only non-wall  dive on Bunaken with a sand slope, is home to an assembly of giant clams, against a backdrop of batfish, and  visiting dogtooth tuna and  barracudas. Enroute to Bunaken, our boat has chanced upon a huge, dark  shadow of scales glistening  against the sun - a large congregation of  baitfish forced  into a  tight ball  no thanks  to large  sharks  hunting below. Tanjung Kopi,  notorious for down  currents so strong that  divers often  see their  air bubbles dragged down the wall, is famous for congregating pelagics like hammerheads, barracudas, jacks  and giant  trevallies. Batu Kapal  is the  other dive site  famous for spotting  a large  school of  hammerheads. It involves emerging  from a tunnel at 57m and swimming  out towards  the open ocean to  meet them. When  the sharks are not around, one  can  usually find  a huge resident  Napoleon  wrasse  hovering  near  the tunnel.

Further  out a Manado  Tua, Montahage and Nain Islands, divers have boasted of magical  encounters with  sperm whales, and  a  sea  full  of  spinner  dolphins. In good weather, the sea is  mirror flat. On one  occasion,  this  was  disturbed   by huge yellow fin tunas  leaping out of the water in what appeared  to be a feeding frenzy. But by the time we rushed in, all were  gone,  save  for  a  large  shadow which   turned   out   to   be   a   dense congregation  of thousands of porcupine fish -  which eventually  disappeared  as mysteriously as they have appeared. The   first   living   Coelacanth   in   the Manado  region was first sighted in 1998 at   Manado  Tua.   Together  with   the nautilus -  most  dive  resorts can make special      arrangements    with     local fishermen to  show  you  the  nautilus -  they are  the oldest living animals in the watery realm.

… AND SMALL However, diving Manado is not all about seeing  pelagics and the big boys. Its smaller gems are  expertly hiding within  the  beautiful  reefs. But you won't  need a degree in marine biology or  a bionic eye to differentiate  these  beauties from their  hosts as all resorts  employ specially trained  local dive masters  who'll  help you spot the rare and the precious.

Boxer crabs  and blue  ring octopus have  been found at Siladen;  cup  coral snails  at Manado Tua, and ghost pipefish near the giant clams at Fukui. Black Rock is a 'secret' favourite of many  underwater photographers. Here,  photographers may be kept busy by subjects like a tiny bumblebee  shrimp; a juvenile commensal  crab making its home in the  anus of a  sea cucumber; a beautifully  bizarre juvenile  pinnatus batfish; and a cluster  of  ready-to-hatch  cuttlefish  eggs  deposited  within  the  branches  of  the staghorn corals.. It's also not  uncommon to see the  triumvate of ribbon eels at  their three stages of life ? the juvenile  black, the blue male, and the old  yellow female ? all within one dive.

ON THE HOUSE Even the traditionally  overlooked  house reefs are teeming  with life. Although  recent land reclamation  had wiped out the once  healthy reef in front  of the Ritzy Hotel, the scattered coral bits and sunken structure now supports a healthy collection of juvenile reef fishes. On the sand bottom, look out for tiny cone shells, snails, sand dollars, and bristle worms. The beautiful boulders of  hard corals at the  house reef  just off Tasik  Ria Resort  are literally  crawling with  crustaceans. On the  sandy bottom,  you may  spot a  strange green seahorse that lives within the sea grass. But  what really catches  they eye are the many  cardinals  of the  Apogon  species that  rest within  the staghorn and black coral branches ? especially the males with eggs in their mouth.

LOTS AT LEMBEH Most  divers  complement  the  spectacular diving at Bunaken with  at least a few days of  muck  diving  at   Lembeh  Straits.  The sheltered  waters  may  be  less  clear  and colder than Bunaken's, but the nutrient-rich straits  supports some  of the  world's most bizarre and amazing animals. Sites like Hairball, Aer Perang and Jahir may look   uninspiring,   but  they   are   perfect habitats for sheltering  the ingenious  mimic octopus.   On    one    occasion,    perhaps attracted by  nutrients washed  down  from the land  after a  tropical  storm, Jahir  was swarmed with such  a large congregation of tunas  that we  had to  literally  push them aside to find the mimic octopus. For  years, the  strait's  main claim to fame were   the   barely   one-cm   high   pygmy seahorses  that   live  on   deep  seafans  - which still are found at many dive sites. But the occasional appearances  of newer stars - like  Harlequin   shrimps,  Halimeda   ghost pipefish, and an  unidentified  hairy octopus - have been stealing all the attention.

BEARINGS Getting there SilkAir  flies  to  Manado  on   Mondays,  Wednesdays,  Fridays  and   Saturdays   from Singapore. Bouraq  Indonesia  Airways  flies twice  a week on  Mondays & Fridays  from Davao. Garuda Airlines  connects daily  from Jakarta and Surabaya via Makassar (Ujung Pandang), with connections to Denpasar. Entry requirements Most overseas  visitors are given  a 60-day tourist visa  on arrival. However,  visas are required  by  certain  nationalities.  Please  check  with  your  Indonesian  embassy  or consulate. Electricity 220 volts AC, 50Hz, but 110 volts AC, 50Hz in rural areas.

Language Basic English is understood by most. Bahasa Indonesian is the official language, though a Manado dialect is often spoken. When to dive Diving is year round at Bunaken  Marine Park and Lembeh  Straits, but Manado basically experiences two seasons. May till  October  typically sees  calm seas  and clear  skies. When  surface  conditions  occasionally get too  rough for  diving  Bunaken  during  the months of  November till February, most  resorts in Manado  will make  arrangements to move their guests to dive Lembeh Straits. Dolphins, orcas,  pilot whales,  dugongs, marlins, sharks,  hammerheads and barracudas may be  spotted all  year round.  Migrating  whales, such as sperm  whales, humpbacks and minkes may be sighted from August till November.

