Thalassa Dive Center at Hotel Santika, Manado

Thalassa Dive Center is located on the premesis of the Hotel Santika in Manado.

Thalassa is Manado's only 5-star PADI dive center offering diving and other watersport activities with the highest quality, safety and service possible. Of all the mainland dive options in Manado, Thalassa is located closest to Bunaken National park about 35 minutes by boat just off the coast from Manado.

Thalassa offers a choice of two or three boat dives per day in Bunaken's sea garden. After a sumpuous breakfast at Hotel Santika's restaurant you can catch the dive boats at the end of Thalassa's long landmark jetty. Just show up, your dive gear will already be on board!

Thalassa has five dive boats, all very well suited for the local conditions. All the boats are equipped with first aid supplies, oxygen, water and marine radios. All guides are Rescue trained and a tested safety plan is in place in case of emergencies. Drinks and towels are also provided. Longer trips to the outer islands are done on the fast boats, while those closer dive sites can be reached in about 30 minutes in any of the other dive boats.

Your surface interval is spent on Bunaken Island, where you'll enjoy a seafood lunch which has been specially prepared and served by the local women. Other locals are anxious to sell you fresh coconuts, handicrafts, shells, and local candy. After a relaxing lunch the next dive is only minutes away.

Special trips to the Northern Islands take you to Bangka and Thalassa's own private island. The diving in this area is diverse, offering everything from soft coral covered walls to muddy channels which are home to some of the most unusual sea critters you'll find anywhere. Another special trip is to the dark, muddy channels of Lembeh Strait. Diving here is totally different and is where you may be lucky enough to see such creatures as the Pygme Seahorse or the Mimic Octopus. Lembeh is only a 1 1/2 hour drive across the tip of North Sulawesi, where you'll be greeted by the dive boat which will take you to the dive sites only minutes away.

Besides the famous dive sites of Bunaken, Thalassa has a magnificent house reef with an abundance of small critters unique to this site.

Night dives with Thalassa are some of the most exciting in the world! The water is warm and still and critters and creatures you won't see during the day come alive after dark. The experienced dive guides at Thalassa will show you the best of Bunaken. Many of them have thousands of dives logged on these stunning coral reefs and can spot and point out some of the most evasive and camoflaged creatures.

Upon your return to Hotel Santika at the end of your dive day, the staff at Thalassa will be waiting to carry your gear back to the dive center, rinse and securely store it for the night. You won't have to life a finger!

In addition to diving, guests have the option of water-skiing, sail boats, kayaks, glass bottom boat tours, snorkeling trips, etc. For those who have not yet tried scuba diving, Discover Snorkeling (in the swimming pool), Discover Scuba (in the swimming pool), and Discover Scuba Diving (in the swimming pool AND a real introductory dive at Bunaken!) is available through the dive center.

The staff of over 35 members at Thalassa Dive Center shows a level of professionalism and high standards unequaled at other Bunaken dive centers.

The Course Director and General Manager, Simone, is also a PADI Instructor who offers many levels of PADI open water dive certification in many languages (in English, Dutch, German, Japanese, Italian, French, Spanish and Indonesian). Also available are:

PADI Advanced Open Water Diver
PADI Rescue Diver
PADI Divemaster
PADI Instructor Development Course (to become a PADI Instructor)
PADI Specialties like :
- Underwater Naturalist
- Underwater Photographer
- Wreck diver
- Night Diver
- Multi Level
Diver Referrals: After completing the skill development sessions and academic sessions in your home country you can complete the required open water dives with Thalassa to get certified.

Thalassa's modern, air-conditioned classroom located in the dive center is clean and comfortable. There are also guest lockers, shower facilities and toilet.