Nestled in the heart of Indonesia’s renowned Bunaken National Marine Park, Bunaken Oasis Dive Resort represents the perfect harmony between luxury and sustainability. As a proud Green Fins member, this exceptional eco-friendly dive resort has embraced comprehensive environmental practices that protect the pristine waters they call home.
From innovative waste management systems to community engagement initiatives, Bunaken Oasis demonstrates how hospitality businesses can lead positive change while delivering unforgettable guest experiences. In this exclusive interview, the Reef-World team explore how the resort implements sustainable practices across every aspect of their operations, inspiring both visitors and the local community to participate in marine conservation.
Let’s dive into their journey toward creating a more sustainable future for one of the world’s most biodiverse marine environments.
Embracing Green Fins: A Commitment to Sustainable Diving
What inspired Bunaken Oasis to join Green Fins, and how has it influenced your operations?
We first met the Green Fins/Reef-World team at the ADEX Dive Expo in Singapore 2022. After a few discussions with Erin (Programmes Office, Digital Community), it quickly became clear that Green Fins’ focus on sustainability efforts and its code of conduct practices for dive and snorkel activities exactly mirrored what we at Bunaken Oasis were striving towards.
Since becoming a Green Fins Member, we have had a clearer outline to follow in order to improve upon, all with the help of the Green Fins’ carefully thought-out Action Plans, informative Solution Library and the assistance/advice from the wonderful Green Fins community, that are made up of other resorts, dive centres, researchers and scientists from all over the world.
Comprehensive Waste Management
How does Bunaken Oasis minimise single-use plastics and manage waste sustainably?
We are always looking for new ways to improve our waste management processes and to get to a point where we can completely ban single-use plastics here at Oasis. Our aim is to eventually try and push these ideas to the broader Bunaken island, which we will start to implement once we have these measures perfected within the resort with our team and how these messages are delivered to our guests.
Staff Sustainability Initiatives
Our comprehensive approach to waste management includes several staff-focused initiatives:
- Regular Environmental Training – Staff get on-site training, once every 3 months, on waste sorting and separation. We do this with the help of a local NGO (more about them shortly), who provide waste separation stickers so that the team know which items are allocated to which bins.
- Reusable water flasks – All staff and trainees who work at Oasis get a branded water flask as part of their uniform so that they can keep hydrated throughout their work day. We have various water dispenser setups around the property, including several of the staff areas where the team can refill their water bottles.
- Boat transfers – We provide transportation for our team to get from Bunaken island to the main island of Manado and return and one of the rules that we implement on all of our vessels is that no person may bring on single use plastics which can be in the form of water bottles, plastic shopping bags, straws etc. It’s not perfect, but it allows the team to be more aware of what they are shopping for and what they take to Manado when they do their weekly or monthly shopping.
- Staff Uniforms – Our suppliers know that we no longer accept uniform orders in single-use plastic bags; they now package in brown paper packaging and in cardboard boxes.
- Daily/ Monthly Beach Cleanups – Plastic unfortunately washes up daily on our beach area in front of the resort. Therefore, we have a dedicated team that collects this waste daily and with the help of No Trash Triangle (NTT), it is taken to Manado for proper waste sorting and separation. We also host monthly beach cleanups where we insist on full staff compulsory participation and invite the guests to join in.
- Staff Events – Whenever we plan staff events such as team building days, religious holiday celebrations, and year-end parties, the planning committee understand that all parties’ décor and food preparation have to have a big focus on using organic or recyclable materials.
Resort-Wide Sustainability Practices
Our eco-luxury approach extends throughout resort operations:
- Purchasing – Our purchasing team probably have the hardest job, but we firmly believe that as a large resort that spends good money with many suppliers on the mainland of Manado, the more we insist on how we would like something in a certain way, the more open the suppliers will be to implement a change. Our purchasing team, when gathering supplies for the resort, have to ensure they are doing their best to purchase goods that limit the amount of single-use plastic that comes in.
For example, when we buy goods for our kitchen, we send reusable crates and freezer boxes on our purchasing boats, and the suppliers pack our goods in these instead of plastic bags. Or our Housekeeping shampoo/soaps and conditioners are purchased in 5L reusable and refillable containers that get sent back to the suppliers.
Or we do our best to minimize how much plastic we bring on the property. For example, in our housekeeping team, instead of buying individually wrapped toilet rolls, we purchase from the supplier that sells 20 rolls wrapped in one large plastic sheeting.
- Organic Garden – We produce around 20 -30 % of our own produce for which is shared between the main restaurant kitchen and the staff dining room. This assists us in being able to reduce the amount of single-use plastic we bring onto the island through packaging.
- Food waste – This is also separated into wet and dry waste, and the wet waste is given to some of the staff who have their own pig farms on the island; the dry waste is sent to the organic garden for use in our compost bins
- Boat Engines – Our boats have the latest Suzuki engines that have technology that have built-in micro plastic filtration systems that help to remove plastic particles while the vessels are in motion.
