Tanjung Parigi

Tanjung Parigi is a challenging wall dive off Bunaken Island’s north-east coast, where the reef wraps around a point at depth and strong nutrient-rich currents sustain some of the park’s largest soft coral formations.

Overview

“Tanjung” means cape or headland in Indonesian, and Tanjung Parigi marks a prominent corner on Bunaken’s north-east side where the reef transitions from the island’s eastern wall to the north-facing wall section. The site’s exposure to the open Molucca Sea means currents here are among the strongest regularly encountered in the national park, and the dive is not suitable for divers without solid buoyancy skills and current experience. Those who can manage the conditions are rewarded with a wall that is among the most impressively colonised in all of Bunaken.

What to Expect

The wall crest sits at 3–5 metres and the face descends sharply to the 40-metre limit and beyond. The defining features of Tanjung Parigi are its massive soft coral formations — colonies that have accumulated over years of high-flow conditions into structures that dwarf anything seen at more sheltered sites. Orange and red dendronephthya corals the size of small bushes cling to every available surface between 10 and 35 metres. Large gorgonian sea fans stand alongside the corals, and sea whips of impressive length sway in the ambient current.

The point itself is where schooling fish and pelagic encounters concentrate. Schools of surgeonfish and unicornfish travel along the wall face, while in the open water, bigeye trevally and Spanish mackerel patrol. Dogtooth tuna pass through periodically. Sharks — both whitetip and grey reef species — are reliable, and patients divers watching the open water at depth are occasionally rewarded with hammerhead sightings during peak season (April–May). Napoleon wrasse cruise the wall regularly.

Conditions

• Depth range: 3–40+ m
• Visibility: 15–30 m
• Currents: Strong; direction can be unpredictable at the point
• Water temperature: 26–29°C; thermoclines present
• Best season: May–October

Tips

Entry timing is critical at Tanjung Parigi — guides who know this site will assess current direction at the surface before committing to a dive plan. Moving current can make the soft coral garden even more spectacular, as the colonies fan out in the flow, but diving into a strong head current is exhausting and unproductive. A reef hook is useful here if you want to hold position and watch the open-water action without drifting.

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.