Sulawesi Dive Sites - Banggai & Togian Islands

Bunaken in the northern Celebes island has been well known with its beauties of underwater life as has became as paradise for all the dive lovers. Bali-Travel-Online.com brings you the next paradise to discover the area closed by right at the border between Banda Sea to the south, and Molluca Sea to the north. Banggai islands, qualified by the naturalist Alfred Wallace as the "Mother of all living coral reefs", has numerous large reefs that support a very rich marine life.

Many of the dives are on off shore reefs with vertical drop-offs down to several hundred meters. Those fantastic walls present overhangs and cavities, the deeper parts (during the dive, 15-40 meters) are covered with black coral and gorgonian fans, inhabited by tunas, schools of trevallies, batfishes, turtles, napoleon wrasses, groupers, snappers, and a few reef sharks

Going up, the wall coverage shifts to hard and soft corals associated with a high density of the all range of reef fishes such as Bannerfishes, butterfly fishes, damselfishes, anthias sp, dartfishes, dotty backs, and the dives ends with a safety stop in the middle of a gigantic aquarium.

Some diving sites with stronger currents offer more pelagic fishes such as sharks, tunas, schools of giant trevallies; one submerged pinnacle (top at -22mt) has an incredible density of big size fishes.

Biodiversity is extremely high; fringing reefs of inner islands offer all the range of the Sulawesi creatures: Anglerfishes, ribbon eels, Blue- ring octopus, bob tail squid, Leaf sorpionfish, Ghost pipefish, and of course the endemic ornamental Banggai Cardinal Fish that can be observed in sheltered shallow waters. The best season to dive there is October to May; Banggai Islands are well protected from the northwesterly winds that affect other areas during January and February.

Togian Islands: The cruises are located in the Togian Islands, inside the large Tomini Bay, from May to October. The Togians include 3 main volcanic islands close together, and another one apart that erupted last in 1984.

It is the only place in the world where barrier reefs, atolls, and fringing reefs are found together. Due to the absence of swell in the bay, the diversity and quality of coral development is really unique. They offer many different kinds of high quality dive sites. Close to Walea strait, due to the strong currents, we usually see some pelagic species including hammerhead sharks and manta rays sometimes. 

Around the volcanic island of Una-Una, sponges and gorgonians fans, forming veritable fields, are probably among the biggest in the world, associated with an incredible density of fishes including schools of bumphead parrotfishes. Other sites include drop offs, canyons, pinnacles, swim through, and overhangs, all offering a great variety of spectacular underwater sceneries. There is also a special spot for pelagic life with schools of barracudas, giant trevallies, grey reef sharks and white tip sharks. You will also visit an intact plane wreck B24 from the 2nd World War, laying on the bottom at eighteen meters depth and inhabited by hundreds of jack fishes and many other creatures.

Explore more sulawesi dive sites on page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7..>>

 
 
 
       
 

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01/22/05 14:41

 

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