Dive Review of Gangga Island Resort & Spa in
Indonesia/Gangga Island Resort

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Gangga Island Resort & Spa: "Sleepy resort with world class diving", Sep, 2018, by Jon Hoffmann, GA, US ( Contributor 15 reports with 19 Helpful votes). Report 10573.
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	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	The Resort: Travel from the Manado airport to Gangga Island takes approximately 60 minutes by van and another 20 by boat. Representatives will take care of everything from the moment you exit the terminal. Besides the resort, the island only has 2 villages- Gangga 1 (Christian) and Gangga 2 (Muslim). Check in is pleasant with a drink and snack. As well as a dive shop briefing if you are diving the next day. September would appear to be their slowest month as there were approximately 12 guests. Mostly a mix from UK, western Europe and US, with a few Russians. I’m told October through the end of the year is much busier. The 15 duplex bungalows are spacious and most directly on the beach. There is power 24X7, but it does go out for a few seconds 3X per day as they switch over generators. Hot water is solar, and although functional, it doesn’t last long at night. Units 4, 7, 10, and 13 are set back a little, but still with clear view and steps to the beach. Unit 15 is set back the most but you wouldn’t suffer. All units will have spectacular views of the sunset. The higher the unit number, the longer the walk to your bungalow, which can be difficult on a dark night after a few Bintangs. There is a single bar and restaurant, both open air, as well as the lobby with pool table and a library area. There is a separate building containing the spa and boutique, and separate dive shop facilities at the entrance to the jetty. Beer prices are a little steep ($4.50 each), but the dining facilities are very nice, and all meals are included and served at tables reserved by bungalow number. Dinners are pre-ordered from an ala-carte menu and breakfast and lunch are buffet style, although it was so slow when I was there that lunch was ala carte too. I’m not a foodie, but I found the meals outstanding and the limited ala carte menus were varied enough that I never felt I had to settle for something. They have a great chef and servers. Other than diving, eating and lounging around the pool or beach or having a spa day, there is nothing else to do- this is a sleepy resort so be prepared to entertain yourself. The onsite boutique doesn’t carry many items, so make sure you bring everything you need. The diving: Is all done from spacious speedboats with covered areas and enclosed head. There were 3 functional boats ,all in the 35 foot range during my visit, but with twin and triple 200 HP motors, getting to the dive sites was fun and quick. The boats had generous cabins that were welcome on some days to hide from the relentless Indonesian sun. At most we had 6 divers on the boat which were roomy enough that we weren’t in each other’s way. More than that would be a little packed. In between dives, the crew provides fresh coconuts with straws to drink the milk. They also provide towels, water and fruit. A few times, there were only 2 divers going out, so we each got our own guide to go find specifically what we wanted. There are no camera facilities at the resort, other than your room, but there are water filled coolers on the boats for cameras. The dive shop collects your gear in a bin the day you arrive and takes care of everything from there, putting the bin on the boat for every dive and setting up all gear. Nitrox fills were rarely over 32% or 200 bar, but always adequate as there are rarely deep dives or any that lasted less than 70 minutes. I received several tanks that had recently been inspected and cleaned. Those tanks had residue remaining that left a foul taste. As the boat leaves the jetty, it’s about an hour ride to Lembeh if you go left, and less than that to the right at Bunaken. The rides didn’t seem that long because of the comfort of the boats and the awesome scenery, but there are plenty of sites a few minutes away on Gangga, Bangka and Sulewesi islands. As far as the diving itself, water temps were 78-82 degrees and always amazing coral and fish life. Viz went anywhere from 20 feet in the muck at Lembeh to 100 feet on the walls at Bunaken. But this is Indonesia and arguably the best diving in the world.
Websites	Gangga Island Resort & Spa
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Caribbean, Costa Rica, Thailand, Micronesia, Maldives, Indonesia, PNG, Palau, Malaysia, Philippines
Closest Airport	Manado	Getting There	via Singapore
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	calm, currents, no currents
Water Temp	77-82°F / 25-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	1
Water Visibility	20-100 Ft/ 6-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Usually a depth and time limit, but never surfaced less than 70 min
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	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	[None]

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Dive Review of Gangga Island Resort & Spa in Indonesia/Gangga Island Resort

Gangga Island Resort & Spa: "Sleepy resort with world class diving", Sep, 2018,

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 Gangga Island Resort & Spa in
Indonesia/Gangga Island Resort