Siladen 2

Siladen 2 is the eastern wall of Siladen Island, offering a distinct experience from Siladen 1 with a more open-ocean character, stronger current influence, and notably larger seafan formations on the wall face.

Overview

Siladen 2 wraps around the eastern side of Siladen Island, facing out toward the Molucca Sea rather than back toward Bunaken and Manado. This orientation exposes the wall to more direct oceanic influence, resulting in stronger and more variable currents than the sheltered western side, and correspondingly more prolific soft coral and gorgonian growth. The site offers a step up in challenge from Siladen 1 while remaining within the intermediate range in favourable conditions.

Like all Siladen sites, Siladen 2 benefits from lower diver traffic than the famous Bunaken Island walls, and the eastern orientation means the site receives excellent morning light — making it a popular first-of-day dive for photographers based at the Siladen resort.

What to Expect

The wall drops from a crest at around 5 metres to 35 metres, with the most dramatic section between 15 and 30 metres where the largest gorgonian sea fans are found. These fans are visibly larger than those at the more sheltered west side of the island, reflecting the stronger current feeding them. The wall face is covered in multicoloured soft corals and crinoids that add vivid colour to wide-angle photographs.

Siladen 2’s open-ocean exposure brings more pelagic activity than the west wall: dogtooth tuna and rainbow runner regularly cruise past, and grey reef sharks are more frequently seen here than at Siladen 1. Turtles are present but tend to be more mobile given the stronger current. The shallower reef crest, however, remains calm enough to linger in — it hosts dense populations of reef fish including schools of moorish idols, anthias, and juvenile lionfish among the coral branches.

Conditions

• Depth range: 5–35 m
• Visibility: 15–30 m; excellent in calm conditions
• Currents: Moderate to strong; direction and strength variable
• Water temperature: 26–30°C; upwellings possible on east face
• Best season: May–October

Tips

Check current conditions before committing to Siladen 2 — if a strong upwelling is present on the east face, visibility can drop and the current can be difficult to manage. The west wall (Siladen 1) is a better choice on those days. When conditions are right, the combination of the seafan garden and pelagic activity makes this one of the finest intermediate wall dives in the park.

Sources: Murex Resorts - Diving Bunaken Guide, Two Fish Divers - Bunaken Dive Sites, Bluewater Dive Travel - Manado Bunaken, Dive The World - Bunaken Manado, ZuBlu - Beautiful Bunaken Guide, Murex Resorts - Diving Bunaken, Tasik Ria Dive Sites Bunaken, ZuBlu - Best Dive Sites in Bunaken, Dive The World - Bunaken National Park, Underwater Asia - Bunaken Diving Guide. Last updated 2026-04-04.