Guest-Focused Environmental Initiatives
We empower our guests to participate in our sustainable tourism model:
- Reef-Safe Sunscreen – Available for purchase in our gift shop or offered complimentary on all of our dive vessels and outside the dive center. Alternatively, we also sell and promote the purchase of recycled ocean plastic rash vests and leggings, which we stock in our boutique.
- Battery Recycling Program – We have a battery club in our camera room that has rechargeable batteries, and we encourage guests/photographers to limit travel with batteries and make use of the rechargeable batteries we have available. This encourages guests not to purchase normal batteries and leaves them behind once their holiday comes to an end.
- Biodegradable Spa Products – When we have guests who don’t want to use their own underwear for spa treatments, we offer biodegradable and compostable spa underwear to use during treatments.
- Reed Straws in the bar – Made from local, Indonesian reeds. This product has proven to be a great purchase as the “shelf life” is far better and longer-lasting than paper straws. They also look beautiful.
- Eco-Friendly Accommodation – We provide the full set of amenities that guests would need on holiday in each cottage. All packed in eco-friendly packaging and this encourages guests to bring as little plastic to the island as necessary.
- Water Conservation System – Water Dispensers are available in each guest cottage and throughout the resort, so guests do not need to purchase, nor do we sell, plastic water bottles. On arrival, they are also given a branded, reusable water flask to keep, and this can be used throughout their stay and taken home with them afterwards.
Partnership with No Trash Triangle
Additionally, to all of the above, we have partnered with a local NGO called the “No Trash Triangle” (NTT) since early 2023. This NGO provides on-resort training for our staff and management team in the following areas. In return, we follow their guidelines and also provide monthly donation fees. Once the team have done the waste separation, which is done on a weekly basis, and we have accumulated 50+ bags, NTT come to the resort and collects our waste, takes it to the main island of Manado, where they do further waste separating and recycling. Out of all the waste (including beach waste) collected, and after separation, only about 7% of this ends up in the landfill in Manado.
We are also in talks with NTT regarding sponsoring river barriers towards their new project, which has now passed its test/trial period. This project sees NTT placing PVC gated barriers across many of the river mouths across mainland Manado, catching floating waste and debris before entering the ocean. This past year has already seen a significant reduction of plastic waste washing up on the shores of Bunaken, and it’s a huge kudos to NTT and their dedicated team for consistent, daily effort in getting these barriers cleared and maintained.
Innovative Wastewater Management in a Fragile Ecosystem
Can you share details about your wastewater treatment system and its environmental benefits?
The resort has installed a Biofil 7 system, which is an environmentally friendly solution that utilizes biological processes to break down waste efficiently. This system promotes sustainable wastewater management by:
- Reducing Water Contamination: It effectively treats wastewater, minimizing the release of harmful pollutants into the environment.
- Minimal Energy Consumption: Unlike conventional treatment systems, Biofil systems require little to no electricity, making them energy-efficient.
- Natural Filtration and Decomposition: Beneficial microbes break down organic waste, reducing sludge production and the need for chemical treatments.
- Water Reuse Potential: The treated water can be safely reused for irrigation or other non-potable purposes, contributing to water conservation.
- Eco-Friendly and Low Maintenance: With fewer mechanical components and chemical dependencies, it provides a sustainable and cost-effective wastewater solution.
Community Engagement for Marine Conservation
How does Bunaken Oasis engage with the local community to support marine conservation and sustainable tourism?
- We offer a dive guide training program for the youth of Bunaken twice annually for a period of 6 months. This course is aimed towards candidates who want to pursue a career in marine conservation or the diving industry. Included in the course is taking the students from not having any dive experience at all, through to rescue diver and some further onto divemaster. The course not only includes the dive courses, the students touches on everything that goes hand in hand with working in a luxury dive resort within a national marine park. Part of the syllabus includes conservation talks, Dive Against Debris dives and a conservation project of their choice.
- Once per month, we choose a topic, and if a time slot is available within the schools, we do a talk focused on marine conservation.
- We provide drinking water, which we produce on the property, for the wider community in an effort to reduce the amount of plastic bottles or gallons needed to be brought from the mainland of Manado.
- During festive periods, we aim to provide the children and our staff with gifts that have a large focus on sustainability. For example, this year we gave all staff at Bunaken a reusable, branded water flask for personal use, and we did the same with the staff’s children.
- Other initiatives are providing transportation to and from the mainland for staff and their families, but enforcing measures such as no single-use plastic being allowed on the vessels to encourage awareness about what they are purchasing and to change mindsets.
- Once per month, we offer Dive Against Debris dives, and we encourage all of our staff who are either divers or snorkelers to join and help clean up the reefs. This is especially important to us as we have a dive site adopted through the PADI Aware initiative, Adopt the Blue.
- We provide additional assistance to the marine park rangers in the form of fuel, advice and sometimes meals in order to better execute their tasks. For example, we introduced a deep water mooring recently on their behalf so that larger yachts could find a place to moor instead of anchoring on the reefs.
