Dive Review of Coral Eye in
Indonesia/Bangka Island, North Sulawesi

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Coral Eye: "High-End Comfort and Excellent Diving in North Sulawesi", May, 2026, by Hugh E Aaron, FL, US ( Top Contributor 32 reports with 31 Helpful votes). Report 13840.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	We stayed at Coral Eye Boutique Resort and Marine Outpost for 10 nights in May 2026, as part of a longer Indonesia trip. We chose Coral Eye because of its excellent reviews and because it appeared to be a good base for diving several of the best-known areas of North Sulawesi, including Bangka Island, Bunaken Marine Park, and Lembeh Strait. Our route to Coral Eye was somewhat unusual because it was part of a longer Indonesia itinerary. Before arriving at Coral Eye, we spent time in Jakarta, dove at Saronde Island Resort near Gorontalo, and spent a weekend at Tangkoko National Park. Coral Eye’s car service picked us up at Tangkoko and drove us to the boat transfer point. The transfer from Tangkoko took about 90 minutes, including both the car and boat rides. Had we not visited Saronde first, we would have flown directly to Manado. That would have been much easier, as the transfer from Manado airport to Coral Eye takes less than two hours, including both the car and boat rides. For guests who want to visit Tangkoko, Coral Eye offers a one-day excursion. Tangkoko is well worth a visit, especially for seeing black-crested macaques, spectral tarsiers, and other endemic wildlife. Coral Eye is one of a handful of small dive resorts on Bangka Island. Other than the resorts, the island is largely undeveloped, except for several local villages. There are no roads on the island and no commercial operations other than the dive resorts. Coral Eye is in a beautiful setting between jungle and beach, accessible only by boat or on foot through the jungle. In my 40 or so years of dive travel, Coral Eye is one of the most luxurious and best-managed dive resorts I have visited. The resort has classic Indonesian architecture, and all of the buildings are on or very close to a beautiful beach with an extensive house reef. The construction quality throughout the resort is very high. Coral Eye has an interesting history. It began as an outpost for marine biology research, and while it has since been developed into a luxury dive resort, it still retains part of that original function. There were three Italian marine biologists on site during our visit. They gave evening lectures, were very open to interacting with guests, and frequently went out on the dive boats to conduct fieldwork while we dove. They added a distinctive dimension to the overall Coral Eye experience. The original two-story, open-air research station still exists but has been transformed into an elegant space with guest rooms, a library, a theater room, several meeting areas, and the resort office. There are many places within the building to relax, socialize, or learn, and the overall effect is impressive. The dive operation is in a building adjacent to the research station. Among other things, that building includes freshwater rinse facilities, an air gun, gear drying areas, and gear storage areas. Until recently, the research station also functioned as the restaurant and lounge. In 2025, Coral Eye completed a large new open-air restaurant and lounge with an infinity pool. ... Subscribe to get the full story. Active subscribers continue reading here
Websites	Coral Eye
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Virginia, North Carolina, California, Hawaii, Florida, Bahamas, Caribbean, Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, Roatan, Belize, Thailand, Australia, Egypt, Bali, Raja Ampat, Maldives, Fiji, Palau, Yap, Japan, Philippines, Sulawesi
Closest Airport	Manado	Getting There	US to Jakarta; domestic flight to Manado; resort arranges car and boat transfer from airport
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	calm
Water Temp	28-29°C / 82-84°F	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	15-25 M / 49-82 Ft
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Sat with guide-led group.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	A separate room in the dive operations building is dedicated to photography. It contains numerous workstations that can be claimed for exclusive use while at Coral Eye. The workstations had ... Subscribe to get the full story. Active subscribers continue reading here

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Dive Review of Coral Eye in Indonesia/Bangka Island, North Sulawesi

Coral Eye: "High-End Comfort and Excellent Diving in North Sulawesi", May, 2026,

Photos Submitted with this Report

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Coral Eye in
Indonesia/Bangka Island, North Sulawesi