Source: https://www.indonesia.travel/

Once the sun sets, the reefs and mountainous slopes enclosing North Sulawesi and all these little islands become unrecognisable from their day appearance. The majority of the bright day fish venture deep into the reef areas, hiding from predators, although the nocturnal creatures head out to the open to feed. Night diving is very well known at Bunaken Marine Park, and we all highly recommend to everyone our guests that they make at least during their stay with us. Many men and women are so amazed by it, and they create many more after the first one. But what about night snorkeling? Can snorkelers experience the identical awesome things as the divers do at night? Absolutely yes.

Night snorkeling may be an extraordinary adventure, but you need to visit the appropriate websites to have the best experience possible. Luckily, our dive and snorkel guides know exactly where to do you, so you enjoy your night snorkeling session equally as much as the sailors do. Most of the creatures we encounter at night are generally more compact than the fish we see during the daytime. Therefore we will need to visit a sheltered site where currents are somewhat slow to non-existent, so you can spend time looking around the corals to get the critters. We also need to be much more rapid than day candy so that you can actually find the critters.

We usually head to the North Sulawesi mainland for night diving and sightseeing excursions. The northeast slopes are excellent for divers, and the reefs may go shallow, along with shallow sand beds and seagrass meadows, which is perfect for the snorkelers. The American reefs are generally not as impressive as those around the islands, however for nighttime snorkeling beauty is not so important, as you aren’t looking “in a scene,”but much more for the individual animals themselves.

We depart in Siladen Resort & Spa at 17:45, and the sites are usually no more than 20 minutes off. Each snorkeller will be provided a high powered torch with a focussed beam, along with the guide will take a few additional ones if yours fails. Once you arrive at the site, you’ll be supplied an in-depth briefing about procedures and what you could expect to find.  Following the briefing, it’s time to slip into the inky black water armed with your underwater flashlight and float over to the shallow reef. It can take some time for the eyes to adjust to the darkened reef. In the beginning, it may seem like you are wasting your time, but after just a couple of moments, fantastic nocturnal monsters will begin to show themselves to you.

The most common night snorkeling encounters are different members of the scorpionfish family, who are waiting for their prey to come to them. Their mysterious camouflage is simpler to see past through the night since the light from the torch will reflect off their eyes. Crustaceans will compose the majority of your sightings while night time snorkeling. The large, awkward looking sponge crab can be readily spotted stomping within the corals (making it the nickname “King Kong Crab” with a number of those dive and snorkel guides), and virtually every crevice you look in will probably be filled with the white and red boxer shrimp. If you’re fortunate, you might catch a glimpse of a slipper lobster since it rushes away from your own light.

Ready to start your getaway to Bunaken? Visit Wonderful Indonesia, and don’t miss out on the magic!