These are just a few of the ways we try and engage with the local community in order to support marine conservation and the sustainability of Bunaken and its wonderful National Marine Park.
Protecting Bunaken’s Marine Biodiversity
What conservation initiatives is Bunaken Oasis involved in (e.g. coral restoration, turtle conservation, or mangrove protection)?
Thankfully, Bunaken (and I touch wood when I say this), hasn’t had much effect of coral bleaching or destruction; therefore, very little needs to be done in terms of restoration projects. We do, however, have all our dive guides/instructors trained on knowing to look for crown-of-thorns seastar invasion, an increase and consistent increase in water temperatures, and signs of bleaching, so that we may report it through NOAA.
Turtle Conservation Efforts
This is something still very new to Bunaken itself, and not much is done in terms of consistent monitoring, tracking and rehabilitation. The local Balai do make some good efforts in moving nests from crowded beaches with dogs/ people, etc., but no real data is being recorded. We plan to work closely with Robin from TRACC Borneo, hopefully soon, and the local Balai to implement proper, meaningful measures to protect the turtles around Bunaken. This all falls under the project we have of creating and opening up our own marine conservation center as part of our dive center. Please watch this space!
Mangrove Protection Initiatives
Our wonderful landscaping team are constantly finding mangrove seeds and planting them to get mangrove saplings. One of our complimentary activities for our guests to get involved in is planting mangroves during their stay. During this planting activity, we give the guests a full brief of the importance of mangrove forests not only to the environment and marine life, but also their purpose to the people of Bunaken. Guests thoroughly enjoy learning about this. On International Mangrove Day, we have many of the staff planting mangroves.
Educating for Responsible Underwater Tourism
How do you educate divers and guests about responsible diving practices and environmental protection?
We start this process before the guests even leave their home country by sharing with them our guest’s information fact sheet. Some of the information on there explains that we provide luxury, eco-friendly amenities in all the cottages, therefore limiting how many products guests need to bring to Bunaken. We also insist on reef-safe sunscreen, and if not possible for them to buy, we inform them that we provide it at the resort, complimentary. We also complete as much of the dive paperwork prior to arrival, limiting how much paperwork needs to be printed, and even then, we complete any outstanding dive paperwork on a tablet during arrival.
Thanks to Green Fins, we strictly follow and adhere to the diving/snorkelling code of conduct as well as local laws and regulations set out not only by PADI but also by the Indonesian government.
We educate our guests by providing thorough briefings before every dive that include the rules implemented by the National Marine Park, such as no reef hooks and no gloves, but also by using the Green Fins icons poster as well as the best practices for underwater photographers.
Throughout their time in the resort, the initial briefings set the standard for their stay, and they are then reminded about these throughout their trip. Each time they set their cameras up in the camera room, there is a display in each cubicle with the best practices information sheet. Each time they get onto the boats, inside the toilets at eye level is the Green Fins icon’s poster.
Each boat has complimentary reef-safe sunscreen and a small information board provided by Green Fins on the importance of why we insist our divers/ snorkelers use this product.
We find that repetition is key, but shown subtly throughout their stay for something to make a meaningful and lasting impact.
Preserving a Mission Blue Hope Spot
Bunaken Marine Park has been recognised as a Mission Blue Hope Spot. How has this acknowledgement influenced your conservation initiatives and guest experiences?
All of our conservation efforts have been implemented and followed by Oasis itself with the hopes and belief of striving towards a fully sustainable resort and to better the future of Bunaken as a whole. Becoming a Mission Blue Hope Spot hasn’t, per se, had an influence on our conservation initiatives, but it has provided more awareness of the area and the unique qualities of diving around Bunaken National Marine Park.
Bunaken Oasis was the first in Bunaken to offer technical diving training. How do you incorporate sustainability into this?
We are currently engaged in some marine conservation projects which will provide valuable insight and data for years to come due to the ability of diving to deeper depths and gaining data not previously collected due to depth limitations/ restrictions.
We encourage all our divers, both recreational and tech divers, to do reef cleanups on all dives and provide them with mesh bags. With tech diving, cleanups are done on parts of the reef not frequently visited by recreational divers.
Overcoming Challenges in Eco-Tourism Implementation
What challenges have you faced in implementing eco-friendly practices, and how have you overcome them?
Some of the challenges we have faced and are still facing are changing the mindsets of the local community when they have been doing something a certain way for generations.
Overcoming this takes patience, consistency and showing alternative ways of doing the same thing, but in a way that helps towards a sustainable future. A good example of this is our efforts in teaching the staff and families how to sort waste and also to create compost bins for their gardens.
Other challenges are to do with product availability. For example, we would find a really great reef-safe sunscreen product, and when it comes time to purchase again, they no longer produce it or it’s sold out. One of the new, current challenges is finding biodegradable and compostable spa underwear!
What can guests do to support Bunaken Oasis’ conservation efforts during their stay?
Experience the perfect blend of luxury accommodations and environmental stewardship at Bunaken Oasis, where every aspect of your diving adventure contributes to the protection of Indonesia’s magnificent marine ecosystem.
