LOCATION OF MANADO

GENERAL LOCATION AND AIRPORT
Manado is lies on the west coast of the northern tip of Sulawesi Island. The Sam Ratulangi airport is located to the north-east of Manado, about 30 min away by car.

FLIGHTS FROM MALAYSIA
Malaysia Airlines fly from KLIA (and return) every Thursday and Sunday. The flights transit at Kota Kinabalu for about 45-50 minutes.
KLIA/KK/MANADO - MH869
etd 0845hrs 1115hrs/1215hrs eta 1420hrs
MANADO/KK/KLIA - MH868
etd 1515hrs 1715hrs/1805hrs eta 2040hrs
Passengers need to get down from the plane during transit stop. Cabin luggage can be left on board.

MALAYSIA AIRLINES OFFICE
There is a MH GSA office in Manado town.
Branch Manager - Mr Cornelis Prihantarjo
Address -
Jl. Wolter Monginsidi
BAHU Mall
No. S-18, MANADO
Phone: 62-431-852666     Fax: 62-431-843677

ARRIVAL
Passengers will be met at the airport by respective hotel/resort representative.

RETURN CHECK IN & AIRPORT TAX
Passengers on the return flight has to check in and get a boarding pass first then proceed to the appropriate counter to pay 75,000Rp (about RM34) for airport tax.

IMMIGRATION & CUSTOMS
Visitor must have a passport valid for at least 6 months with proof of onward passage i.e. air-ticket leaving the country. Malaysians do not require visa for visiting the country. The import or export of Indonesian currency exceeding 5,000,000Rp is prohibited.

CURRENCY USED & EXCHANGE RATE
The local currency in use is Indonesian Rupiah. US dollar is also fairly well accepted. Current exchange rate is around - 10,000Rp to about RM4.50

HEALTH REGULATIONS
International certificates of valid small pox, cholera and yellow fever vaccination are required only from travellers coming from infected areas.

ELECTRICITY
Voltage is 220-240 volts AC at 50 cycles per second. The two-pin round plug is generally/commonly used.

ROADS
Road conditions are generally acceptable. Certain sections are badly in need of repair. These can become flooded and muddy when the weather turns rainy.

GETTING AROUND
Public transport in Manado is in the form of the blue minivan - 'mikrolet' or 'bis kota'. The going rate for getting around town is officially 950Rp (about 40sen). Don't expect change from a 1,000Rp note. A small sign on the windscreen indicates its destination but it is best to check with the driver.

PORK AND DOGS
The majority of the local are non-Muslims. Looking for 'halal' food can be a problem. However, pork free meals are easily available. When ordering food at the local food outlets, be on the alert for dog meat dishes.

BEACHES
The beauty of this region is beneath the sea surface. The beaches in North Sulawesi are nothing to brag about.

WEATHER
There is no monsoon in North Sulawesi. The wet season is from December to end February.

DIVE CONDITIONS
Water temperature ranges from 26 to 30 degrees Celsius (79 to 86 Fahrenheit) and visibility is 15 to 35 meters. Diving is possible all year round. The waters around Manado are usually calm and waves rarely exceed a metre. However, from November to February, when the west-wind blows, there can be days that the boats do not go out due to high swell. If that is the case, simply wait until the condition clears up (may take a day or two) or drive over to Lembeh Strait, on the east side for diving.

DIVING CONSIDERATIONS
Due to the relatively high water temperature, a 3 mm shorty is usually enough. If you get chilled easily, or are sensitive to stinging hydroids, a full suit would be a better bet. Since all our dives are multilevel dives, it is almost impossible to dive without a computer. You are advised to bring or rent one.

The nearest recompression chamber available in Manado is at Malalayang Hospital. It can accommodate 2 patients plus a tender. The doctors in charge are Dr. J. Waleleng and Dr. Hans Wewengkang. Their contact telephones are Dr J. Waleleng: 431-860 953 or HP 0811 430 913 and Dr. Hans Wewengkang: 431-894 981

DIVE GEAR RENTAL
Dive gear rental is available at all dive centres.

DIVE SERVICE
Dive service is generally better and more personal than what we are normally used to at our (Malaysian) dive centres. Diveguide to divers ratio ranges from 1:2 to 1:6. Gear set-up and handling is completely done by the staff.

TIPPING
Tipping is a generally accepted practice. No service charge has been included in the diving portion of the package. If the divers feel that they have been well looked after during their dives, a tip of US$1 per day is the norm. This can be passed to the office of the dive centre for distribution among the staff.

BUNAKEN NATIONAL MARINE PARK
Bunaken Island and the surrounding islands forming the Bunaken National Marine Park is located north-west of Manado town. Getting there involve taking a boat ride from the town jetty, located near the fish market. Divers need to pay an entrance fee of 150,000Rp (about RM70). This will be collected by the dive centres and a receipt and a plastic badge (valid for one calender year) will be issued.

