Nunaken National Marine Park

Bunaken National Marine Park
General Information
The Bunaken National Marine Park was formally established in 1991 and is among the first of Indonesia's growing system of marine parks. The park covers a total surface area of 89,065 hectares, 97% of which is overlain by sparkling clear, warm tropical water. The remaining 3% of the park is terrestrial, including the five islands of Bunaken, Manado Tua, Mantehage, Nain and Siladen. Although each of these islands has a special character, it is the aquatic ecosystem that attracts most naturalists.

The waters of Bunaken National Marine Park are extremely deep (1566 m in Manado Bay), clear (up to 35-40 m visibility), refreshing in temperature (27-29 C) and harbor some of the highest levels of biodiversity in the world. Pick any of group of interest - corals, fish, echinoderms or sponges - and the number of families, genera or species is bound to be astonishingly high. For example, 7 of the 8 species of giant clams that occur in the world, occur in Bunaken. The park has around 70 genera of corals; compare this to a mere 10 in Hawaii. Although the exact number of fish species is unknown, it may be slightly higher than in the Philippines, where 2,500 species, or nearly 70% of all fish species known to the Indo-western Pacific, are found.
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Diving Manado

Diving Manado

Do you enjoy the convenience of liveaboard diving; or do you prefer the comfort of a resort? With Eco Divers North Sulawesi you can have BOTH!
Our PADI 5 Star Center in Lembeh is the only one in Indonesia to offer you a distinctive experience of diving from a liveaboard by day followed by sleeping in a resort each night. This is where you can literally have the best of both worlds.
In Manado, our dive center at Minahasa Lagoon is based on the highest levels of comfort, value, safety and environmental responsibility. The Resort has earned a reputation for offering an outstanding holiday experience being set in an unspoilt location away from the crowds. Dive with Eco Divers and you're guaranteed a unique and memorable holiday experience.
Since 2000, Eco Divers has provided the best value for money, first-class customer service and the highest safety available anywhere in Indonesia. We believe in responsible tourism, energy efficiency and sustained livelihoods. Dive with us and you'll also be helping to protect the environment and improve the lives of our workers and their families.

Eco Divers Resort Lembeh is our top rated twelve-room boutique property. We provide a friendly, personalized service, a highly organized dive service and exceptional cuisine. Come and enjoy 'all the convenience of a Liveaboard, all the comfort of a resort'™.
Eco Divers Manado, Minahasa Lagoon has its own house reef and is on the doorstep of the South section of Bunaken National Park, giving easy access to the many unspoilt and uncrowded coral and critter dive sites within a short boat ride. The stunning vertical wall dives of Bunaken's islands are part of the varied dive program.
Both resorts are PADI 5 Star IDC centers with the full range of diver training courses. Underwater photographers are in their element as we operate North Sulawesi's only dedicated photo/video facility, The Digital Centre™, with a resident photo professional.
Dive the Best of Both Worlds, with Eco Divers

Bunaken Island

About Raja Laut

Raja Laut in indonesian language means "King of the Sea". In this case we refer to a fish, a special one, indeeed. The Coelacanth were believed to have been extinct since the end of the Cretaceous period.

There are two different coelacanth species: latimeria chalumnae and latimeria menadoensis. 

Bunaken National Marine Park was established in 1991, in 2004 the magazine Asian Divers votes Bunaken’ s walls as the best in Asia. But Bunaken is not only fantastic coral reef diving, on the mainland is also possible to find interesting “muck diving” spots.

We are a based on the East side of Bunaken Island, only a few minutes from your dive dream. Small groups, skilled dive masters, special service for photographer, European PADI instructor.

Enjoy the dream…

• BUNAKEN TIMUR (East Bunaken)

A great dive site right in front of RAJA LAUT, very good for snorkelling too with a beautiful reef with lush coral growth. Is a very long reef covering all the east side of the island between the village of Bunaken and Sachiko’s Point. It can be divided in at least 2 or 3 dive spots.

Sharks, barracudas, groupers, napoleons, eagle rays and a lot of small and colourful reef fish. Few times I saw at the top reef a blue rings octopus hiding between the corals.

Possible to do a night dive in front of our Resort during which is easy to spot different species of crabs (decorator, sponge), bamboo sharks, big nudibranchs, snails, sea snakes, moray eels, green turtles.

