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Dive Review of Sakatia Lodge /Sakatia Lodge in
Africa/Madagascar

Sakatia Lodge /Sakatia Lodge: "Great Diving in Madagascar", Oct, 2014,

by ROBERT PECORARO, NY, US (Contributor Contributor 15 reports with 8 Helpful votes). Report 8017 has 2 Helpful votes.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 4 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments Sakatia Lodge is a full service dive resort located on Sakatia Island, a small island off of Nosy Be Island in Madagascar. The dive operation is run by Jacques, who serves as dive coordinator and divemaster. He runs a safe, professional operation and he makes every effort to accommodate the wishes of the divers to ensure that everyone has a great time. The dives were remarkably good, and the area is loaded with tropical fish, invertabrates and healthy corals. The visibility was mostly very good, although we did have one bad day, where it dropped down to about 45 ft., with a lot of particulates in the water. The boat is small and comfortable and designed so that divers could simply swim into the boat after handing up their weight belt and kit. The boat has no transom. The stern is simply wide open. No ladder necessary. The dives were relaxed and very easy. The group followed the divemaster and ascended with him at the end of the dive. There were no time limits imposed. I suppose that buddy teams could probably stay if there was remaining air at the end of a dive, but it never really came up. In between dives we searched for whales and whale sharks. It was the end of the Humpback Whale season. Although we saw no whale sharks, we did see a few Humpbacks in the distance and we had the opportunity to swim with what we thought was a Minke Whale. I have since been told that it was actually a juvenile Fin Whale. I'm not quite sure which is correct, but it was a bit curious and fun to swim with. The Sakatia Lodge is nicely situated in a small cove. It consists of a main building, which houses the bar and restaurant, the dive shop building and a series of huts along the water or up the hill a bit on the edge of the forest. We had a "nature hut", which is near the forest. Our hut was beneath a large mango tree and we got nightly visits from a small family of Black lemurs that came to feast on the ripe mangos. The lemurs were very friendly and were not afraid to take mangos and bananas from your hand. It was a cool experience. There were snakes and lizards abound as well. Many of the beautiful bright green Day Geckos were used to people and gladly posed for photos with their perpetual smiles. The rooms themselves were open and airy. The only issue that we had was that generated electricity was available periodically throughout the day and night. This wasn't a real problem except that the electric fan would go off with the electricity around 2 am each morning. I find it difficult to sleep when I am too warm. It would be nice if they could put it on a separate circuit like some of the hotels in Madagascar did so that the fan could stay on all night. Just a thought. Other than that, I don't think that this experience could have been much better. The staff was friendly and helpful and the diving was excellent. I would certainly recommend this place to anyone looking for a relaxing diving experience with a safe, friendly operator.
Websites Sakatia Lodge   Sakatia Lodge

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving Africa, Asia, Indo Pacific, Hawaii, Egypt, Caribbean, Central and South America, Australia
Closest Airport Nosy-be Airport Getting There Flight to Nosy-Be, followed by a 30 min drive and a short ferry ride. Not too difficult.

Dive Conditions

Weather dry Seas calm
Water Temp 80-82°F / 27-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 45-80 Ft/ 14-24 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions The dives were easy and relaxing. The group stayed with the divemaster and surfaced with him. I suppose that a buddy team could stay down if they had air remaining, although it never really was an issue.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks None Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales 1 or 2
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 2 stars

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

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 3 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 4 stars Shore Facilities 4 stars
UW Photo Comments Jacques is an underwater photographer and he is knowlegeable. There are no camera rinse tanks on the boat, but there is one at the shop, upon your return.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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