Bali or Bunaken?

Trying to decide which one to do this year. Looking for overall healthy reefs and good vis. Traveling in sept. or oct. Which one did you enjoy more and why?

Hi,
If diving is the only consideration, I would say Bunaken. But I haven't been to Bali, only Bunaken, where I'll go back this year. Wall dives are amazing, very rich with corals and fish, and small stuff like nudibranch, crabs, shrimps...

My wife and I dove Bali (Lembongan, Nusa Penida) and Bunaken Oct 2008. We both agreed that we preferred Bunaken over Bali but glad that we did both. We did not dive Lembeigh Straits (muck diving) and wished that we did dive it atleast once while we were there.
Bunaken has warmer waters and in general less current (at least when we were there).

However anyplace that you decide on will be great!

Never did Bali but did Bunaken and Lembah last year. It is by far the best diving I've done. The reefs are the healthiest and the abondant fish life is amazing. The vis is at 100'+. Bottom times of over 60 minutes. The tops of the reefs in Bunaken are mostly at 15' to 25' so your saftey stops are looking at critters not the blue. If you are going to Bunaken you have to do Lembah Straight. I never thought "Muck diving" would be so intresting but I would do it again in a heartbeat. Have fun!!!

If you go to Bunaken, you can also go to nearby Lembeh on the same trip. Do as many night dives as you can in Lembeh. They are great fun and shallow. One night we saw a crab spawning.

Bunaken for diving for sure, and yes, definitly go to Lembeh Straits. The much diving there is out of this world and so bizarre. The Blue Planet series did some footage there and the electric clam is from Lembeh. Bastiano's is great...2 Fish Divers place in LS is dirty and a haphazard mess.
Nothing much else to do in either places other than dive.
Bali on the other hand has an amazing range of choices of activities - cultural, food, temples, diving, hiking in the mountains. Diving isn't as good as Sulawesi, but not too shabby either. The Tulamben wreck in Amed is so easy to do (you can even snorkel to it) and it attracts great schools of fishes. Both great choices, you just have to figure out what you want out of your trip.

Hummm, I love Bali and have been 4X's. Definitely the culture & landscape beauty massage, romantic dinners, and shopping beats Manado hands down. Tulemben has nice reef diving and there is a nice drop off for coral. Also Manta Point is a must do! & Mangellan is nice.

I went to Bunakan/Lembeh last year. As far as diving goes. Bunakan is better than the places I've been in Bali in some ways. It's an island and diving is the main attraction. Lots of scuba, beach bar and if you get adventurous jungle walks. The diving is largely wall diving, turtles, sometimes sharks, lots of crabs and lots of colorful coral. It's a great place for beginners & there are some advanced dives there too. The night dives are amazing! Yes I absolutely agree Lembeh is mandatory. But keep in mind alot of the diving at Lembeh is not that beautiful. It's really for fish geeks :blinking:. Muddy bottom with 30-40 ft vis. The cool thing is the critters. Amazing muck diving & the most amazing sea life you've ever seen. It is not a place for beginners though as you must have good control of your buoyancy & lots of the critters are poisonous.

If you have a month of vacation, consider both! Airasia.com flies from Denpasar, through Kuala Lumpur and over to Manado (and if booked early is usually reasonable)!

Let me answer the question by saying I live in Indonesia and it is cheaper for me to get to Bali.

I have dived Bunaken 3 times this year, a total of 20 days, and dived Bali once for 5 days.

Tulamben is definitely worth a visit in Bali, but all in all I much prefer Bunaken. Part of that is the diving for the reasons noted above, and part of that is that I really enjoy diving with the crew at Lumbalumba.

If possible, do both as suggested above, otherwise definitely Bunaken.

any place you decide on is nice. You can do like my friends from Darwin Dive Center done. They come to Bali first, spend time 2 days for diving and after that flying come to north sulawesi for diving there. Finally you will not confuse which one the good one cause you get both.

I've never been diving in Manado yet. Looking for Mola-mola in Bali is another unforgettable experience. It will start from July until October. You can only see it in Bali's underwater. There are some dive point to find it so you will have many choices for diving. Maybe after Bali you can go to Manado for other dives.