• MUKA KAMPUNG (Front of the Village)

Located in front of Bunaken Village. A steep drop-off on which we are often in company with eagle rays, sting rays, tunas, napoleon, fantastic soft corals and nudibranches, crabs, shrimps. Also the right location to observe Mandarin Fish mating in a late afternoon dive.

 

The Dive Resort situated on Bunaken Island the the center of "The Bunaken - Manado Tua National Marine Park"

The Bunaken - Manado Tua National Marine Park geographically located in Indo Pacific region and holds the richest marine diversity on the planet, where the Bunaken island is considered to be one of the top diving destinations.

Bunaken island received some publicity when the marine biologist Dr. Mark Erdmann found a living Coelacanth here, a specie of fish some 60 million years old and have never been seen before.

The waters around Bunaken island are home to dolphins, whales, turtles, sharks, rays, sea snakes, sea cows, barracudas, tunas and the list goes on.

Bunaken Island, Diving Manado, Padi Courses Bunaken

Raja Laut in indonesian language means "The Sea King". In this case we refer to a fish, a special one, indeeed. The Coelacanth were believed to have been extinct since the end of the Cretaceous period.

There are two different coelacanth species: latimeria chalumnae and latimeria menadoensis.

Latimeria chalumnae was discovered in South Africa in 1938, when Mayore Courtenay Latimer working for East London Museum, found a coelacanth between some fishes that were caught from a fishing boat on the river Chalumna.

Latimeria menadoensis, was discovered more recently, in 1997 in Indonesia, when two tourists, spouses Erdmann, discovered in a market on the island of Manado Tua what seemed a Gombessa fish, a species they called "The Sea King". Then with some research on DNA, was discovered that the species is also different from Latimeria chalumnae and was called Latimeria menadoensis.

The coelacanth is now living in the Indian Ocean, including the Comores and Madascar, South Africa and Indonesia. It 'a big fish and can be up to two meters long and 80 kg in weight. Live on average 60 years, prefers to swim deep and hunt at night. It feeds on eels, stingrays, small sharks and squid. Swimming is particular, as the fins move in pairs, or the two in front, pectoral fins or the rear ones, pelvis.

We decided to call our Resort RAJA LAUT to don't forget the great privilege we enjoy to dive daily in this SPECIAL sea.

Bunaken Island, Diving Manado, Padi Courses Bunaken

 RAJA LAUT HISTORY OF A NAME

Raja Laut is a small eco-resort, experience that comes from my passion for sea and scuba diving. After years of travelling and diving, I decided to stop in a special place: Indonesia, North Sulawesi, Bunaken Marine Park. In our web site you will find information about our Resort and activities. Investigate what we do and especially what we can do for you. This web site will allow to know each other better and to get in touch in every moment for more informations.

Bunaken Island History

The Bunaken National Marine Park was established in 1991 and was one of the first protected areas in this country. It covers an area of 890.65 km ² with 97% consisting of marine habitat. the remaining 3% includes the islands of Bunaken, Manado Tua, Mantehage, Nain and Siladen. This area is the center of the so-called "coral triangle". This term refers to an area of ocean that includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. It contains at least 500 different species of corals. The Coral Triangle is considered the epicenter of global marine biodiversity and for this reason the WWF puts it at the top of its conservation program, launched in 2007.

Testimonials

I passed through Pulau Bunaken during a RTW Trip back In December 2012. Roberto the owner was very friendly and accommodating to me. The resort is spotless, the food great, and the awesome people there complete the package. I had a great time!!! We were even treated to a pig roast for Christmas dinner. I enjoyed the fact that the resort is very personal and focuses on small one on one interaction and small dive groups.

- Travis M

About Raja Laut

Raja Laut in indonesian language means "King of the Sea". In this case we refer to a fish, a special one, indeeed. The Coelacanth were believed to have been extinct since the end of the Cretaceous period.

There are two different coelacanth species: latimeria chalumnae and latimeria menadoensis.

BUNAKEN TIMUR (East Bunaken)

A great dive site right in front of RAJA LAUT, very good for snorkelling too with a beautiful reef with lush coral growth. Is a very long reef covering all the east side of the island between the village of Bunaken and Sachiko’s Point. It can be divided in at least 2 or 3 dive spots.

Sharks, barracudas, groupers, napoleons, eagle rays and a lot of small and colourful reef fish. Few times I saw at the top reef a blue rings octopus hiding between the corals.

Possible to do a night dive in front of our Resort during which is easy to spot different species of crabs (decorator, sponge), bamboo sharks, big nudibranchs, snails, sea snakes, moray eels, green turtles.