Janji Laut House Reef 1 & 2

Right from our doorstep we have two house reef dives: going to the west side from our jetty or out to the east side from a small beach cove. Either way, it is a similar profile: a rich plateau of soft and hard corals that continues on to a sandy slope. Here we can often spot scorpion fish, flathead crocodile fish, razorfish, banded pipefish, pufferfish, barracudas, titan triggerfish, bluefin trevally, moray eels, sea snakes and even the occasional turtle. Also, keep your eyes out on the sandy patches for garden and ribbon eels.

With an average depth between 6 and 12m, these are particularly good sites for a very first dive (try diving program), brushing up on skills if it’s been a while since your last dive (scuba review/refresh program) or even a night dive. In addition, it’s a great spot for snorkeling.

Malcom 1 &2 (also known as Tanjung Kelapa)

One of our favorite local diving spots, this is a “must see” when diving the Bunaken marine park. We start on a white sandy slope that continues to a colorful wall with healthy hard and soft corals including gorgonians, sponges, yellow and white black coral bushes, whip corals, and anemones. Also of particular interest are the colonies of tubastraea sea trees.

Fish life is abundant with pelagic fish hunting alongside the wall. Some of the species you may see are giant frogfish, scorpion leaf fish, stonefish, longnose hawkfish, razorfish, tuna, bluefin trevally, barracudas, mackerels, spadefish, nudibranchs, ribbon eels and various other species of morays to name just a few. The safety stop is done on a beautiful plateau.

The reef starts from 3-5m, so it is also a good site for snorkeling trips. This site is suitable for all divers and for certified advanced or deep divers this makes an excellent deep dive. Note that current can sometimes be quite strong.

Bethlehem 1 & 2

The site name comes from a wordplay on “Better Than Lembeh.” This is a true “muck” dive especially suited to macro photographers and divers who love looking for small critters. Starting on a large and shallow sea grass area, divers have seen hairy frogfish, weedy scorpionfish and even mimic octopus. We have also had several surprise encounters with the very rare dugong!

We continue on a sandy slope offering a lot to discover hidden in old ropes, nets, coconut trunks and even old tires, which are small oases of life. Seahorses, various species of ghost pipe-fish, blue spotted stingrays, shrimp gobies, longhorn cowfish, lionfish, sea snakes and moray eels are frequently seen here and in the scattered anemones you can find clown fish, porcelain crabs and also various species of shrimps.

The dive usually finishes at a series of metallic structures, which were sunk for coral growth. These have become quite well colonized and sit just beside a rich and interesting natural reef.

A perfect second dive only 5 min boat ride from Janji Laut Resort, Bethlehem is a “Lembeh” like experience, but with warmer water and better visibility!

emma POint

Located nearby Bethlehem, Emma Point is another excellent dive, which is suitable for any level of diver. The shallower part of the reef is frequently visited by turtles, spotted stingrays and cuttlefish and is also home to some interesting nudibranch species.

For a deep dive (advanced divers and above) we usually descend directly up to 30-32m to reach a small reef wall which is the main point of interest. Hard and soft corals at that depth are abundant. There we often see napoleon wrasse, titan triggerfish, big groupers, sweetlips, stingrays, bluefin trevally, pufferfish and a rich variety of tropical reef fish. The safety stop is done on the top reef. Another great site for snorkelers.

Poopoh Gereja

Just 2 mins from Janji Laut Resort facing Poopoh’s Church is Poopoh Gereja dive site. Starting from a rich and colorful reef plateau about 3-5m, it continues on a gentle white sandy slope. The average depth is 10-15m, however we can go deeper and find some interesting coral boulders with a rich fauna. There you can find big fish such as the humphead napoleon wrasse and bluefin trevally.

The reef consists of healthy, abundant hard and soft corals such as table corals, acropora, foliose, brain corals, porites and a numerous type of colourful sponges. Fish life is also rich and we can spot scorpion leaf fish, spotted box fish, falcon hawkfish, lionfish, lobsters, groupers and much more.

It is also a dive where we can find the famous Mandarin fish, making it a perfect spot for a sunset dive (around 5 PM.) This beautiful site suits everyone from beginners to photographers and advanced divers and is also good for snorkeling.

Mutiara

A short distance from Janji Laut Resort on the east side, Mutiara offers interesting and impressive boulders on a sandy area with nice soft and hard corals. A lot of animals hide there, including the white banded pipefish. On occasion we have seen eagle rays, turtles and sometimes pelagics hunting. Big puffer fish, sting rays and moray eels and nudibranchs are common sights.