Water temperature Water temperature usually  ranges from 27 to 29 degrees. Some dive sites might have a cooler water temperature  of 25 degrees or even  lower  due to  upwelling  currents from the deep. Visibility At  least 30m in  Bunaken area  on a  good day;  20m at  the northern  sites of Bitung and 5 to 10m at muck critter dive sites. Land Temperature Manado's   warm  tropical   climate  ranges from 24 to 27 degrees Celsius. Where to stay Most  dive resorts are  located  on Manado mainland, which  offer the  convenience of access to shops and Internet cafes.

The  longest-established  dive  centre is Nusantara  Dive  Centre. Their  rooms,  though spartan, are  clean  and  spacious. Many are  air- conditioned,  and  have  an  attached semi-alfresco bathroom. The crews are friendly and  the owner, Mr Locky Herlambang, is among the pioneers of marine conservation in the area, receiving the Kalpataru Award in 1985 and Adikarya Award in 1995. The upscale  boutique resort Tasik  Ria has a lagoon-like  pool with  a swim-up  bar, and HBO in the guest  rooms - which has proved  to be  too much  of a distraction for  some divers!  Diving is  from  Eco Diver's  purpose-built  16-m diveboats. Tasik  Ria's  beautiful house  reef ? which  counts pygmy  seahorses  among   its  residents -  is just  a  short distance away from its jetty. Kungkungan  Bay  Resort at  Bitung  is  nestled  on  an  old coconut  plantation  on  the Sulawesi  coast of Lembeh  Straits. It has 16  lavish  traditional beachfront rooms and a fine restaurant that is opened 24 hours.

Dive operators

Barracuda Diving Resort Phone: +62 431 854279 / 854288 Fax: +62 431 864848 Information: info@dive-barracuda.com Blue Banter Phone: +62 431 851174 / 863302 Fax: +62 431 862135 Email: info@bluebanter-manado.com Bunaken Divers Phone: +62 431 859379 Fax: +62 431 859368 Email: info@indopacificdivers.com or info@bunakendivers.com Celebes Divers Phone: +62 431 826582 Fax: +62 431 826581 Email: celebes@kudalaut.com Bunaken Cha Cha Dive Lodge Phone: +62 812 430 1672 Email: cha2@indosat.net.id Eco Divers Phone: +62 431 824445 Fax: +62 431 823444 Email: info@tasikria.com Froggies Divers Phone: +62 812 430 1356 / 1464 Fax (US): +1 530 684 6038 Email: manado@divefroggies.com Kungkungan Bay Resort Phone: +62 438 30300 Fax: +62 438 31400 Email: kbresort@indosat.net.id Living Colours Dive Resort Email: info@livingcoloursdiving.com

LumbaLumba Diving Center Fax: +62 431 826152 Email: lumbalumba@manado.wasantara.net.id Manado-Dive Phone: +62 431 857701 Fax: +62 431 855636 Email: krisdive@manado.wasantara.net.id Minahasa Prima Resort Fax: +62 431 826406 Murex-Dive Resort & Live Aboards Phone: +62 431 826091/2 Fax: +62 431 852116 Email: info@murexdive.com Nusantara Dive Center Phone: +62 431 863988 / 860638 Fax: +62 431 860368 / 854668 Email: info@ndc-manado.com Sulawesi Dive Quest Phone: +62 811 430201 / +62 431 863023 Fax: +62 431 813771 Email: info@sulawesi-dive-quest.com Thalassa Dive Center Phone: +62 431 850230 Fax: +62 431 850231 Email: info@thalassa.net Two Fish Divers Phone: +62 811 432805 Email: info@twofishdivers.com

Travel agents Maya Express Phone: +62 431 870111 Fax: +62 431 860488 Email: travel@maya-express.com Pola Pelita Express Phone: +62 431 852231 / 852768 / 859303 - 306 Fax: +62 431 864520 / 868007 Email: polatour@indosat.net.id Safari Tours Ph: +62 431 857637 Email: info@manadosafaris.com

About the author

William Tan, a violinist with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, has visited Manado over 30 times in six years, and is still hasn't run out of  subjects to shoot. Many of his images from Manado can  be  found  in  Silent Symphony  (produced with Tony Wu)  which  was awarded the International Prize for  Best Book of  Underwater Images, 2001, at Antibes, France. See: www.silent-symphony.com

Other superlative  encounters include  a family  of at least five  Pegasus (seamoths) at Nudi Retreat; a  record count of 50  mandarinfish  at Batus Angus,  and a daily ritual of butterflyfish trailing divers to take  advantage of  territorial egg-guarding damsels for a quick meal at Angel's  Window; and male  Banggai cardinals carrying developing eggs in their mouth at Police Pier and deadly blue ring octopus at  Critter Hunt. A cute juvenile painted  frogfish,  a  beautiful  brilliant yellow  jawfish, and  pairs  of  intriguing  pygmy cuttlefish  may  fail to  raise an eyebrow  at  Nudi  Falls (the  "it" site  of  many  macro photographers) given the presence of a rare Rhinopias scorpionfish. Dive  resorts in  Manado usually  offer  day trips  to Bitung  upon  requests  of die-hard photographers, charging a small extra for the overland transfer which usually involves a bumpy  two-hour van  ride. More comfortable  options for exploring  this area include a live-aboard with Murex Dive Resort's  Serenade, or  a new sleep-aboard  with  Froggies Divers.  Those  who  prefer  to  be  land-based  will  opt  for  the  luxurious  US-owned Kungkungan Bay Resort.