Sangihe · Indonesia · Seamount
Banua Wuhu
Summit of an active volcano, 5 metres below the surface
Photo: Neverjudge · CC BY-SA 4.0
An active submarine volcano off the island of Mahangetang, in the Sangihe chain north of Sulawesi. The cone rises more than 400 metres from the sea floor and stops 5 metres short of the surface, and bubbles rise from it to the water above. No operator page or trip report describes the dive itself, so what is recorded here is the volcano rather than the route.
Where it is and how deep
3.1378° N, 125.4906° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The site is the summit of a cone that rises more than 400 metres from the sea floor and comes to within 5 metres of the surface, so the feature divers work sits in the first few metres of water. Bubbles rise from the volcano and reach the surface above it. Nothing further about the ground here, or how a dive on it runs, has been published.
No site-specific account exists. No operator page or trip report records where tenders drop divers, which vents are worked, how deep the flanks are dived, or how much current runs over the summit, so the depth, current and access shown on this page come from the Sangihe area record rather than from this site. The volcano is listed as active, and its last recorded eruption ran from July to December 1919.
Background
Banua Wuhu is a listed active volcano in the Sangihe Islands, rising more than 400 metres from the sea floor to a summit 5 metres below sea level. Historical records credit it with at least three ephemeral islands thrown up during eruptions, in 1835, 1889 and 1918-1919, each of them washed away again. The last recorded eruption ran from July to December 1919.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Sangihe: Mar–Sep is the settled window for the crossing north from Manado; the north-west monsoon closes the chain from December to February.
Know before you go
- The summit is an active volcano that vents gas within 5 metres of the surface; treat the bubble streams as something to look at rather than to hold position in.
- The chain is remote and a long way from a recompression chamber, so profiles are planned conservatively and there is no quick evacuation from the outer islands.
Photos from Banua Wuhu
Miriam Grandauer · CC BY-SA 4.0
Miriam Grandauer · CC BY-SA 4.0
Miriam Grandauer · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dive videos
DIVING AT BANUA WUHU UNDERWATER VOLCANO, SANGIHE ISLANDS, INDONESIA · HATTARUA GUESTHOUSE on YouTube
Banua Wuhu: Marine Volcano · Garry Bevan on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Banua Wuhu?+
The summit sits 5 metres below sea level, on a cone that rises more than 400 metres from the sea floor. No dive-profile depth has been published for the site, so how far divers work down the flanks is not documented.
Is Banua Wuhu still an active volcano?+
Yes. It is listed as active, and is credited with producing at least three short-lived islands during eruptions in 1835, 1889 and 1918-1919. Its last recorded eruption ran from July to December 1919.
Sources
- Banua Wuhu — Wikipedia
- List of volcanoes in Indonesia — Wikipedia
- OpenStreetMap: Banua Wuhu — OpenStreetMap
Photo credits
- Aerial view of pale shallow patches marking the summit of the Banua Wuhu volcanic cone surrounded by deep blue sea. by Neverjudge, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Close-up underwater view of layered salad coral formations on the summit of Banua Wuhu. by Miriam Grandauer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Large table coral colony underwater at Banua Wuhu with sunlight filtering down from the surface above. by Miriam Grandauer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Underwater rock covered in green algae with streams of gas bubbles rising past it from the seafloor at Banua Wuhu. by Miriam Grandauer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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