Sangihe · Indonesia · Coral garden · Reef
Le Tour de Bukide
Coral garden and seagrass meadow at 10–15 m in clear water
Area photo: Neverjudge · CC BY-SA 4.0
Le Tour de Bukide is a shallow coral garden off Bukide, one of the Nusa Tabukan islands off the northeast coast of Sangihe, dived between ten and fifteen metres. Clear water and a seagrass meadow make it one of the few sites in the chain that works for snorkellers as well as divers, but the current is described as very strong and the swell across it can be large.
Also known as Mata/Ruang Nadine.
Where it is and how deep
3.7816° N, 125.5940° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The dive sits between ten and fifteen metres, so the profile is flat and the bottom time is long. The coral garden is the main event, and the water over it is described as clear; the seagrass meadow alongside is shallow enough to be worked on snorkel as well as on a tank, which is unusual in a chain of steep, deep-water sites.
The catch is exposure. Divers are warned that the current across this water is very strong and that the swell can be sizeable, which turns a shallow coral swim into a dive that depends entirely on picking the right state of the tide. Work it as a boat dive on a quiet window, stay with the reef rather than letting the flow carry you off it into open water, and have an SMB up before you surface so the boat can find you in a running sea.
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 current here is described as very strong and the swell as sizeable, which makes the boat pickup, not the dive, the hard part — deploy an SMB before you surface.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Le Tour de Bukide?+
The site is documented between ten and fifteen metres, so the profile is flat and the bottom time long. Depth is not what makes it demanding — the current is described as very strong and the swell as sizeable, and that is what decides whether the dive happens at all.
Sources
- 14 Wisata Bawah Laut di Kepulauan Sangihe Ini Bikin Pangling Wisatawan — Kompas Travel
- OpenStreetMap: Pulau Bukide, Nusa Tabukan — OpenStreetMap
- Nusa Tabukan, Kepulauan Sangihe — Wikipedia
More dive sites in Sangihe
Summit of an active volcano, 5 metres below the surface
Seamount
Vertical seamount wall dived at 25–30 m in swirling current
Coral garden
Shallow invertebrate reef in a bay boats overnight in
Coral garden
Coral, Montipora and sponge garden from 2 m down to 20 m
Reef
Coral at 10–15 m with 20–25 m visibility between two islets
Coral garden
Montipora stands at 20 m off an uninhabited coral islet
Seamount wall from 24 to 40 m with a wreck and twin anchors
Wall
Swim through submerged doorways and tunnels at about 25 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Temple, cabbage and mushroom coral in 15 m of water
Fusiliers and damsels wearing colours you would not expect
Healthy coral garden from 3 m down to 18 m off the village
The sheltered coral garden at the end of the Cauldron ride