Fish come in all shapes and sizes which is why diving in the coral triangle at a place like Bunaken is such a treat. Some species are in an order called tetradontiformes which groups together all the weird shaped fish like triggerfish; pufferfish and even the ocean sunfish (mola mola), but one of our favorites is the boxfish and Bunaken boasts beautiful boxfish.
The White-spotted boxfish is a species of boxfish found in the Indian and Pacific oceans so North Sulawesi is in the perfect place to see these amazing fish. Diving Bunaken we usually see these very cute fish hiding in the reefs and coral walls between 5m and 30m. Growing up to 25cm long they are not that hard to spot but they hide if you get too close. Try spotting one on your next dive with Two Fish Divers Bunaken and check out their unique swimming style.
Some of our guests this week have had the pleasure of seeing the white-spotted boxfish on dive sites like Ron’s point, Lekuan 1 and Muka Kampung where the visibility has been a spectacular 25m+ and a very comfortable 29 degrees C. Richard, Jason, and Ferdinand came all the way from Hong Kong, Sung from Singapore and Sheryl from Australia, to enjoy some of the best diving that Indonesia has to offer. With nudibranchs on every dive and the weird crustaceans that we have been seeing on our night dives recently, Sheryl was in her element with her camera. Check out our Facebook page for some of the great pictures she has been shooting.
With such great diving, it is no wonder that people want to learn to dive here and that is exactly what Dominik, Mat, Guillaume, and Luca came to do. With a custom built dive pool, experienced instructors, small groups, sunshine, and beautiful sea conditions, I can’t think of anywhere better to learn!
Kelly also came this week and did a refresher as it had been a while since she last dived. Usually, 6-12 months is long enough to forget some of the important safety aspects of diving and for the motor skills to become rusty but it doesn’t take long to remember and feel confident in the water again. A good briefing and a short pool session are all it took and then Kelly was ready to jump on the boat with Divemaster Nick and the others to explore some of the many dive sites only 10 minutes from the resort.
The PADI Advanced Open Water course is a great way to gain new skills and experience and fits in well with a refresher if you have been out of the water a while. Just ask Alice and Bertrand who have today completed their Advanced course with us. It had been nearly a year since dives 7 and 8 respectively but a dive with an instructor in a nice sheltered area to refresh and practice some buoyancy control and there was no stopping this couple from France completing 4 more dives and getting certified. Going deeper, diving at night, learning about fish and how to navigate a dive site are all skills that an advanced diver should have, as well as many more! Well done to all our students this week for achieving their goals and maybe setting a few new ones.
We even saw one of our favorite tetradontiforme on the last safety stop, the white-spotted boxfish! Daniella who also dived with us today had heard that Bunaken boasts beautiful boxfish but she was surprised to see the biggest box fish she has ever seen. Christian and Vinda from Flores in Komodo National Park are enjoying a “holiday” from diving by taking a diving holiday! It is our pleasure to show them around somewhere new.
