Dive Review of Lembeh Resort in
Indonesia/Lembeh Island, North Sulawesi

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Lembeh Resort, Sep, 2006, by James Jenkins, CA, United States . Report 3085.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	This was one of our best diving trips, land or liveaboard! Perhaps, like Stan Waterman, we are getting older and enjoying the macro stuff more and this location and resort delivered. We had been hearing about Indonesia and Lembeh Straight in particular for years. KBR and Lembeh Resort were getting rave reviews for critter diving so we finally had to try it and are we glad we did! BTW, there is coral and wall diving further north up the straight worth the trip if you need a change from black sand. Imagine Dina’s Beach (Milne Bay, PNG) on steroids with a guide to show you critter after critter. Here’s a partial list from just my first day (3 dives): electric scallop, winged pipefish, Pegasus sea moth, xeno crab, cockatoo wasp fish, leaf scorpion fish, mantis shrimp, Randall’s goby, various cardinal fish, razor fish, dragonets, flying gurnards, painted frog fish, ornate ghost pipe fish, blue ribbon eels in all phases (black, blue, yellow), rhinopius (one pink, one green), two giant frog fish, coconut octopus, false stone fish, tons of nudibranchs, lion fish, and scorpion fish. (Don’t expect large fish, sharks, or rays.) There is a dusk dive on the house reef that delivers mandarin fish and also a decent night dive. Night dives are offered every night with a minimum of two divers. All were good to excellent -- some highlights: Bobbitt worms, coconut octopus out hunting, cuttle fish, free-swimming snake eel, pluerobranchs, hairy frog fish, devil scorpion fish, stargazers. Ask for Nudi Falls. Generally, the water was calm but we had strong (20 – 25 knot) winds which created chop and also added to heat loss traveling to and from dive sites (given wet wetsuits). Visibility ranged from 25’ to 50’ on most muck sites and improved to 80’+ on the sites further north up the straight. The diving is not challenging and currents, when present, are mild. Beginners (50 – 100 dives) can do these dives, but should work hard on buoyancy before going and learn to keep legs up and bent when kicking near the bottom. I.e., while a beginner can do most of the dives, he is likely to ruin much of the diving for other guests by stirring up the bottom, etc. All diving is from large boats which generally took up to 8 divers (two groups of 4 with guides). Entry is via a back roll and return is up a ladder; they will hoist your weights and tank if you wish. Water temperatures ranged from 75° to 79° F and there were some thermoclines and currents with even colder water. (My only complaint for the whole experience was that I was not prepared for the cold.) Keep in mind that you will not be very active on most dives and take the proper rubber! The resort is beautifully laid out. The dining room has views of the straight and jungle. There is a small media room with two computers with Internet access. The older rooms are a comfortable walk and climb from the main area; the new accommodations have great views and breezes but are quite a hike! (While we returned to our room several times a day, we did take dry bathing suits down to avoid the hike between morning dives.) Many of us used the pool for a rinse and sunning between dives. There are padded chaise lounges and beach towels. We principally dove with Ronald. He was terrific! On occasion we dove with other guides and they were all attentive, great at spotting critters, and very helpful. Everything from transfers from/to the airport in Manado to room cleanliness was as good as any resort we’ve been to. We'll definitely return.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Caribbean, California, Cocos, Galapagos, Hawaii, Fiji, Truk, Palau, Solomon’s, PNG, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc.
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	75-79°F / 24-26°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	25-50 Ft/ 8-15 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	No gloves. Lembeh provides a guide for each group of up to four divers. While you don’t have to stay right with the guide, you’ll want to as they are expert at finding stuff and know where the “permanent” residents are!
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
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	There is a huge camera room next to the dive lockers. I don’t think it would have been crowded if two-thirds of the guests had cameras. 220 and 110 volts are available; clean towels are supplied. There are computers with USB ports and CD writers. On the boats there was a large shelf area for cameras – again, enough room for 6 or more outfits for 8 divers.

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Dive Review of Lembeh Resort in Indonesia/Lembeh Island, North Sulawesi

Lembeh Resort, Sep, 2006,

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 Lembeh Resort in
Indonesia/Lembeh Island, North Sulawesi