Exploring the wealth of the sea beneth Bunaken
Exploring the wealth of the sea beneth Bunaken
TONGKAINA, Molas, North Sulawesi (JP): It was early in the
morning and the sun was bright. Members of our group thronged the
Thalassa diving center at the Hotel Santika Manado before we set
off for nearby Siladen and Bunaken islands.
Like shoes, flippers and snorkling equipment have different
sizes and we took turns to pick the ones that matched our feet
and faces.
The outboard motorboat was quite big and could carry more than
a dozen passengers. The water was crystal clear and fish swimming
in the shallow water were visible under the hotel's pier, which
is surrounded by a mangrove forest.
No more than five minutes after we had left the pier, a group
of dolphins gracefully crossed the path of our motorboat. We
shouted with joy when the two skippers yelled to one another at
the top of their voices above the roar of the motorboat and
redirected the boat so that we would have the longest view
possible of these lovely sea creatures.
"We are lucky," one of the skippers said, "we see them no more
than once every two months."
The trip to Siladen took only 15 minutes. The sand is white
and the island seems to be uninhabited, with no other people
visible.
When we chose somewhere to sit we first had to clean up the
rubbish scattered around. We found every kind of waste: plastic
bags, empty mineral bottles, dry leaves, tree branches and
seaweed.
"This is indeed a big problem, everywhere I go in Indonesia,
including Banda islands, there is always so much rubbish," Martin
Westlake, a professional photographer from the United Kingdom,
said in irritation.
Westlake, who has worked in Indonesia for more than 12 years,
said rubbish spoiled the environment and a way should be found to
get deal with the problem.
A well-traveled Dutch tourist said the problem exists in other
countries as well.
"I remember when I was holidaying in Egypt, we had the same
problem," said Marleen van Hilten.
Once we got rid of the rubbish, we found the clear water in
Siladen too tempting to refuse. We hastily brought to land our
equipment for swimming, canoeing and boat-gliding.
Van Hilten said she felt delighted every time she returned.
"It is so peaceful here," she said as she fixed her eyes on
the skyline of Manado in the distance, "there are no high-rise
buildings and so much beautiful scenery. Europeans look for these
kinds of things. They don't always have it."
She said she comes back every one or two years because of
three things: the people's hospitality, the splendid Manado food
and the tropical climate.
At midday we set off for Bunaken. The boat trip to both
Siladen and Bunaken took only about 15 minutes each as they are
very close to the hotel.
We had a lunch of grilled fish and soup in Bunaken before we
went snorkeling. The scenes beneath the clear water are
spectacular. As you snorkel through the clear water above the
beautiful coral it seems as though you are looking at a moving
sea aquarium.
Bunaken is one of a group of islands just offshore from
Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi. The other islands include
Menado Tua, Siladen, Mantehage and Nain.
The protected marine park has about 2,000 tropical fish
species and invertebrates, which amounts to 90 percent of the
total number of species in the world. It has more than 150 coral
species which remain undisturbed in its waters.(hbk)