After acclimatizing and
a few check dives searching some Dornier aircraft sunk in Lake Tondano
during World War II, we at last set sail. The first location took
us to Manado-Tua and Nain Island in Manado Bay. Both islands are part
of the Bunaken National Marine Reserve, which covers an area of 47,000
hectares of beautiful islands and coral reefs. Here the underwater
landscape consists of steep drop offs, caves, crevices and slopes,
all inhabited by abundant species of reef fish, critters and nudibranch
and all embedded in a wonderful profusion of hard and soft corals.
Being surrounded by such splendour it is quite easy to understand
that divers from all over the world have been inspired to return to
this celestial dive haven.
Bianca Navigator Fritz
on Surveillance
Manado-Tua, which in Indonesian
means old Manado, was the first island to be inhabited by Chinese
migrants around 1400. The migrants who came from the south Philippines,
initially headed west to the island of Borneo, but due to the strong
monsoon winds coming from the west and unpredictable current patterns
during the monsoon season, they drifted off course sailing south-east
in the Sulawesi Sea (formerly Celebes Sea). Having reached the islands
in Manado Bay, they chose to settle down on Manado-Tua Island, from
where they continued to migrate to the nearby mainland in the Minahasa
Highlands. This was inevitably an ideal option, as all resources for
survival could be found in the vicinity. The fertile volcanic soil,
fresh mountain spring water and a climate enabling anything to grow
in any season confirmed theirs was a wise and rewarding decision.
As rice cultivation progressed on the North Sulawesi peninsula, another
ethnic group migrated south of the Philippines to the Sangihe-Talaud
Islands, an island group spread out like gems between the island of
Mindanao in the north and Sulawesi to the south. It was the Tagaroan
seafarers who inhabited this region and who have been considered blessed
with outstanding boat building and sea navigation skills. The Tagaroans
have always been devoted to the sea. Until today, seafaring Tagaroans
have settled down along all the coastal areas around Sulawesi and
the North Maluku, committed to their professions as fishermen, boat
builders and navigators. Apart from their outstanding skills, they
also possess a charming character, full of joy and warm smiles, making
them a preferred choice whilst selecting the Bianca boat crew.
One of the
most captivating experiences for the Trailblazers on our trip to Nain
Island was observing local Tagaroan fishermen fishing from their outrigger
canoes off the southern reef outcropping. Besides using the traditional
hook and line, they occasionally dive with self-made spear guns and
goggles. Using no fins or scuba, only taking a deep breath and a few
strenuous feet finnings to move forwards through the water! It was
quite incredible to see how precisely they caught their catch with
spear guns without causing any damage to the reef. After spearing
the fish, it was taken to the surface whereby the fisherman would
bite firmly into the fish head to ensure it wouldn't jump back into
the blue again.
