North Sulawesi Underwater Photo Workshop

Coral Eye Marine Outpost

The Resort

Coral Eye Marine Outpost began as a research station where scientists studied the incredibly rich reefs surrounding Bangka Island, off the coast of North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Over the years, it has evolved into one of the region's most luxurious dive resorts. Coral Eye's villas embody barefoot luxury, while the new beachfront pool, restaurant, and lounge provide the perfect place to relax between dives.

If you can't get enough of the diving, stretching along 1,800 feet of private beachfront, Coral Eye is home to one of Indonesia's most spectacular house reefs, offering world-class underwater photography opportunities without ever leaving the property. Its spacious dive boats cater wonderfully to photographers, providing ample room for cameras rigs.

Trip Details

Underwater Photo Instructor: Todd Winner
Price: USD $2,247.00 per person, double occupancy
Dates: September 1-6, 2027

Price is per person, double occupancy. Packages include accommodation in chosen room category, full board meals and snacks, airport transfers, unlimited diving with Nitrox and unlimited massages

Diving at Coral Eye

The marine environment around Coral Eye teems with life. Vibrant schooling fish and a kaleidoscope of colorful sponges and corals adorn the area's gently-sloping reefs. While Coral Eye is generally known for its wide-angle scenery, nearby macro-rich bays are home to rare nudibranchs, giant frogfish, and countless other fascinating tropical critters.

Speaking of frogfish, the world-famous macro mecca of Lembeh Strait is just a 45-minute boat ride away! For critter lovers or those seeking a macro-focused adventure, day trips to Lembeh's legendary muck diving sites are always available, offering the chance to spend an entire day searching for Indonesia's most extraordinary underwater creatures, from blue-ringed octopus, to hairy frogfish, to flamboyant cuttlefish.

Siladen Resort and Spa

The Resort

Siladen Resort & Spa has become one of the premier up-and-coming dive destinations in all of Indonesia. Aptly named, the resort is located on the beautiful island of Siladen within Bunaken National Marine Park, a renowned marine sanctuary celebrated for its vibrant coral reefs, dramatic walls, and turtles.

Already recognized as a world-class resort, Siladen continues to raise the bar. An upgraded restaurant, pool area, and state-of-the-art camera room will be completed in time for our arrival in September 2027. Like nearby Coral Eye, Siladen's dive operation and facilities were designed with underwater photographers in mind, offering a spacious camera room, charging areas, rinse tanks, and all the amenities photographers have come to expect from a first-class dive resort.

Of course, diving isn't the only way to enjoy your time at Siladen. Both Siladen Resort & Spa and Coral Eye feature exceptional spa facilities, and relaxing spa treatments are included in your package. Spend your mornings exploring the underwater world and your afternoons unwinding with a massage, or dive all day if that's more your style—the choice is entirely yours. Whether you're chasing the perfect photo or simply looking to relax in paradise, Siladen offers the ideal balance of adventure and luxury.

Trip Details

Underwater Photo Instructor: Todd Winner
Price: USD $2,505.00 per person, double occupancy
Dates: September 6–11, 2027

Your package includes accommodation in your chosen room category; full-board meals and snacks; water, coffee, tea, soft drinks, fruit juices, health drinks, beer, and house wine; guided boat and house-reef dives with Nitrox; unlimited spa treatments; round-trip airport transfers.

Diving at Siladen

Siladen's location in the heart of Bunaken Marine Park provides access to some of the world's finest wall diving. Towering walls draped in colorful sponges and healthy hard and soft corals are what the area is famous for, making for stunning underwater seascapes. Green turtles, perhaps Siladen's most iconic residents, are a common sight, often allowing close encounters that make them outstanding photographic subjects for both wide-angle and close-focus wide-angle photography.

However, Siladen offers far more than spectacular reefs and resident turtles. The resort also features exciting blackwater diving, where divers and photographers descend over hundreds, or even thousands of feet of open ocean after dark to drift with the currents in search of an incredible variety of bizarre and beautiful pelagic creatures that migrate toward the surface each night.

And while the nearby Lembeh Strait rightfully earns worldwide recognition for its muck diving, the waters surrounding Siladen are home to an impressive diversity of macro life as well. Frogfish, blue-ringed octopuses, countless nudibranchs, and many other fascinating critters can all be found on the local dive sites, making Siladen an exceptional destination for both wide-angle and macro photographers.

 

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