Scuba Holidays

Bunaken National Park.There are numerous dive sites, where currents sweep past the drop-offs, bringing in reef sharks, large tuna, jacks, and rays. The Molas wreck is remarkably intact for a WW2 ship, the bow rests at 25m and the propellar at 40m. On the southern tip if Nunaken there are caverns and overhanging cliffs, huge barrel sponges and spreading table corals. Soft coral growth is rich and you may encounter the curious black and white banded sea snakes and see sleeping white tip reef sharks. The variety and abundance of marine life is stunning with turtles, sharks, eagle rays and many nudibranch and featehrstars of many colours and types.

Lembeth Straits often referred to as the 'critter-capital of the world. The diving here is over black volcanic sand and is home to some of the strangest creatures you will ever see underwater such as frogfish, Mimic Octopus, seahorses and scorpian leaf fish. With mostly a sandy bottom and some rocky cliffs and ledges the dark, muddy sand offers photo opportunities that attract photographers from all over the world.

Bangka Island Is found about an hour north and has been relatively little dived, there is a good chance of seeing spinner dolphins and pilot whales to keep you amused en route. The seamounts and pinnacles have colourful sotf coral and the plankton atttracts shoals of fish and even schools of pelagics!

Molas Wreck 25-40m

Porcelain Crab

Kungkungan Bay Resort or KBay as it is affectionately known - is an exclusive resort set by a coral-filled bay on the Lembeh Straits, just a few miles north of Bitung on the eastern side of Sulawesi's northern peninsula.

The resort is strung along a small bay with a black sandy beach, in marked contrast to the lush green palm trees that lean gently towards the sun kissed sea.

The main reception and dining area are famous throughout the northern Sulawesi region, being built on stilts over the water's edge. From the restaurant you can enjoy commanding views of the sea and islands beyond. Food at KBay is an exceedingly important part of your stay! Open 24 hours a day, the kitchens provide an astounding array of Indonesian dishes, and some Western style ones too, in case you're hankering after a burger & chips! Room service takes on a slightly different meaning at KBay. Upon returning from a pre-meal dive, you can give your order for that meal at the dive jetty and it will be waiting for you when you return from showering and changing! After all, you can't be wasting time waiting for food when you just have to get back in the water!

The resort has eight deluxe beachfront Cottages and eight deluxe beachfront Traditional Houses. The cottages are all one-room suites, five of which contain two queen-size beds (maximum four people per suites), two have one queen-size bed, and one suite has a king-size bed. Three of the traditional houses are junior suites containing two queen-size beds, while one is a two-bedroom family suite with one king-size bed, and two twin beds. There are also now four new rooms that have a king-size bed, large living area, and a private veranda. All of the rooms are colourfully decorated in local style and are steps away from the black sand beach. Each offers excellent views of the Lembeh Straits.

The Eco Divers dive centre is located at the jetty, a short stroll along the beach from the restaurant and bungalows. The dive centre offers a range of rental equipment for those who do not have their own gear, tuition, daily E6 slide processing and a comprehensive camera workshop for those who like to fiddle with the cameras! Both 110v and 240v electricity is available for battery & strobe charging. Up to four dives a day are available from the resort's fleet of 4 fast speed boats; because each boat only takes a maximum of 8 divers and each boat goes to a different place, overcrowding is not a phenomenon that occurs at KBay! Each boat has a special area for camera equipment and all the dive staff are properly versed in the handling of your expensive gadgets! Shore diving is available free of charge on the resort's house reef. Just grab a tank and wade in!

KBay has possibly the finest "muck diving" in the world. While there are singular places in Papua New Guinea, spiritual home to muck diving, that offer as fine (or as mucky) an experience as KBay, there really is nowhere in the world that offers such a magnificent range of bewildering creatures in such a relatively small area as the Lembeh Straits. But KBay is not just about muck diving. The resort also has 3 nearby wrecks from WWII, a sunken Taiwanese, all covered in a colourful area of corals, and many fine reefs for you to explore if you have had your fill of mimic octopi and flambos!

Bungalow

Since the resort's conception 10 years ago the dive team have explored and mapped out dozens of dive sites that cater for the needs of the discerning muck diver. No one knows why the Lembeh Straits has such an extraordinary amount of weird and wonderful sea creatures. It is certainly not due to human impact that they originally settled there, as they have been there for a considerably longer time than humans! It is probably a combination of factors such as currents, local rainwater run off, marine topography and the fact that the northern parts of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea are the true epicentre of global marine biodiversity.

