Bunaken's Eastern Dive Trio: Exploring Muka II, Pangalisang, and Muka Kampung

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The dive sites of Muka and Muka II, situated on the eastern side of Bunaken Island, are the 'in front' house reefs/walls of Two Fish Bunaken, with "Muka" translating to "in front of." This area provides excellent opportunities for superb wall diving and snorkelling, showcasing a vertical wall adorned with numerous cracks, small caves, and diverse marine life. The coral-covered wall features soft and hard corals, gorgonians, and giant sponges, creating a visually stunning underwater landscape. The abundance of fish species is so vast that listing them all becomes impractical. Notable examples include barracudas, triggerfishes, parrotfishes, surgeonfishes, unicornfishes, wrasses, drummers, butterflyfishes, trumpetfish, trevallys, groupers, snappers, sweetlips, angelfishes, needlefishes, and batfishes. Divers may also encounter yellow pygmy seahorses, turtles, whitetip and blacktip reef sharks, bumphead parrotfish, Napoleon wrasse, eagle rays, and blue-spotted stingrays. The shallows are vibrant colours and teem with life, making them an excellent location for night dives.

Pangalisang is a long stretch of soft white sand that extends along the east coast of Pulau Bunaken at Pantai Pangalisang. Diving-wise, The extensive wall is divided into four distinct dive sites—Bunaken Timur I, Pangalisang, Bunaken Timur II, and Cha-Cha. The currents here are typically mild, offering excellent visibility. The reef's pinnacle features pristine coral gardens teeming with life, sloping gradually to around ten meters before plunging into a near-vertical wall. Thousands of reef fish frolic around the corals, while large unicorn fish and needlefish linger in the shallows. Schooling long-jawed mackerel and fusiliers are common, accompanied by numerous turtles. The wall is a habitat for unique critters like pygmy seahorses, ghost pipefish, and squat lobsters. With gentle currents, crystal-clear waters, and abundant coral coverage, Pangalisang is a must-visit site for snorkelling and diving, particularly in the morning when the sun's rays illuminate the true beauty of the corals.

Muka Kampung, known in the local language as 'in front of the village,' this dive site is strategically positioned just off the main village on Bunaken Island. It has earned the affectionate moniker 'turtle city' due to its thriving Green and Hawksbill sea turtle population. Boasting a permanent mooring line for boats near a sandy sloping bay, the descent often reveals intriguing marine life, such as shrimp, lionfish, or leaf scorpionfish hidden in the sandy areas. The remainder of the dive site unfolds as a steep sloping wall with intermittent sandy patches featuring a mild to medium current, occasionally accompanied by gentle up and down currents. The wall showcases diverse reef fish, corals, sponges, and smaller creatures like nudibranchs, flatworms, crabs, and shrimp. Adjacent to the wall, impressive schools of Pyramid Butterflyfish and Red Tooth Triggerfish abound, and fortunate divers may spot larger marine species such as Spanish Mackerel, Tuna, Eagle Rays, or small reef sharks gracefully navigating the waters.

On our diving escapade to Bunaken, we were delighted to stay and dive with Two Fish Divers Bunaken. Immerse yourself in a virtual tour of their dive center and accommodations right here:    • Explore Two Fish Divers Bunaken #scubadivi...