MV Pindito - Dive Trip Itinerary - 11 Days - 10 Nights

Day 1
Embarkment on the MV Pindito takes place in the Lembeh Strait in front of Lembeh Resort. Possibility of a night dive in the bay.

Day 2 and 3
First dive day in the Lembeh Strait with several dive sites to choose from. Most of them are mud dives on which you can see a huge variety of different critters such as frogfish, flounders, devilfish, seahorses and shrimps. Cruise over night around the north side of Sulawesi. In the morning the Pindito arrive in front of Minahasa Lagoon Resort (or Gangga Island).

Day 4
Day four will either be spent diving on the sites located in the bay of Minahasa or dive the sites of the Bunaken Nationalpark. The whole night of day four will be spent cruising from Minahasa to the next island.

Day 5
Around the island furthest north of five small islands you can dive the whole day. One dive site is on the north west side and features beautiful hard coral reef in the shallow part. East side is also really nice with a very healthy reef top and a huge variety of hard corals, sponges, soft corals and sea fans with an absolutely intact reef. Turtles, black tips, ghost pipefish, solar power nudibranch and also a great range of reef fish. Over all a very good spot. Visibility 15+, slight current. The night dive will take place on the south side of the island just in front of the beach. Very good night diving with inimicus, stick pipefish, lots of crabs and shrimps. The whole night will be spent cruising to the next site.

Day 6
Atoll, 2 miles from north to south. Shallow reef top which is in good condition. Steep slopes which lead down to 40m+. Good coral growth and chances to see sharks, nudibranches and pigmy seahorses. One dive site at the level of a lighthouse. Slope with good hard and soft coral growth. 6 miles to the west is one more Atoll. Steep slope which is nice in the deeper area around 30+. Eagle ray, white tip, napoleon and deeper good amount of reef fish. On the north side is a steep slope with nice soft and hard corals; the shallow plateau is very pretty, completely covered with soft corals. Chance to see turtles, nudibranches and frogfishes.

Day 7
There is a huge atoll, Approximately 3 miles long. Here you dive on the west side. All along the west side slopes are starting in 5meter and go down gently to 45+. Coral growth is in a good stage. Good amount of reef fish, turtles, eagle rays, marble-rays, barracudas and napoleons. 15 miles further south the Pindito stop on another island. On the north side in a bay we anchor. It has two dive sites inside the bay. Overall healthy reefs with sea fans, soft and hard corals.

Day 8
First dive close to the lighthouse on the south east side. Slopes starting shallow leading down to 40+ meter. Nice hard and soft corals, sea fans and feather stars. Shallow area with many little bummy. Second dive on the south west tip on the island. There is a small rock sticking out of the water. In front of it is a plateau from 15m to 25m. Beautiful corals and bummy. The night dive going down to 15m. Below that short growth but healthy. Several reef fingers with fusilier, different reef fish, black tips, tuna fish and napoleons.

Day 9
First dive on the west side of the atoll. Shallow reef top with hard corals. Some parts have slopes which turned into a wall, when going deeper. At 45 meters was a sandy plateau which turns into a drop off in around 50 meter. Second dive on the north side at level of the light tower. Slopes down to 40+ with short coral growth. Further east terrace like reef. Black and white tips, school of barracuda (300+) and surgeon fishes. The next stop is inside a bay with a hard coral reef and sand. Outside the bay is a small island with reefs around, there the Pindito anchored.

Day 10
First dive is close to the island. Further out the plateau turned in 18meter in a steep slope. On the east side is a wall which is in good condition. Second and third dive on the most south point of the atoll. Shallow reef top between 13 and 20meter. Further down and all around the south side were steep slopes with huge amount of fish. Fish wise the best dive on this trip. You can see schools of surgeon, fusilier, black snapper, sweet lips, barracudas, fusilier and butterfly fishes. Also you can see white tips, grey and silky reef sharks, giant trevally, napoleons and huge amount of coral fish. Coral life in the shallow just good on the east side.

Day 11
First dive: In front of the Prince Jones Resort. There is a wall on the top side. Whole dive is along a slope which goes down to 25meter. Second dive: Long reef along the beach. Slope down to 15 meters and afterwards we found several reef fingers, sandy patches and several bummies. Nice coral growth but mainly hard coral. Good amount of fish. School of surgeon, small white tips, leaf fish, nudis, turtle. Overall good dive.

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