Dive Review of Lumba Lumba Diving in
Indonesia/North Sulawesi

Other Indonesia reports
Subscriber Content Preview
Active subscribers go here

Lumba Lumba Diving: "Great diving at a small, personalized resort", May, 2018, by Christian Andersen, OR, US ( 2 reports). Report 10577.
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
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Lumba Lumba is a top-notch resort that caters to divers of all levels wanting a personalized dive vacation. The resort is small and very well maintained, with beautiful gardens and walkways plus an infinity pool, all set on a steep hillside overlooking the ocean. The only (partial) negative is that the resort is a 4-5 minute walk (or ride if you prefer) from the water. The resort setting provides beautiful views and sunsets, but it was less convenient for snorkeling or swimming from the dock. There are staff everywhere, tending the gardens, making meals, carrying gear, and always available for guest requests. They have accommodations for a maximum of approx. 18 people, but during our stay, the number never exceeded 11 (including the 7 in our group). The food was outstanding and varied, with a soup, two entrees, and multiple side dishes each night. Breakfasts had fresh fruit, eggs cooked to order, and interesting pastries. Juud and Roel often joined us for dinner and told interesting stories of building the resort from the ground up. We were made to feel completely welcome and pampered. The boat and crew were incredibly accommodating and we were never rushed. The dive boat was well maintained and had a large partially enclosed cabin with ample seating for divers. Although the boat was not fast, it was comfortable and customized for diving. Travel time to/from Bunaken (the dive location) was about 1.5 hrs each way, which may seem long, but it was a nice time to visit and look through the numerous reef and fish ID guides onboard. On one trip to Bunaken, we came across a pod of dophins, and the captain circled in the same spot for over 20 minutes while they played (and we took pictures). Two members of our group were completing their open water certifications during the first couple of days, and Kres was an excellent instructor for them. He served as their personal dive master for the entire trip, tailoring their dives to their level of comfort. In addition to our group, we were joined by one other diver (during our stay the boat never exceeded 8 guest divers). Incredibly, for the eight divers we had no less than 6 crew members- one dive guide for every two divers, plus a captain and tender. Each group was allowed to tailor their dive route and profile- it was not uncommon for each dive group to end up on a completely different portion of the reef, and in some cases different reefs, waiting for pick-up. Our dives averaged over 60 minutes, with some shallower dives approaching 90 minutes- each diver’s downtime was determined by their air consumption, not by other group members. Diving at Lumba Lumba is a whole day adventure- depart after breakfast at 8:30, with the first dive occurring 10-10:30, followed by lunch on the boat, and a break before the afternoon dive when we could snorkel or swim. The boat generally returned to the resort around 4:00. My understanding is that we could have requested 3 dives each day, with the boat returning around 5:30, but we decided on two-dives per day during our stay. It was the most relaxing and accommodating dive charter I have ever been on. The diving was outstanding and included walls, currents and shallow sloping reefs. We saw 3 frogfish on one of our first dives, which was astonishing to those of us who spend most of our time diving in the Caribbean. In addition to frogfish, we saw ghost pipe fish, leaf scorpionfish, ribbon eels, turtles, cuddlefish, numerous species of nudibranchs, schooling striped catfish, and amazing coral diversity. Although Bunaken offers the most diversity, some of the best sites were within a 10 minute boat ride from the resort. Our only disappointment was seeing a lot of floating plastic and garbage in the water, which unfortunately is becoming more common. The level of concern and the commitment of resort staff was outstanding. Upon arrival at the airport at the beginning of our stay, a member of our group required medical assistance in Manado. The staff (Kres, the divemaster) picked him up at the airport and drove him directly to the hospital to act as a guide/interpreter. The remainder of the group was picked up by other resort staff and taken directly to the resort. All turned out well, and we were extremely grateful for the assistance after two days of air travel- it set the tone for the rest of our stay.
Websites	Lumba Lumba Diving
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Mexico, Cayman, Belize, Bonaire, Fiji, Pacific Northwest
Closest Airport	Manado	Getting There	Flight through Singapore
Dive Conditions
Weather	cloudy	Seas	calm
Water Temp	82-83°F / 28-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	50-75 Ft/ 15-23 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	no
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	Schools	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	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

Leave a comment (Subscribers only -- 200 words max)
Subscribers can comment here

Subscribers can post comments, ask the reviewer questions, as well as getting immediate and complete access to ALL 1435 dive reviews of Indonesia and all other dive destinations. Complete access to all issues and Chapbooks is also included.

All Indonesia Dive Reviews and Reports
Diving Guide to Indonesia
Diving Reviews for All Dive Destinations

Featured Links from Our Sponsors
Interested in becoming a sponsor?

Reef & Rainforest, Let our experience be your guide -- Reef and Rainforest

Reef & Rainforest is an agency for travelers that scuba dive. Looking for Biodiversity, critters, Komodo, Raja Ampat, temples? We specialize in adventures to Indonesia.

Want to assemble your own collection of Indonesia reports in one place?
Use the Mini Chapbook Facility to create your personalized collection.

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.

Undercurrent Home

Page computed and displayed in 0.19 seconds

Get more dive info like these and other important scuba updates sent monthly to your email. And a FREE Recent Issue of Undercurrent
Get a free monthly email and a sample issue!

Dive Review of Lumba Lumba Diving in Indonesia/North Sulawesi

Lumba Lumba Diving: "Great diving at a small, personalized resort", May, 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 Lumba Lumba Diving in
Indonesia/North Sulawesi