BUYAT BAY, N. SULAWESI, INDONESIA
One of Mother Nature’s still well-hidden secrets, a few years ago the critters@lembeh staff brought some select underwater photographers to this gem of an area to evaluate its potential for the diving market and everyone was blown away by the pristine stands of massive old-growth corals! Getting here isn’t easy, but when is getting to Paradise ever easy? It’s a four-hour drive up and down and around the volcanic region of N. Sulawesi and the Minahasans’ beautiful homeland. After a long international flight, it might be a consideration to stop overnight in either Manado or up in the highlands at Gardenia Lodge, but we opted to just “push on” and go straight to Buyat. Our driver dropped us off at the Port of Belang where the critters boat picked us up and took us the last ½ hour over water instead of the longer route by vehicle.
CRITTERS@BUYAT is based out of an old mining camp and it’s being billed as “dive camp with awesome diving” so folks are prepared for basic accommodations. Everyone has their own air-conditioned cottage with private bath and shower and veranda overlooking the gorgeously landscaped grounds. The gold mining operation ceased to operate over 10 years ago and numerous tests have been done over the years for ground and water quality in the region. For some reason the commercial fishermen left this area totally intact so the corals weren’t affected by over fishing and/or fish bombing as was prevalent throughout this region for many years, thus leaving pristine diving conditions for us to enjoy! Maybe the locals’ naming of some of the islands like “Poison”, “Bone” & “Antidote” had something to do with that! Meals are prepared family style in the large dining area equipped with a commercial kitchen. A compressor is on site so that tanks can be easily filled rather than bringing everything down by boat from Lembeh as was initially done.
Diving is, to say the least, untouched by diver impact. They have, however, for the past few months had extremely high water temperatures due to this year’s El Nino in the Pacific and some of the corals are definitely showing signs of stress from the prolonged hot waters and are bleaching. Some areas show much greater effect than others. The sponges and sea fans are gigantic and surrounded by massive schools of sweepers and cardinal fish. The sandy slopes are a treasure to discover…shrimp gobies, mantis shrimp, snake eels, flatheads, crocodile fish & pipefish to name just a few are commonly seen in different settings and as photographers, we’ve enjoyed our diving down here. It’s disheartening to see the effects of Global Warming and in no place is it more evident when you see thousands of years of coral growth slowly losing its color (and life) because of the high water temperatures. Our guides are encouraged that this phase is coming to a close because the water temperate has dropped 2 degrees in the past few weeks. One of the more encouraging signs is that corals are apparently learning to adapt to higher temperatures and if the water doesn’t stay too warm for too long, damage can be reversible. As divers, it’s incumbent upon us to continue to educate the world as to the fragility of our oceans and our basic food chain.
Thanks, Buyat Bay, for 3 days of splendid diving! Our guides Andi & Fandy have had “awesome critter” eyes and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed their company and their guidance…..NOW, off to Lembeh!