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Dive Review of Two Fish Bunaken in
Indonesia/Sulawesi

Two Fish Bunaken, May, 2009,

by Pat Hudgens, WA, USA ( 2 reports). Report 4833.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 3 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 2 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments We arrived in Manado via Silk Air from Singapore and were greeted at the airport by a Two Fish representative. After a 30 minute car ride and a 45 minute boat ride, we arrived at Two Fish on Bunaken. Two Fish staff handled luggage and dive equipment. All we had to do was fill out and sign forms. Two Fish does not have a dock and at low tide, you may have to wade a short distance to shore.

We booked a superior cottage for seven days all inclusive with 2 dives per day. We had a single cottage with two beds, bath, and porch. Storage was a bookcase and one shelf in the bath. There were wall hooks with a few hangers. You needed to live out of your suitcase. Two Fish took care of your dive equipment including wet suit. Each day, our equipment was rinsed in fresh water and stored until the next morning. Your dive equipment was waiting on the boat for the morning dive. The bath had a western toilet and cold water shower which felt good with the warm temperatures. The room had a fan and no air conditioning. Electricity was supplied by a generator and available 24 hours per day. Unfortunately, it had voltage variations and shutdown for short periods. Our cottage appeared to be fairly old but in reasonable condition.

Food was served family style. The food was tastefully prepared and nutritious. Most meals were served with a main dish, vegetable, salad, and fruit. All food was Indonesian with some western influence. Quantities were adequate but not a lot of variety. Soft drinks and beer were available for a reasonable fee.

Bunaken is surrounded by a barrier reef and most diving is along the reef wall. Boats are Indonesian skiffs, accommodating up to eight divers. Dive guides are assigned up to four divers but often with only two divers. Uta was our guide for the entire week. He was excellent in finding small critters. Dive profiles were multilevel and often started at 90 feet. We never got close to decompression. Visibility was excellent, normally 50 – 75 feet. We signed up for three dives a day and the extra dive was very reasonable. Two fish has no special photography facilities. Cameras on the boat are held in a dedicated water bucket. Morning intervals were spent on the boat. Cookies, tea, and water were available – no towels.

Currents were mild for most dives. However, on one dive we did encounter a fairly aggressive current with some up and down drafts. Dive site planning was done to try to avoid the stronger currents.

The coral was in great shape and very colorful. The number of fish around some of the reefs is overwhelming. We saw Moray Ell, Nudibranch, many large turtles, black tip shark and white tip shark (from a distance), lion fish, scorpion fish, crocodile fish, giant clams, napoleon wrasse, pipe fish – ghost and banded, garden ell, ribbon ell, boxer shrimp, and millions of butterfly fish. We did a twilight dive near the coast of the mainland and saw many mandarin fish doing their thing. We also did a night dive and encountered shrimp, crab, ells, and lobster.

Tina and Nigel, owners of Two Fish, are very involved in the operations and accommodating. The staff and dive team are friendly, knowledgeable, and will go out their way to make sure you have a good experience. Being located on the island, dive sites are 5 to 15 minutes. Native women were waiting for you at the Two Fish beach to buy local crafts and souvenirs after the morning and afternoon dives. There is a village within a 20-25 minute walk. We enjoyed the diving and felt like Two Fish was an excellent value.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 101-250 dives
Where else diving Cozumel, Curaceo, Belize
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas
Water Temp 80-87°F / 27-31°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 50-75 Ft/ 15-23 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile ?
Enforced diving restrictions Generally 60 minutes but longer dive times were allowed. Start ascent with 700 psi. 3 minute safety stop
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish N/A
Large Pelagics N/A

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter N/A Boat Facilities N/A
Overall rating for UWP's 3 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments No dedidcated land facilites.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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