Bunaken
Indonesia · North Sulawesi
Bunaken sits at the northern tip of Sulawesi in a marine park famous for its sheer wall diving — drop offs that plunge 200m+ into deep blue, draped in soft coral and sponges, with turtles, schooling barracuda, and reef sharks patrolling the edges. Nearby Lembeh and Bangka round out a north-Sulawesi diving triangle.
How this reef is doing
ⓘ How we measure thisReef state
Bunaken's wall diving remains the highlight. Some shallow flats show bleaching scars but the drop offs hold their cover.
Coral cover
Fish life
Heat
No unusual heat right now.
Fishing
Quiet water, and the protection is actively patrolled.
Sources · MERMAID and the survey teams · NOAA Coral Reef Watch · Global Fishing Watch and reef gravity
Coral cover over time
Live coral cover, by survey year
Across 5 survey years from 2016 to 2025, live coral cover here has risen from 32% to 57%. Every point is a real survey reading, never a projection.
Live coral cover, percent by year
| Year | Coral cover |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 32% |
| 2021 | 71% |
| 2023 | 40% |
| 2024 | 53% |
| 2025 | 57% |
What you will see
35 species across the dive sites here
Ornate ghost pipefish
Seen 21 days ago
at Nudi Falls (Lembeh Strait)
Least concern
Ornate ghostpipefish
Seen 21 days ago
at Hairball (Lembeh Strait)
Least concern
Flamboyant cuttlefish
Seen 1 month ago
at Hairball (Lembeh Strait)
Harlequin shrimp
Seen 1 month ago
at Hairball (Lembeh Strait)
Blackspotted Puffer
Seen 1 month ago
at Lekuan Walls
Least concern
Green turtle
Seen 1 month ago
at Lekuan Walls
Least concern
Redtooth Triggerfish
Seen 1 month ago
at Lekuan Walls
Least concern
Anna'S Chromodoris
Seen 2 months ago
at Lekuan Walls
Napoleon wrasse
Seen 2 months ago
at Lekuan Walls
Endangered
Bumphead parrotfish
Seen 2 months ago
at Lekuan Walls
Vulnerable
Alcala'S Chromodoris
Seen 2 months ago
at Lekuan Walls
Green Sea Turtle
Seen 2 months ago
at Wakatobi
Least concern
Hairy frogfish
Seen 2 months ago
at Hairball (Lembeh Strait)
Least concern
Lembeh seadragon
Seen 2 months ago
at Nudi Falls (Lembeh Strait)
Least concern
Manta Ray
Seen 2 months ago
at Derawan Islands
Vulnerable
Bigeye trevally
Seen 2 months ago
at Bunaken Timur
Least concern
Hawksbill turtle
Seen 2 months ago
at Lekuan Walls
Critically endangered
Whitetip reef shark
Seen 2 months ago
at Bunaken Timur
Vulnerable
Wunderpus octopus
Seen 2 months ago
at Hairball (Lembeh Strait)
Least concern
Wonderpus octopus
Seen 2 months ago
at Nudi Falls (Lembeh Strait)
Least concern
Mimic octopus
Seen 2 months ago
at Hairball (Lembeh Strait)
Least concern
Pontoh's pygmy seahorse
Seen 2 months ago
at Nudi Falls (Lembeh Strait)
Least concern
Rhinopias scorpionfish
Seen 2 months ago
at Nudi Falls (Lembeh Strait)
Least concern
Blue-ringed octopus
Seen 2 months ago
at Hairball (Lembeh Strait)
Least concern
Blue ringed octopus
Seen 2 months ago
at Nudi Falls (Lembeh Strait)
Least concern
Leaf Scorpionfish
Seen 7 months ago
at Wakatobi
Least concern
Yellow-Lipped Sea Krait
Seen Feb 2025
at Wakatobi
Least concern
Barracuda
Seen year round
at Wakatobi
Least concern
Chromodoris nudibranchs
Seen year round
at Nudi Falls (Lembeh Strait)
Mantis Shrimp
Seen year round
at Derawan Islands
Pygmy Seahorse
Seen year round
at Wakatobi
Least concern
Reef Shark
Seen year round
at Wakatobi
Endangered
Eagle ray
Seasonal visitor
at Bunaken Timur
Endangered
Whale Shark
Seasonal visitor
at Derawan Islands
Endangered
Painted Spiny Lobster
Rare sighting
at Wakatobi
Least concern
Dive sites
Lekuan Walls
green turtle · hawksbill turtle · napoleon wrasse · bumphead parrotfish
Bunaken Timur
bigeye trevally · eagle ray · whitetip reef shark · green turtle
Hairball (Lembeh Strait)
hairy frogfish · mimic octopus · flamboyant cuttlefish · wunderpus octopus
Wakatobi
green sea turtle · reef shark · barracuda · pygmy seahorse
Derawan Islands
manta ray · green sea turtle · whale shark · barracuda
Nudi Falls (Lembeh Strait)
lembeh seadragon · pontoh's pygmy seahorse · harlequin shrimp · rhinopias scorpionfish
What divers say
Bunaken's walls feel infinite. You drift along the top and the reef just falls away below you forever.
Good to know
Combine trips
Most divers pair Bunaken with Lembeh's muck diving — opposite sides of the same peninsula.