The Bangka islands are on the northern tip of Sulawesi. They look like chunks of the mainland broke off and fell into the sea. The islands are rugged and sparsely populated. Japanese pearl farms dot the water between some of the islands. A large bay with lots of sea grasses is near Likupang on the mainland.

Bangka is the largest of the five islands surrounded by water that's part of the through flow from the western Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean. The water moves through the Sulawesi Sea to the Makassar Strait, bringing with it enough nutrients to support a large fish and marine mammal population. At least nine species of whales have been sighted in the surrounding waters. A resident group of mature females and young males and females inhabit an area near the Bangka islands.

The best feature of diving in the Bangka islands is the pinnacle diving and its close proximity to Bunaken and Lembeh. The pinnacles attract lots of fishes and are covered with soft corals, sea fans, and feather stars. Currents can be strong but you can get out of it by staying on the lee side of the pinnacle. Away from the pinnacles there are good coral gardens with nudibranches, leaf fishes, ribbon eels and pygmy seahorses.