questions about north sulawesi islands

[funscuba]

As I am starting my trip from Bali in the beginning of april to continue to komodo and sulawesi till end of may or june, I'd like to know if any of you have been to Bangka, Biaro, Ruang, Tagulangdang, Siau, Mahengetang, Sangihe and Talaud ? I just found this homepage Diving in the Siau and Sangihe islands in Northern Sulawesi (Zubi)

How do you reach these islands, from Manado, Lembeh or Bunaken ?

And can you reach all these islands by normal boat (not meaning "liveboard") or by small plane ?

Can you live on these islands on budget or is it very expensive ?

Thanks for any infos !

 

[highdesert]

There is ferry service from Manado to Tagulandang, Siau, Sangihe, and Talaud. I would imagine living costs would be very cheap on any of them, but I would opt for Tahuna on Pulau Sangihe or Beo on Pulau Talaud, or Tagulandang (big outdoor market there). Those places are big enough to support a variety of businesses, and housing would probably be easy to find. Maybe also Ulu on Pulau Siau.

If you want to go really local, there's Pehe on Siau or a little fishing village on the north side of Mahengetang ... five minute boat ride to dive the underwater volcano! Oops, don't know where you'd get air, though. Actually, if you want to dive at all, I have no clue where you'd get air anywhere north of Bangka, unless you were on a liveaboard.

Merpati flies to Sangihe and Talaud once a week, if you dare.

If you pursue this, I'd love to hear the results!

PS - Do a Google search for "ferry Sangihe Talaud" and you'll get some really informative sites about the area.

 

[funscuba]

There is ferry service from Manado to Tagulandang, Siau, Sangihe, and Talaud. I would imagine living costs would be very cheap on any of them, but I would opt for Tahuna on Pulau Sangihe or Beo on Pulau Talaud, or Tagulandang (big outdoor market there). Those places are big enough to support a variety of businesses, and housing would probably be easy to find. Maybe also Ulu on Pulau Siau.

If you want to go really local, there's Pehe on Siau or a little fishing village on the north side of Mahengetang ... five minute boat ride to dive the underwater volcano! Oops, don't know where you'd get air, though. Actually, if you want to dive at all, I have no clue where you'd get air anywhere north of Bangka, unless you were on a liveaboard.

Merpati flies to Sangihe and Talaud once a week, if you dare.

If you pursue this, I'd love to hear the results!

PS - Do a Google search for "ferry Sangihe Talaud" and you'll get some really informative sites about the area.

Thanks for these usefule infos, so u mean that there are no dive centers on these islands and that only liveboards are the only option to dive ?

 

[highdesert]

Thanks for these usefule infos, so u mean that there are no dive centers on these islands and that only liveboards are the only option to dive ?

I don't know enough about the area to give you an absolutely definitive answer, but it seems to be the case. One web site based in Manado says, "...diving there is possible only going by a liveaboard." ... which is what we did. And a quick web search doesn't turn up anything, but that doesn't mean that none exist ... I just can't find them if they do.

PS - If there weren't so many other places we want to dive, with not enough time or $$$ to do them, we'd do this trip again, and try to explore more of the area.

 

[funscuba]

Mmmmhhh..... would be a shame to go and discover these islands by boat and not being able to do any diving there. Complicated situation I must say.

 

[MimpiIndah]

Hi,
There are NO dive centers or resorts on the Islands North of Bangka, so if you want to dive in that area then you have to take a liveaboard...
You can also decide to stay on Bangka and enjoy the splendid diving around this Island. It offers a large variety in the diving and has more then 40 dive sites.

If you want to know more, just send us an email. We are one of the very few resorts on Bangka.
Enjoy your holiday!
Mimpi Indah resort

 

[World Wide Diver]

High Desert is absolutely right, there are ferries that run either overnight from Manado to Tahuna on Sangihe Island or during the day. The difference is price and length of travelling time.

The day ferry is faster taking 5-6 hours with an air con first class section and you have the opportunity to see the stunning scenery as you travel. Whereas the overnight ferry takes approx 10-12 hours, with natural air con.

The overnight ferry has several sleeping options and prices, in July 2010 it cost 75000.00 for basic space on the ferry, 150,000.00 for a bunk on one of the two decks, the third option is small cramped hot cabin, not sure of the price.

As for diving, it is possible to dive on Sangihe. I have a friend in Tahuna, Sangihe Island who can arrange diving. He is a very experienced Dive master, speaks excellent English and has previously worked for very good dive shops in Manado. Please PM me for his details if you are interested in contacting him. His family also own and run a homestay from their family house in Tahuna at very reasonable prices. He will also be able to help you with ferry schedules and timetables.

 

[Pedroinspain]

Great and timely thread - many thanks. Having pretty much given up on the Caribbean for quality and varied diving, I plan to follow-up my 2015 trip to NE Sulawesi with another in 2017. I have also read about the dive master/air on Sangihe, but then the reports on him dried up, so I would be very keen to hear WWD's details. At present I am guessing that I am going to be a chicken, and opt for a liveaboard. And this is not only because, as HighDesert implied, flying with Merpati is not my choice of serious gambling.