Bunaken, Marine national park in North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Bunaken is a marine national park in North Sulawesi that covers several islands with coral reefs and warm water. The reefs form steep walls that drop into deep blue, while the water is so clear you can see schools of fish and the surface of the corals from many meters away.

The park was created in the early nineties when the government decided to protect the coast and the reef. Since then, fishing has been restricted in most zones to preserve the ecosystem.

The park's 22 villages hold about 35,000 people; most work as fishermen or grow coconut, sweet potato, banana and seaweed for export, while others serve as dive guides, boat operators and cottage staff. The name Bunaken is linked to the word "bunak", a type of canoe fishermen once carved from a single tree trunk.

Diving and snorkelling are the main activities, and the park's reefs lie between islands where the sea floor drops to depths of 200–1,840 m, so the coast falls straight down the continental slope. The southern part of the park reaches the Tanjung Kelapa coast on the mainland. Twenty-two villages with about 35,000 people sit inside the park, and many residents work as dive guides, boat operators or cottage staff.

In some bays you can watch large sea turtles swimming slowly between the corals, grazing algae off the rocks. Some come so close to the surface that snorkelers can drift next to them and watch them feed.