Bunaken National Marine Park, about 30 minutes by boat from Manado's harbour, is the main reason most visitors come to North Sulawesi. The park covers 890 square kilometres and encompasses five islands — Bunaken, Siladen, Mantehage, Nain, and the dramatic volcanic cone of Manado Tua. The diving is world-class: vertical coral walls dropping to hundreds of metres, dense reef gardens, and waters teeming with turtles, sharks, Napoleon wrasse, and reef fish in extraordinary variety.
There are more than 20 named dive sites in the park. The best known include Likuan I and II (the famous walls), Barracuda Point, and Sachiko Point. Many dive operators in Manado city run day trips with two or three dives included; for serious divers, staying on Bunaken island gives you earlier access to the sites before the day-tripper boats arrive. Snorkelling is also possible at the shallower sites.