Current can sometimes be strong in some places, in which case go with the flow and enjoy a drift dive! It is not a difficult dive and divers of all levels will enjoy this dive site as the boulders are scattered at different depths.

Critter Circus 1 & 2

Critter Circus is another local favorite, well-known reef that you can do in 2 dives. Located on the east side of Janji Laut Resort it’s about a 15 min boat drive away. The site is a large sandy area with coral blocks, which provide a habitat for a large variety of species. We may see harlequin ghost fish, juvenile angelfish with their beautiful white and blue color as well as scorpion leaf fish, stonefish, flathead crocodile fish, pipefish, razor fish, nudibranchs, ribbon eels, moray eels, banded sea kraits and more. We usually do the Circus 1 and 2 in a single morning trip and coming back at a perfect time for the lunch in our panoramic restaurant.

Other local dive sites:

In addition, the coast of Manado and the whole southern part of Bunaken National Marine Park has many more dive sites to offer. Our guides will be pleased to tell you about other possibilities in our local area and we are still exploring the area to find new dive spots, especially on the west side of Janji Laut Resort. If you’re feeling adventurous you are very welcome to ask us to organize a discover local trip. We may find comparatively little, or we might get lucky and stumble upon an undiscovered gem, in which case you can be the one to name the newly discovered dive site! In any event, when diving Bunaken National Park, wherever we jump into the water, there are always good things to see.

Bunaken

The famous island of Bunaken is known for its beautiful wall dives and healthy population of turtles

Lekuan
Lekuan is divided into 3 continuous sites going from one to another. When diving Bunaken National Marine Park, you cannot miss Lekuan 1 as it is one of Bunaken’s best dive sites. It starts with a nice sandy slope with underwater pinnacles and continues on to a vertiginous wall, which drops to over 200m. Gorgonians and big sponges decorate the wall in a magnificent way and a huge range of colorful fishes complete the scenery. Whitetip reef sharks, bamboo sharks, sponge crabs, cleaner shrimp, scorpionfish and large nudibranchs can be found here. Anything is possible in Lekuan…

Lekuan 2 & 3 are equally spectacular, home to bannerfish, napoleon wrasse and large schools of pyramid butterflyfish and angelfish. Small whitetip reef sharks can be found here sleeping in crevices and above all, turtles are very abundant. In the blue we often see jack fish and tuna.

Celah-celah
The word celah means ‘cracks’ and this site offers large cracks and caves everywhere on this deep wall. With usually excellent visibility, bright sunlight passing through and brightening up the blue water makes this one of the favorite areas for scenery photographers. Pay special attention to the algae covered wall, you never know what critters you might find here. Numerous schooling tropical reef fish and an excellent variety of soft and hard coral cover the wall.

Fukui Point
A sloping reef on a white sandy bottom, Fukui point is one of the few dive spots around Bunaken Island with no deep wall reef. Spotted garden eels, giant clams, bumphead parrot-fish, large barracudas, humphead napoleon wrasses, schools of batfish and other pelagic fish are frequent visitors here. Hard and soft corals with barrel sponges are a common sight as well.

Mandolin
Mandolin is named after the traditional musical instrument due to its shape from a bird’s eye view. The currents range from moderate to strong at this dive site. You will enjoy small schools of reef fish, angelfish, gobies, bumphead parrotfish, and large barracudas. The reef is pristine, with nice corals, large gorgonian fans and ascidians. Additionally, in the deeper part there is possibility to see blacktip reef sharks.

Raymond’s point
Raymond’s point is close to Mandolin. The site is known for its large cave, many lobsters, emperor angelfish, groupers, sting rays and sometimes small spotted eagle rays. Many small schools of fish live here too and banded sea snakes are a common sight on the top reef. This is a perfect place for underwater photographers due to the nice soft and hard corals and a lovely view from the cave with the sun bursting through.

Mike’s point
Located on the north west of Bunaken Island, this beautiful site was named after well-known underwater photographer, Mike Severns. Mike’s point is a wall covered with a great variety of different colorful corals and home to a huge range of tropical reef fish, which makes it perfect for fish portrait photography. Big fishes are common guests to this site too, as it often has strong currents. The reef floor is covered in different types of sponges which make it a great area for deeper diving.

