I’ve just returned from my third trip to Siladen, a tiny coral-fringed island just off the coast of North Sulawesi with an amazing house reef—one of the best places for snorkeling in Bunaken National Marine Park. This means that you can slip on your snorkel fins and swim straight into an underwater paradise right from the shore. The entirety of the island lies within Bunaken National Park—a marine reserve on UNESCO’s tentative World Heritage list—so you always have an abundance of life in the blue just a few swim strokes away.

This post highlights the new critters I found in 2025. For a more basic snorkeling overview of Siladen, check out my 2023 intro guide.

Magnificent Sea Anemones

I love pretty much any anemone, and anemone sightings at Siladen are nothing new—but this is the first time I’ve seen the columns of Radianthus magnifica curl up into balloons here.

I’ve also never seen the underside of a magnificent anemone with orangey-pink spots before (thanks to Andrew, my host at Bobocha Siladen, for capturing this shot for me).

Eels

There were more eels on this visit than I’d seen before at Siladen. This time, I found three different kinds of morays: the Turkey (Gymnothorax meleagris), the fabulously-named enigmatic (Gymnothorax enigmaticus), and the snowflake (Echidna nebulosa).

Crabs

I must admit that crab ID is not my forte, but the whole eyes-on-stalks thing gets me every time.

Blue Dragon Nudibranch

Yes, I’ve seen nudibranchs on Siladen’s house reef before—but nothing like this one! Meet tiny Pteraeolidia semperi, which is said to resemble a traditional Chinese dragon.

Sponges

Easily overlooked by those searching for things that move, sponges don’t get as much credit as they should. But they’re beautiful organisms (technically sessile metazoans, or multi-celled immobile animals) that help make this house reef a place you’ll truly want to see.

Yellow Mesh Sea Star

You’ll see dozens of blue sea stars (Linckia laevigata) and chocolate chip sea stars (Protoreaster nodosus) at Siladen, but the yellow mesh sea star (Nardoa novaecaledoniae) propels itself into view a bit less often.

Reef Fish

It’s impossible to do all of the fish here justice — this is just the beginning. And if you catch the right moment, you might find yourself in the middle of a full-on fish party!

Camouflaged Fish

Sometimes I have to write “Fish” in big orange letters just to know I haven’t taken a random picture of the seafloor. In this case, the stonefish above is easier to make out, but the lizardfish still makes me squint. As for the black-spotted puffer (a.k.a. dog-faced puffer) in the photo below, I’m not sure he’s camouflaged quite as well, but he’s trying.

Tiny Fish

It’s taken years of snorkeling, but I’m finally getting better at spotting little guys like blennies and gobies.

A Few Old Favorites

I know I said this post would focus only on new critters, but I have to say farewell with one turtle …

… and two clownfish:

Tips for Visiting Siladen

• You can reach Siladen in just four hours from Singapore — once your direct flight lands in Manado, it’s only half an hour by car and ferry to a snorkeling paradise!
• There are three resort options on Siladen: Siladen Resort & Spa, Kuda Laut, and Bobocha Siladen. If you choose to stay at Bobocha — my usual pick — ask for a snorkeling trip with Andreas. He’s a fabulous guide, and he’ll find stuff you’ll likely never see on your own.
• It’s easy to do an excursion to the Bunaken Island side of the marine park with just a quick twenty-minute boat ride from any of the resorts on Siladen.

New to Siladen? Here’s my post about staying on the island.

Want To See More Bunaken Creatures?

• You’ll find giant clams of all colors here.
• If you love Nemo, this post on clownfish is for you.
• Ready for night snorkeling? You’ll find a whole new world of marine life waiting for you.