Bunaken Island
Bunaken is an island of 8 km², part of
the Bunaken National Marine Park. Bunaken is located at the northern tip of
the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. It belongs administratively to the municipality of Manado. Scuba Diving attracts many visitors to the island.
Bunaken National Park extends over an area
of 890.65 km² of which only 3% is terrestrial, including Bunaken Island,
as well as the islands of Manado Tua, Mantehage, Nain and
Siladen.
The waters of Bunaken National Marine Park
are up to 1,566 m deep in Manado Bay, with temperatures ranging
between 27 to 29 °C. It has a high diversity of - corals, fish, echinoderms or sponges. Notably, 7 of the 8 species of giant clams that
occur in the world, occur in Bunaken. It also claims to have seven times more
genera of coral than Hawai, and has more than 70% of all the known fish species of the
Indo-Western Pacific.
Oceanic currents may explain, in part, why
Bunaken National Marine Park has such a high level of biodiversity.
Northeasternly currents generally sweep through the park but abundant counter
currents and gyros related to lunar cycles ls are
believed to be a trap for free swimming larvae. This is particularly true on
the south side of the crescent-shaped Bunaken Island, lying in the heart of the park. A snorkeler or diver in the vicinity of Lekuan or Fukui may
spot over 33 species of butterfly fish and numerous types of groupers, damsels,wrasses and gobies. The gobies, smallish fish with bulging eyes and modified fins that allow
them to attach to hard surfaces, are the most diverse but least known group of
fish in the park.