Sachiko’s point
Another popular dive site, this stunning wall with breathtaking soft and hard corals and large gorgonians provides a home for stonefish and certain types of moray eels, especially the white-mouth moray. In mid-water, away from the reef, there are literally thousands and thousands of schooling red tooth triggerfish. Strong currents bring schools of jacks and barracudas along the wall and occasionally reef sharks cruise along the deeper areas of the reef.

Bunaken Timur
Located on the eastern part of Bunaken Island, this site has a very similar reef structure to Pangalisan. The reef itself is very long and seems impossible to do in a single dive. It’s another excellent place for drift diving, because of the currents affected by the tides. Ascidians, spotted eagle rays, turtles, nudibranchs, shrimps, butterflyfish, and sharks are common sights here and it is a special dive site for macro photography.

Muka Kampung
Muka Kampung means “in front of the village,” which is located at the southern tip of Bunaken Island. Currents are sometimes extremely strong giving you an exhilarating fast underwater ride. Usually we see napoleon wrasses, black and white tip reef sharks, lobsters and moorish idols and of course various schools of fish. Big turtles are a possibility at this site too. The wall contains many vertical crevices and canyons.

Alung Banua
This spot has excellent macro objects to offer. One thing for sure is that you have to search for the disguised creatures: leaf fish, ghost pipefish and frogfish to name just a few. The wall also offers beautiful caves, which sometimes shelter sleeping white tip reef sharks.

Manado Tua

The extinct volcano of Manado Tua dominates the Bunaken skyline and offers spectacular dive sites.

Negeri
Towards the east of Muka Gereja, Negeri is a fantastic site for a deep dive. At 30m sandy steps offer possible encounters with silvertip sharks. At depth you can expect big fish, as well as giant clams, banded pipe fish, parrotfish, angelfish and other schooling fish. A nice variety of beautiful soft coral and big barrel sponges are found here. The visibility is usually great and currents very much depend on the direction and strength of the wind.

Tanjung kopi
This site often has strong currents with good visibility. Many types of parrotfish, surgeonfish, triggerfish, and sometimes blacktip and hammerhead sharks are in this area. At deeper depth you may encounter emperor angelfish. There is an abundance of beautiful soft coral, gorgonians, and whip corals.

Panggulingan
This site slopes to 30m and switches into a vertical wall. It is one of the healthiest reefs, with a nice diversity of corals. Expect encounters with large pelagic fish such as large barracudas, napoleon wrasse and giant trevally. At 30m you see thick schools of bannerfish and butterflyfish, spotted eagle rays, sea snakes and the possibility of sleeping sharks under table corals. For experienced divers only, due to strong horizontal currents.

Mantehage & Nain

Barracuda point
As you can guess from the dive site name, you can expect large schools of barracudas. Additionally, we usually see snapper, titan triggerfish, groupers, and bannerfish. Sometimes you will see sharks, jack fish and more. The reef here is mostly soft coral. This dive site is for experienced divers only as you will often encounter very strong currents including the possibility of strong down current.

Batu kapal
A deep divers’ site to see schools of hammerhead sharks, if you are lucky. Barracudas, white-tip reef sharks and sponge crabs are a common sight here. Cleaner shrimp, scorpionfish, large nudibranchs, and cuttlefish are also found at this dive site. Batu Kapal is a must when diving Bunaken.

Gorango point
This is another special dive site for experienced divers. In the local dialect, Gorango means sharks. This sloping reef wall houses nice soft and hard corals. Expect to encounter triggerfish, grey sharks, snapper, bump-head parrotfish and turtles. Hammerhead sharks can be found at the deeper part of the reef. With moderate to strong currents this site is suited to drift dives.

Jalan masuk
Again, for experienced divers as there is often a strong current. Whitetip reef sharks are frequently spotted here as well as many schooling tropical fish including bump-head parrotfish. This site has soft corals, sponges and much more…

Siladen

A great place for both snorkelers and divers, the variety of hard and soft corals and has become a host to different types of colorful reef fish. The plentiful small overhangs are loaded with soft corals and hydroids, which house lots of small critters for you to discover. Napoleon wrasse and spotted eagle rays are regular visitors to this area.

Siladen Utara
As its name says, it is located behind Siladen island. This is a good place to see turtles, snappers, emperor angelfish and even reef white tip sharks. There is also a lot of macro life at the stepped sandy bottom.

Siladen Timur
Sliladen Timur is located on the eastern part of the island with an exposed reef top. Surgeonfish, rabbitfish, parrotfish, large jacks, and other pelagic fish are abundant here. The reef has huge barrel sponges, beautiful black coral and gorgonians. The current can sometimes be strong.