Sulawesi is big and waiting for divers to explore its many untouched coral reefs and volcanic underwater landscape.

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Sulawesi is one of the bigger islands of Indonesia almost completely surrounded by reefs and dive sites. Its name is coming from the first Portugese settlers naming it Celebes which means the celebrated ones. Now it refers to the two words sula and besi which mean island and iron and refer to its rich minerals. It is a country of striking differences and extremely beautiful surroundings. There are many steep in mist covered volcanoes, scenic coastlines, brilliant blue lakes, rice-growing plains and green dense rainforests. With this many different environments, it offers flora and fauna unique to the world and changing in every location.

The south of Sulawesi offers excellent excavations, the historic town of Ujung Pandang, diving around Makassar and many cultural highland market towns. For white pristine beaches you should visit the island chain of Tukangbesi (Wakatobi), Takabonerate or Selayar, all perfect for diving. In the center of Sulawesi you can find the Banggai and Togian Islands. North Sulawesi is most developed with famous world renowned diving destinations as Lembeh Strait, Bunaken National Park and the Bangka Islands, all a short trip from Manado. Manado is the touristic capital with hiking tours to the Minahasa Highlands, smoking volcanoes and national parks. The volcanic chain continues northward passing the islands Biaro, Siau, Sangihe and Talaud on its way to the Philippines.

The famous Coral Triangle is the greatest marine biodiversity in the world. It is created because of geologic formations deep on the ocean floor. The Indonesian Throughflow is the largest flowing water mass in the world flowing past several of the larger Indonesian island. These tremendous steady currents create very plankton rich waters. Most of North Sulawesi has a bottom that drops quite dramatically and makes these waters pushed towards the surface, offering nutrient waters in areas such as Lembeh and Bunaken. This is the reason why Sulawesi is considered to be the prime muck diving destination in the world.

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