MAP OF MANADO AND THE SURROUNDING AREA

DIVE SITES OF BUNAKEN ISLAND

Hotel Santika Manado is located about 20-30 minutes north of Manado town. It is about 60 minutes from the airport. It has 101 rooms with outdoor swimming pool. Rooms are 3* with a/c, attached bathroom, hot shower, TV and phone. Meals are hotel style. Ala carte menu (optional) is available. 5* PADI dive centre Thalassa is based here. It has a wooden broadwalk of 100 metres to get to the marina and is 5-15 minutes to the dive sites of Bunaken National Park. Dive service is high, with one dive guide to a group of 5 divers. All gear set-up and handling is done by the staff. It is possible to do shore dive in the marina area.
www.santika-manado.com
info@santika-manado.com
Phone: 62-431-858222/8333
www.thalassa.net
info@thalassa.net
Phone: 62-431-850230

Tasik Ria Resort is located about 30 minutes south of Manado town. It is about 50-60 minutes from the airport. It is a better kept hotel than Santika. It has 34 rooms with outdoor swimming pool. Rooms are 3* with a/c, attached bathroom, hot shower, TV and phone. Meals are hotel style. Ala carte menu (optional) is available. Eco Divers (PADI 5* Gold Palm IDC resort) is based here. It is a 50 metres walk to get to the marina, that is where the dive boats are parked. It is 45-60 minutes to the dive sites of Bunaken National Park. Dive service is high. All gear set-up and handling is done by the staff. Boats are 'huge' comfortable double decker with a kichenette to warm snacks/food, dry camera tables, fresh water shower and sundeck. There is a house reef just beyond the marina. Diving at the house reef is a boat dive.
www.tasikria.com
info@tasikria.com
Phone: 62-431-884445
www.eco-divers.com
info@eco-divers.com
Phone: 62-431-826833

Murex Dive Resort is located about 20 minutes south of Manado town. It is about 45 minutes from the airport. It is a family run outfit with local village style wooden bungalows. It has 20 rooms just next to the sea with beach frontage. Rooms are with a/c, attached bathroom and hot shower. Meals are home cooking local affair. Dive centre is just 'next door'. Boats are parked in front of the resort. Diving is from wooden boats (each powered by 3 engines of 40hp each). They take about 45 minutes to get the dive sites at Bunaken National Park. Dive service is high. All gear set-up and handling is done by the staff. There is a house reef in front of the resort.
www.murexdive.com
info@murexdive.com
Phone: 62-431-868513/826091

Lumbalumba Dive Resort is located about 25 minutes south of Manado town. It is about 45 minutes from the airport. It is a family run outfit managed by Juud and Roel. It has 5 lovely cottages/rooms with fine carpentry, located on the hill slope surrounded by a landscaped garden. It is a fairly steep walk to get to the rooms but the view is spectacular. Rooms are with a/c, attached bathroom and hot shower. Meals are home cooking local/western affair. Dive centre is across the main road next to the marina. Dive boats are custom built of laminated hardwood and fibers. It take about 1 hour to get the dive sites of Bunaken National Park. Dive service is high. All gear set-up and handling is done by the staff. Shore dive at the house reef is possible.
www.lumbalumbadiving.com
info@lumbalumbadiving.com
Phone: 62-431-826151/152
Cellular: 62-0-8124302974/75/71

The next few dive resorts are located on Bunaken Island. The travel from Manado town jetty to Bunaken takes about 30-50 minutes by boat. Supply boats are sometimes used to carry passengers. All rations/supplies and fresh water are ferried from the main island.

Froggies Divers is a PADI dive resort run by Christiane Muller. This dive resort is located to the south side of the island with 10 rooms spread out on the slopes. Getting to the rooms require good knees. Rooms are wooden, simple and basic with fan and attached bathroom and mosquito netting. Resort has a beach frontage. Meals are home cooking local/western affair. Dive centre is along the beach. Dive service is high, with one dive guide to a group of 2-4 divers. All gear set-up and handling is done by the staff. It has a house reef and is assessible for shore/night diving.
www.divefroggies.com
manado@divefroggies.com
Phone: 62-8124301356/1464

Two Fish Divers is run by a husband and wife of Nigel and Tina. They are PADI instructors. This dive resort is located to the east side of the island with 5 beach bungalows. They have access to another 5 similar standard bungalows on the property next to theirs. Rooms are wooden, simple and basic with fan and attached bathroom and mosquito netting. Resort has a beach frontage. Meals are home cooking local affair. Dive centre is along the beach. Dive service is high, with one dive guide to a group of 2-3 divers. All gear set-up and handling is done by the staff. Shore diving is not possible due to unpredictable swift currents at the drop off in front of their property.
www.TwoFishDivers.com
info@twofishdivers.com
Cellular: 62-0-811432805 & 62-0-8124417014

Living Colours Dive Resort is run by a husband and wife of Mia and Jaakko Aalto. They are PADI instructors. This dive resort is located to the east side of the island with with 8 rooms spread out on the slopes. Getting to the rooms require good knees. The beach is populated with shady mangroves. Meals are home cooking local/western affair. Dive centre is along the water edge. Dive service is high, with one dive guide to a group of 4-6 divers. All gear set-up and handling is done by the staff. Shore diving is not possible due to unpredictable swift currents at the drop off in front of their property.
www.LivingColoursDiving.com
info@livingcoloursdiving.com
Phone: 62-812-4306063

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