Cha Cha from the sea.

Beautiful sky!

Great dane "Chiko"

Our great dane "Chiko" putting her bottom on my foot while we were talking to guests.

New Toy for Raf "Anti Stress Green Man"

This was gift from our Japanese guests Aya and Ritsuko to Raf.

"Anti Stress Green Man"  

Made of slimy gell body, so you can squash them, throw them at to the wall, fold them, or you can put a particular name before you do all that...  Fantastico~~~!!!

The World New Discovery?? Blinking Nudibranch on Bunaken Island night dive.

World New discovery??

At night dive around Bunaken, I was filming a short movie to see what's the result of the combination of my new torch and digital camera.

while I was filming this non active nudibranch, I realized this one start blinking it's body color. I was so surprised.  I knew few nudibranch are able to make right inside body and people can see if it's in the dark.  But this one was blinking and changing body color reacting to the torch right.
Amazing!!!  maybe this is "The World New Discovery"??
It's also easier to see this process through the camera screen, because when I tried to see without screen, it was difficult to see the blinking, but through the digital screen, you can see like this.
Enjoy the short video!  ↓


Video by Reiko Downey (Bunaken Cha Cha Nature Resort)

Night dive beauty - Amazing creatures at night on Bunaken Wall.

Night dive at Tanjung Parigi beach, Bunaken Island.

Basket seastar

Huge Nudibranch 

Actinia equina on the wall of Bunaken Island

Sunset behind Manado Tua Island.

Just before night dive, we could see sunset.

Late afternoon weather on Bunaken

quite often rain and thunder at late afternoon nowadays.... 

Plaga Wine Tasting Party at Cocoon, Bali.

Meet a fresh and modern local wine from Indowines.
Enjoyed "Plaga Wine Party" at COCOON in Bali,  20April.

Blue-ringed octopus（ヒョウモンダコ） in house reef at Bunaken Cha Cha.

Night Dive in front of our resort. When they are calm, you do not see their blue ring straight way, so I thought I found a new looking nudibranch or something, then get closer to them, they start show these beautiful blue rings all over the body and legs.

Blue Ring Octopus　（ヒョウモンダコ）

The blue-ringed octopuses (genus Hapalochlaena) are three (or perhaps four) octopus species that live intide pools and coral reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, from Japan to Australia (mainly around southern New South Wales and South Australia). They are recognized as some of the world's most venomous marine animals. Despite their small size and relatively docile nature, they can prove a danger to humans. They can be recognized by their characteristic blue and black rings and yellowish skin. When the octopus is agitated, the brown patches darken dramatically, and iridescent blue rings or clumps of rings appear and pulsate within the maculae. Typically 50-60 blue rings cover the dorsal and lateral surfaces of the mantle. They hunt small crabs, hermit crabs, and shrimp, and may bite attackers, including humans, if provoked.   (From Wikipedia) 

ヒョウモンダコ（豹紋蛸）は、マダコ亜目 マダコ科 ヒョウモンダコ属に属する4種類のタコの総称。日本ではその中の一種Hapalochlaena fasciata を指す場合が多い。小型だが唾液に猛毒のテトロドトキシンを含むことで知られ、危険なタコとされる。 ウィキペディア

"Joshikai" with our repeater guests, good friends.

Ritsu

Aya

Three of us got together and went Lembeh Diving Tour from Cha Cha to "Black sand divers(Friendly owner Bruce & Fun)" again this year.  We had great fun! 

Let's have *"JOSHIKAI" (girls night out) more often!!

* Joshikai (女子会) is a word of the minute (a vogue woad) in Japan at moment and a big boom, the meaning is "girls night out".

 Some say Magazine models in Japan made this boom, others say it's greatly influenced by TV drama "Sex and the city".

Diving at Tawara Point, Bunaken Island

Tawara Point on Bunaken Island.
 Water temp. - 29℃.   Visibility - about 20m.

Ghost pipefish

Shallow reef of Bunaken Island

Diver's bubble stuck inside hole of Bunaken coral wall

Meeting with Dugong!! at Bunaken Cha Cha point.

Our guests met Dugong on Bunaken Island

at 2nd dive, Cha Cha 2 point, 1st of April (It's real, not april fool joke, hahaha)


I was just talking to the guests two days ago about the dugong when/where they can normally see this wonderful creature. Could not have been better  timing, but actually who saw the dugong today, was the other guests on our 2nd boat.  What can I say....?  It is not easy to make everybody happy...  umm....

All guests except one, who had video camera, saw the dugong eating sea grass on the shallow reef at Cha Cha2 point.  so no picture of the today's dugong again.

This one I took at same Cha Cha 2 point while I was snorkeling on 2006.

***Dugong***
"The dugong (Dugong dugon) is a large marine mammal which, together with the manatees, is one of four living species of the order Sirenia. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest modern relative, Steller's sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas), was hunted to extinction in the 18th century. It is also the only sirenian in its range, which spans the waters of at least 37 countries throughout the Indo-Pacific, though the majority of dugongs live in the northern waters of Australia between Shark Bay and Moreton Bay. The dugong is the only strictly marine herbivorous mammal, as all species of manatee use fresh water to some degree."      ----  from Wikipedia

More books arrived from Ms.Saori living in Houston, USA.

Library Update.

More books arrived from Ms.Saori living in Houston USA.

Since she's been to Cha Cha with her mother, she started to support our

"Children's library project" which is one of our Mata Biru projects on Bunaken Island.

This is the 3rd box that arrived from her. 

After she went back to Houston, she started to use her beautiful underwater photograph to make some Calendars, talking around to her friends and acquaintances, colleagues, sold the calendars and put some money together to buy Children's books to send for this project.  Saori san herself choose books carefully and send it over to us from U.S.   Truly amazing work and effort. 

Thanks Saori san!!!

At the moment the library is temporally closed due to the very bad weather we had since Xmas but as the Dry Season has arrived it will be opening very soon again.

While the library closed we had bad news, somebody broke into the Library took some Manga (comics). This gave our staff and us a big disappointment especially after we receive Saori san's support from Houston, however we should not give up yet, and  as long as our resort exist, we will support this Mata Biru project collaboration with Book Bound. 

Her Underwater Photograph Calendar 2013

Amazing Fish book!

Nice teeth?!

This fish called "Lizardfish".
Take a look at these teeth!
I have seen this fish having smaller fish in his/hers mouth, will chew it slowly...?? If I am fish size, just want to avoid from being eaten... umm.

Cha Cha Doggies morning snack time

Pink color coral crab??? @ Bunaken Island.

Pink color Crab!!! This crab got same color just like small tiny coral he/she lives in. Amazing!!
Our dive guide found it, Thank you Odnir!!

Bunaken Cha Cha Nature Resort

A video of a relax diving day at Bunaken Cha Cha.

The First Whale Shark @ Bunaken Park

Our Guests send SMS to us saying they saw "Whale Shark" from boat on the way to go to Manado.

It was around 20 minutes after they left Cha Cha Resort, so must be still very close to Bunaken Island.

Amazing! 

Congratulation to all guests saw their 

"First Whale Shark 2013"!!!!! @Bunaken Sea.

↓ This is our Cha Cha Whale Shark.

by Bunaken Cha Cha Nature Resort

Happy New Year 2013 from Bunaken Cha Cha Nature Resort

2013

Happy New Year

Season Greetings from Bunaken Cha Cha Nature Resort

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2013!!