Deep Adventures in Bunaken: Technical Diving Unleashed
Bunaken sits in the heart of the Coral Triangle, shaped by volcanic activity, deep-water channels, and its distance from major population centres. These natural factors have created one of the most impressive wall systems in Indonesia. Steep walls begin close to shore and drop quickly into deep water, offering direct and consistent access to depth without long swim-outs or complex navigation.
What makes Bunaken ideal for technical diving:
- Immediate vertical walls
- Clean, efficient dive profiles from shallow to deep
- Strong visual reference throughout the dive
- Warm water and stable conditions all year-round
- Excellent visibility for depth awareness and control
- Biodiversity present from shallow water all the way to depth
With more than 70 dive sites, most of which are reachable within 5–20 minutes, divers benefit from short travel times, flexible dive planning, and more time spent in the water instead of on the boat. The combination of island and mainland sites means diving is possible year-round, even when conditions shift.
At Bunaken Oasis, technical diving is fully integrated into a full-service operation. We offer:
- Technical courses to 50 metres (air & trimix)
- Entry-level and Tec CCR training
- Tec DPV programmes
- Tec sidemount courses
- OC and CCR guiding for certified divers
Our technical facilities include:
- Helium and oxygen
- Banked standard gases
- Sorb and CCR cells
- CCR units and tanks
- DPVs
- Dedicated tech & CCR room
All of this is supported by a trained technical crew, clear operational procedures, and chamber access — ensuring both safety and efficiency.
Walls, Trim, Buoyancy, and Positioning
Vertical walls are honest dive environments. Without a reef top or bottom to hide mistakes, trim, buoyancy, and body position become obvious very quickly — especially at depth.
Good wall diving is not about reaching the correct depth once. It’s about staying there while managing tasks such as gas switches, communication, and decompression. Poor body position leads to constant depth changes, while late corrections often turn decompression into unnecessary work. On CCR, unstable trim can also affect loop volume, buoyancy response, and breathing comfort.
The wall itself becomes a powerful training tool:
- A clear and continuous visual reference
- Easier depth control during ascent and descent
- More stable and precise decompression stops
- Early detection of movement or loss of control
Holding decompression stops steadily leads to calmer, smoother, and more controlled dives.
Practical tips for wall diving:
- Keep your head neutral — look forward, not up
- Bring arms slightly forward and relaxed to balance the upper body
- Engage your core to stay long and stable
- Keep fins level and movements slow and deliberate
- Make small buoyancy changes early instead of large corrections later
You can see these skills in action on our Instagram, where we regularly share trim and buoyancy clips from training and fun dives.
Why CCR?
CCR pairs exceptionally well with Bunaken’s walls, allowing divers to take full advantage of the environment. Maintaining a stable PO₂ across vertical profiles, combined with reduced gas logistics, supports long, controlled dives with less physical and mental workload.
Key advantages of CCR in Bunaken include:
- Maintaining a Stable PO₂ throughout the dive
- Warm breathing gas
- Longer dive times with efficient decompression
- Reduced gas planning complexity for repetitive dives
- Minimal bubble disturbance
CCR is especially well-suited for:
- Longer wall dives with extended observation time
- Efficient multi-day deep diving
- Close and natural marine life interaction
- Precise control during ascent and decompression
Fish behaviour on CCR is noticeably different. Reduced noise and bubble release often allow divers to get closer and observe more natural behaviour.
We currently support CCR diving on the Poseidon Se7en, and shortly, the Halcyon Symbios. This allows divers to train and dive on systems suited to different objectives, experience levels, and learning styles. Bunaken’s stable conditions make CCR training effective and controlled, but divers are still expected to maintain strict discipline, awareness, and good habits
Sidemount or Backmount?
There is no single “best” configuration — only the most appropriate choice based on experience, dive objectives, and long-term progression.
Sidemount is often chosen for entry-level technical training because it offers:
- Independent gas supplies
- Clear and simple failure management
- Flexible, modular setup
- Easier transport and logistics
It encourages early focus on balance, mobility, and cylinder control. On walls, sidemount rewards symmetry — even small imbalances in weighting or attachment points become obvious very quickly.
Backmount twinset offers:
- Stability and predictability
- A consistent centre of gravity
- Easier management of multiple-stage cylinders
- Reduced task loading on deeper or more complex dives
Backmount requires additional skills development but provides a solid, stable platform for deeper profiles and extended technical dives.
Both configurations are actively taught and supported at Bunaken Oasis. The priority is not the system itself, but how well the diver manages it throughout the entire dive.
Practical tip:
- Choose one configuration and commit during training
- Set weighting and trim on land before entering the water
- Keep hose routing and attachment points consistent every dive
- Practice gas switches, valve drills, and S-drills until automatic
- If you keep fixing gear underwater, adjust it on the surface
Looking Ahead
As we move into the new year, our focus remains on quality, progression, and deliberate diving. Alongside expanding CCR availability and refining technical pathways, we continue to support conservation initiatives, reef monitoring, and future deep-water exploration projects.
We’re also proud to share that Bunaken Oasis has been awarded World’s Leading Luxury Dive Resort 2025, reinforcing our commitment to excellence both above and below the surface — from resort operations to advanced diving.
For course enquiries, guiding, or technical diving information:
📷 Instagram: @bunakenoasis
