Kasawari Lembeh, Dec, 2009,by Michael J. Millet, CA, USA ( Top Contributor 96 reports with 61 Helpful votes). Report 5283. |
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No photos available at this time | |||
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best): |
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Accommodations | Food | ||
Service and Attitude | Environmental Sensitivity | ||
Dive Operation | Shore Diving | N/A | |
Snorkeling | N/A | ||
Overall Rating |
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Value for $$ | |||
Beginners | |||
Advanced | |||
Comments |
Kasawari Resort is on Lembeh Strait near the city of Bitung. The resort is fairly new. It is spacious and clean. We had a room over looking the strait; the room was quite large with a large deck and outdoor shower. The food was very good and include both Indonesian and Western food served both buffet and ala carte. The Indonesian food is preferable. The staff is friendly and helpful. The dining area and lounge are very pleasant with great views of the strait. The lounge has an extensive marine life library. Regarding the accommodations, there were some disappointments. The pool was out of order our entire visit and not reopened until the day we left. Our deck was infested with ants.There is a charge for the wireless internet, which is slow and unreliable. Also, the usage terms are not easily understood. I complained when my access was cut off and it was restored with at no additional charge. There is no useable beach at Kasawari. Also, there is considerable trash in the water and along the shoreline. The dive operation is top notch. The crew very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. Divers are divided into small groups (no more than 3) per dive guide. On several dives, I had my own guide. All the dives are within 15 minutes of the resort. Each dive is for one tank. The crew rinses your dive gear including wet suit and booties after each dive. Essentially, all the diving is in the muck. So unless you are encountering some critter there in nothing much to enjoy -- no wall, no coral garden. The variety and uniqueness of the marine life is incomparable. Lots of frogfish, scorpionfish, cuttlefish, octopus, shrimp, crab, nudibranchs. No big critters. Also, usually the viz was no more than 50'. It is THE place for macro photography. My personal preference is diving with more variety of sites like Bunaken or Gangga. I may return to Kawawari but for less than a full week. |
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Websites | Kasawari Lembeh | ||
Reporter and Travel |
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Dive Experience | Over 1000 dives | ||
Where else diving | Micronesia, Galapagos, Solomon Islands, Palau, Vanuatu, GBR, Fiji, Socorros, Indonesia, all over the Caribbean. |
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Closest Airport | Getting There | ||
Dive Conditions |
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Weather | sunny | Seas | calm, currents |
Water Temp | 82-84°F / 28-29°C | Wetsuit Thickness | 3 |
Water Visibility | 40-75 Ft/ 12-23 M | ||
Dive Policy |
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Dive own profile | ? | ||
Enforced diving restrictions | Just stay with dive guide; several dives in excess of 1 hour | ||
Liveaboard? | no | Nitrox Available? | yes |
What I Saw |
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Sharks | None | Mantas | None |
Dolphins | None | Whale Sharks | None |
Turtles | None | Whales | None |
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best): |
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Corals | Tropical Fish | ||
Small Critters | Large Fish | N/A | |
Large Pelagics | N/A | ||
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best): |
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Subject Matter | Boat Facilities | ||
Overall rating for UWP's | Shore Facilities | ||
UW Photo Comments | The topside camera facility was superb with large individual work stations, battery charging, towels, air and even lens tissues. On the boats, the crew took good care of camera gear and would rinse cameras and return them to the camera room. |
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