Leaping in the water for the first time in the Lembeh Straits and you may be forgiven for thinking "What on earth am I doing here?" Black coral sand and slit, relatively low visibility, often strong currents, and the daily plying of fishing and cargo ships through the straits make it look like somewhere almost to avoid, let alone go diving in! But look closely and you will see some of the most amazing beasties you will ever set eyes upon - such creatures as Rhinopias aphanes & Rhinopias frondosa (leafy & weedy scorpionfish respectively), Ambon scorpionfish, stargazers and sanddivers, pygmy seahorses, manta shrimps, mimic octopus, wonderpus, Shaggy frogfish, and flamboyant cuttlefish are normal occurrences rather than the exception. There is a saying at the resort: "If you can't find it at Kungkungan Bay Resort, it probably doesn't exist."

And to be honest, they're most likely right! http://www.kungkungan.com/

Clownfish

Rhinopias

     

---

On the tip of a small island near Manado in North Sulawesi lies Gangga Island Resort & Spa. This exotic resort boasts an exclusive cluster of beachfront bungalows tucked under shady palms and surrounded by tropical gardens.

Sensational diving where you can get up close and personal with diverse and remarkable sealife of all sizes and colours - a diving experience unparalleled in the world is waiting for you! The resort is an ideal starting point for diving the sites of Bangka Island, the Bunaken National Marine Park and the Lembeh Strait.

The resort features 15 spacious and luxurious bungalows, each with two rooms and with a spacious veranda overlooking the beach and neighboring islands.

This exotic resort, built under shady palms and surrounded by tropical gardens running directly down to a beach of pure white sand, is located on the tip of the small island of Gangga in North Sulawesi - from Manado International Airport only one hour by car, then half an hour on our boats.

Gangga Island Resort features:

• 15 wooden local Minahasa style bungalows, each with two rooms with a spacious veranda overlooking the beach and neighboring islands. Each of the 30 rooms are equipped with comfortable furnishings, satellite television with international channels, bathroom with hot and cold water shower, air conditioner, ceiling fan, mini bar, complimentary coffee and tea making facilities, complementary bottled water
• Swimming pool
• Restaurants and bars featuring International and Indonesian Cuisine
• A boutique
• The Pasung SPA
  
  

Gangga Island Resort & SPA is operated by a couple of Professional Hoteliers. Gaspare and Hanne are educated in Hotel Management in Denmark and Switzerland. Gaspare is a Certified Hotel Administrator by the AHMA (American Hotel & Motel Association); together they have managed 5 Stars Hotels and Hotel Schools in Europe and Asia. Gaspare has a long association with Indonesia where in the eighties he assisted the Ministry of Tourism in the opening of the first Vocational Hotel Institute in Bali. They find in Gangga a congenial way of life; they are keen and experienced diving professionals and in love with the environment and the people of North Sulawesi.

Their mission is to develop an Eco Resort where the protection of the marine resources and the development of the local villagers are paramount. They strive to create a resort for serious divers who also like comfort, good service and good food, and last but not least a good SPA treatment after a day of diving. Their professionalism reflects on the attention and care that all the staff of Gangga from the guide to the cook provides to the guests and contribute to making every day a new and pleasant experience. http://www.ganggaisland.com/

Gangga Island resort Bungalow

Gangga Bar

Gangga Beach

Gangga Bedroom

Flight Schedules to be Confimed Day 1 - (Friday) Morning flight from London Heathrow to Singapore. Day 2 - Arrive Singapore and connect with your flight to Manado. Transfer to the accomodation or Liveaboard Day 3 to 8 - 6 full days to enjoy diving in the Marine Park from resort or Liveaboard Day 9 - (Sat) Flight from Manado Singapore and connect to Heathrow Day 10 - Arrive UK or Day 9 - Tansfer to Gangga for one additional week diving trip.

All you need to do now is contact the office for the booking forms and return;

£400-600 Holiday Deposit required. Scuba Kit may also be hired through C-Life or in resort. Confirmation of the flights etc will be forwarded. Balance required 10 weeks prior to departure.