Dive Review of Black Sands Dive Retreat in
Indonesia/Lembeh Strait

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Black Sands Dive Retreat: "Excellent diving, service and accommodation!", Mar, 2016, by Eileen J Councill, FL, US ( Contributor 14 reports with 7 Helpful votes). Report 8860.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	This resort was amazing and completely blew away my expectations. First, the owners are just incredible hosts; they are knowledgable about everything above and below the water, they care about every detail from food to service to accommodation and comfort, and they are passionate about diving. They are kind and helpful at all times. The resort is beautiful on the edge of a cliff overlooking the strait. The dive shop resides just off one of the most gorgeous black sand beaches I have ever seen. The sand was like silk and black as night. It was beautiful. The cabins are HUGE and all themed by sea creature. They are beautifully created with attention to detail, comfortable and private. The outdoor bathroom is a dream - absolutely lovely! There is a huge water tank in the room for consumption which is great that a) you have enough water and b) plastic is not piling up with every bottle drunk. The dive team is superb. They can see everything. We did one house reef dive ourselves at night and missed so much without them. They are talented, kind, patient and safety conscious. Every dive lasts between 60-80 minutes. The guides are down at least an hour to 70 minutes. They are great about looking for things that interest you. There are a maximum of 4 divers on a boat with one guide which keeps things calm and easy given all the cameras. The equipment is great and the boats are clean. The drivers do a great job caring for cameras, lights, etc. The camera room just off the dive area is superb. It has about 18 cubby stations and each one has enough power outlets to charge 5 cameras. It's excellent and they provide towels. I wish they had a high pressure air hose. The final day we hung out at the beautiful foot shaped pool and they booked us on a trip to the jungle to see Tarsiers and other things. It was great. We loved our time there - they made a huge Christmas and New Years celebration with a roasted full pig. They had excellent 5 pm snacks before dinner which were always delicious and a highlight. Free internet was awesome too and you pre-order your meals so when you sit down at the table your food is ready for you within a few minutes. I loved that as the time between dives was needed for camera maintenance, relaxation, etc.
Websites	Black Sands Dive Retreat
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Red Sea, Galapagos, Bali, Egypt, Phillipines, Indonesia, Caribbean, Indian Ocean, Mozambique, South Africa, Hawaii, Pacific, Palau, Guam, Yap
Closest Airport	Monado	Getting There	Via Singapore. Easy.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	75-90°F / 24-32°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	20-40 Ft/ 6-12 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	?
Enforced diving restrictions	Nothing was enforced; we dove our own profile.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	Cameras were placed on floor of boat and covered. The drivers were very careful. Facilities on shore were superb. See above.

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Dive Review of Black Sands Dive Retreat in Indonesia/Lembeh Strait

Black Sands Dive Retreat: "Excellent diving, service and accommodation!", Mar, 2016,

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 Black Sands Dive Retreat in
Indonesia/Lembeh Strait