Immersed in Aquatic Wonder: Unveiling North Sulawesi’s Hidden Gems at The Pulisan Resort, Lembeh, and Bangka
After a year of skippering, teaching, and diving in Perth, the time had come for Kate, Neptune, and me to embark on a well-deserved holiday. We’re always eager to explore new places, and in the back of our minds, we couldn’t help but consider the possibility of bringing a group to experience these locations next year.
North Sulawesi is a renowned name in the diving community, and while Lembeh may ring a bell for many macro photographers, they may not be able to pinpoint it on a map. I found myself in a similar position, unsure of where to begin my search. It didn’t take long for us to discover that North Sulawesi offers four main spots for scuba diving:
- Bunaken: Known for its mesmerizing wall dives and abundance of turtles.
- Lembeh Strait: Dubbed the Critter Capital of the world, it boasts black sand teeming with cryptic marine life.
- Bangka Island: A destination of exquisite coral reefs.
- North Sulawesi Cape: Offering a combination of macro dives and stunning topography.
With a decent budget and enough time, it’s relatively easy to explore all of these diving spots. You could spend three days in Bunaken, followed by another three in Lembeh, and then another three in Bangka. The region is well-developed, thanks to European tourism, so you’ll find plenty of dive resorts to choose from and convenient transportation options between the different locations. However, in our case, our budget and schedule weren’t the biggest constraints—we had a 10-month-old bundle of energy to consider. We wanted to find a place that could cater to a toddler, limit our need for extensive transportation, and allow us to see as much as possible.