Paisubatu IILuwuk

This simple little dive boat is operated by the French biologist Jerome Doucet. Jerome has been leading expeditions on the Paisubatu II to the Togean-Banggai archipelago. He has been doing this successfully for years and knows Indonesia well. Today Paisubatu II cruises primarily from / to Manado. It offers mainly 9 -11 night tours in North Sulawesi. In November/December dive trips are available to Irian Jaya and every so often to Banggai archipelago.
The transfer from the airport to the boat in Manado takes about 30 minutes by car.

The 25.5 metre long (84 foot) ship has five double cabins and accommodates up to 10 guests. There are 2 cabins with 2 single beds, 2 cabins with double bed and 1 cabin with a double and a single bed. All cabins have a private bathroom with shower and toilet. In the cabins with twin beds, the bathroom is accessible from the corridor.

On the upper deck, there is a comfortable sun deck with plenty of space for relaxing and dining. If the weather is bad, the dining area will be partially covered with tarps but not all seating areas will be dry. The vessel's electronic equipment and safety standards are in accordance with Indonesian standards.

Diving is a more pleasant experience when you know that it meets safety and technical standards. In accordance with the Maldivian model, Paisabatu II is accompanied by a separate dive boat. Dive equipment and a compressor are stored on the extra dive boat. When the tanks are filled there is sufficient distance between the vessels. This provides reduced noise levels and additional comfort for the diver.

Diving is always done from the dive boat. On dive days, up to four dives will be offered. Dives are usually accompanied by a dive guide after a detailed briefing. However, you can also go diving independently with a buddy if desired.

In North Sulawesi, there are 4 world-class dive sites which are all unique.

Bunaken National Park: This protected area consists of 7 standing dive islands and is located in Manando Bay. The diving area is famous for its beautiful overgrown reef walls and rich diversity of marine life. The walls reach 1 to 2 meters (3-6 ft) below the surface and then drop off to greater depths. The shallow waters are particularly beautiful for finishing your dive safely. Guests on board will often find themselves accompanied by dolphins or pilot whales while the vessel sails. There is also a beautiful wreck in Manado Bay. Bunaken is also the most beautiful and popular spot for snorkelers.

Lembeh Strait: Only an hour's drive from Manado lies the port city of Bitung, with Lembeh Island just off the coast. In these heavily travelled waters you will discover what is probably the best dive spot in the world for "Muckdiving.? Lembeh is a paradise for divers looking for very small and rare fish. For example Ambon scorpion fish, ghost pipefish, seahorses, crabs angler fish in all colors are just a few of the local inhabitants of this area. These dive sites, including the two wrecks, are a delight for underwater photographers and lovers of small rare marine creatures. Bear in mind, Muckdiving areas like Lembeh are not known fpr beautiful coral reefs with good visibility. Lembeh Strait has rather cool currents, about 22 ° C (72°F) so 5mm wetsuits are recommended.

Bangka: Bangka Island is located just off the coast in the extreme northern tip of Sulawesi. Even this location is only about 1 hour away from Manado. Again, there is a great diversity of marine life. The reefs are not steep, rather sloping and beautifully covered with soft corals. Divers will find countless nudibranchs of all colors and a nice range of macro life here. Whether it is frog fish, blue ribbon eels, or mantis shrimps, everything is in abundance in Bangka. In some dive spots, there are also big fish such as napoleon, reef sharks, barracudas, or giant trevally to be seen.

North of Sulawesi are the Sangihe Islands, where the dive sites can only be reached by liveaboard boats. Visibility is excellent and the hard corals are in pristine condition. There are fish of all colours but not in the vast quantities as seen in Bunaken. The impact of local fishing on the fish population is clearly evident in this area. However, this doesn't mean that the types of marine life you will encounter is limited. With some luck schools of hammerhead sharks, humpback whales, orcas, and dugongs can be sighted.

A very special dive spot is an active underwater volcano which is visible at shallow depths. The volcano has no lava, but it bubbles in many places and if you put your hand into them or even in the sand you will notice how hot it is. The volcanoes on the Siau Islands can be seen on the dive cruise and at night, you can see lava emitting from the volcano. There are also volcanic rock and hot springs to admire along the way.

Bangai & Togeans: These groups of islands are visited occasionally on dive cruises. The dive sites in this region offer everything there is to see in Indonesia ? lush and beautiful reefs and a rich diversity of marine life.

The Paisubatu II offers great value dive trips in this wonderful diving area of Manado. The Paisubatu II is a basic vessel, but has lots of charm and the ower is dedicated to offering personal, friendly service. We recommend this ship if you want to dive in the company of a small group of divers and visit fantastic dive sites.