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Dive Review of Bastianos in
Indonesia/Bunaken

Bastianos: "A revisit", May, 2019,

by John E. Keith, UT, US (Top Contributor Top Contributor 31 reports with 9 Helpful votes). Report 10930.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 4 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 4 stars
Comments To finish our Indonesia trip (see my reviews of Papua Explorers and Papua Paradise), we went to Bastianos on Bunaken, where we had a great experience in 2017 (see my review). We flew from Sorong to Manado on Lion Air - a TRULY low cost airline (all checked baggage is charged; meals or snacks inlcuding drinks were sold) but they were on time. We dived 4 days. Once again, the staff was very good, although the manager was not there (her partner was managing the resort - he was very personable but seemed a little overwhelmed). They certainly went out of their way to be sure that my wife's lost phone/driver's license/credit card got delivered from their office in Manado ASAP, and were quite helpful generally. The dive shop is well organized, with a maximum of 3 divers per guide. Unlike the resorts at Raja Ampat, Bastianos charges 5 euros per tank of nitrox. The boats do have a camera bucket on board. The corals are still quite nice, with some really spectacular wall diving. However, Bunaken is being "loved to death." Every dive site had several boats parked over it (although Bastianos made an effort to visit sites before or after the other dive shops), including many from Manado (which we didn't see last time in nearly the numbers). We did see several frog fish (which we didn't in Raja Ampat), lots and lots of turtles (again, not at Raja Ampat), and an abundance of small critters. We did dive one site that had a very strong current, but didn't see any large fish or schools there. The resort is in a continual state of upgrading - adding various improvements to the public areas and in the rooms. Bastianos does have air conditioned rooms, which was a plus. The food was served for a couple of days (when there were only 6 people staying there), and then buffet (when more folks showed up). It was certainly adequate although not super. You could get a made to order omelette for breakfast. While it seems that Bunaken has declined a bit in diving quality, it remains a lovely site and Bastianos serves its customers well.
Websites Bastianos   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Egypt, Florida, California, Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii, Australia, Maldives, Indonesia
Closest Airport Manado Getting There Sorong to Manado via Lion Air

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy Seas surge, no currents
Water Temp 82-84°F / 28-29°C Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility 25-75 Ft/ 8-23 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions Come up together; time was limited to less than an hour
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 3 stars

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

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 4 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities 4 stars
UW Photo Comments We used the camera room because our room was air conditioned and I prefer not to temperature stress them. It was certainly adequate. Camera buckets on board the dive boats and a rinse tank on land were provided.
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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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