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Diving in Sulawesi, Indonesia: Liveaboard Safaris to North Sulawesi: Manado(Bunaken), Bangka islands, Lembeh strait and Sangihe archipelago. December - January : PAPUA BARAT Rajah Empat |
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Wallacea Dive Cruise, PO Box 136, 94701 Luwuk - Central Sulawesi, Indonesia |  |
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The Banggai Archipelago            Many of the dives are on off shore reefs with vertical drop-offs down to several hundred meters. These fantastic walls present overhangs and cavities; the deeper parts (during the dive, 15-40 mts) 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 Banner fishes, butterfly fishes, damselfishes, anthias sp, dart fishes, 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 scorpion fish, 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. Following successful exploration of new dive sites on the eastern tip of the peninsula -that forms the second finger of Sulawesi-, we recently revised the cruise itinerary. We now dive during the firsts five days a selection of our best dive sites in Banggai islands, and we spend the last three days on the peninsula, where dives offer a very different scenery: rock formations often forming pinnacles with an exceptional density of fishes, including barracuda schools, tunas, giant jack fishes, sharks, eagle rays and many other species. Abundant coverage of gorgonians, soft corals and daisy corals, make also these dives very colorful. Example of dive sites:
George's wall (Banggai) Depth 100 feet A vertical wall on a huge offshore reef at the south of the Banggai. The immersion takes place in anfractuosities of the wall, and you go down in the blue along clumps of black corals, surrounded by Bat fishes and surgeon fishes schools. Overhangs and cavities often squatted by white tip sharks, schools of jacks fishes. After about 10-25 minutes at 100 feet, you slowly ascend following the wall. Dives on walls often last 70 minutes. Katini (Banggai): Depth about 45 feet. The fringing reef of an islet of Banggai, with a slope covered by hard corals formations from 45 to 3 feet. Abundant critters: ruban eels, stone fishes, ghost pipe fishes, mantis shrimps. A site also very nice for night diving. Kebun laut (Banggai): depth 54 feet. A line of reefs in the inside of the Banggai islands ; the slope is covered by beautiful formation of hard corals and sponges until 45 to 55 feet and the visibility is always excellent. The top of the reef, on depth from 25 to 10 feet, offers large areas of pristine coral formations of all shapes, endless fields of delicate branched Acropora species covered by clouds of damsel fishes, combinations of tables of Acropora. Generally divers stay underwater until 90 minutes or more such is great the fascination of the scenery. Kokunan bay (Banggai) : depth 35 feet A fringing reef that hosts numerous Banggai Cardinal Fishes. This beautiful fish, endemic from Banggai islands, is one of the few marine fish without any larval stage. The male holds the eggs, then the embryos, in his mouth during a total incubation time of about 30 days. It lives in shallow water, in groups generally in association with urchins or anemones, and is a must for photographers. On this site, you can also see Mandarin fishes. Lost anchor (Banggai): depth 100 feet This site is a pinnacle getting up to 65 feet above the surface, which highlight is the density of fishes. Schools of barracudas, of surgeon fishes, fusiliers, tunas, jacks fishes. White tips and grey reef sharks. Incredible density of yellow snappers. Due to the strong currents swiping this pinnacle, this dive can be a kind of sportive. Batu Gong (Peninsula): depth 90 feet Two pinnacles toping at 55 feet, covered by gorgonians and black corals. Schols of surgeon fishes, fusiliers, giant jacks that comes from the blue like rockets to check you, huge tunas, schools of barracudas, eagle rays, huge schools of banner fishes, turtles… the total and ultimate show. If the fish allow you a bit of time, you could have a look to the pigmy sea horses, but who cares? Entre 2 mers (peninsula) depth 50 feets It is a line of rocks with canyons on a sandy bottom. Rocks are covered with gorgonians and soft corals, very colorful., with a lot of fishes, groupers, surgeons,snappers, eels. Rocks and wreck (peninsula) depth 70 feet Massive bottom rocks at a maximum depth of 75 feet, canyons, gorgonians, black corals, walls covered with bright yellow and orange daisy corals, schools of barracudas and surgeon fishes. A wreck of a small ship of about 80 feet, with eels, groupers, glassfishes. Pygmy sea horses, ribbon eels. |
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