Best Bangka Dive resort?

[Luko]

Which gringo you talking about, Danny the owner? Or Pym the Dutchman? Or Olly?

- Bill

Danny now owns altogether with Angelique, Dr.Batuna's heritage.
Pym is a nice and enthusiastic guy in charge of whole Murex operations.
Tommy an indo/chinese was in charge for Bangka resort, I believe a belgian guy now does. In the end you can now witness what's the difference.
I already told Murex managment that in my view there was no need for a gringo manager in Bangka.

 

[billt4sf]

His name is Olllie (I think he spells it Oli).

He has been helpful to me a few times, but of course I don;t know how it was before him.

- Bill

 

[Dan]

Did you see any dugong?

 

[cephalopod2]

We have spent the last few weeks visiting Bangka, Lembeh, and Bunaken. We stayed at Murex, and it is OK.

Was wondering if anyone knows of a dive resort on Bangka that may be a cut above Murex? Maybe Blue Bay? We really want 24 hour electricity and the food at Murex is pretty boring.

I'm not sure you're going to get 24 hour power anywhere on Bangka itself and personally I'm happy for that. I actually liked Murex's power schedule better than the places that only run power during the day (then no power at night). Personally I would rather have fan/AC to keep cool and sleep well at night since we're out diving most of the day. And the dining room had 24 hour power for any urgent battery charging.

I'm not sure Blue Bay is your solution. My friend thinks the cabins are nicer and they have a guide he really enjoys, but his summary of the rest was "no air con and no showers, only "mandi" type bathrooms..also no wifi." Don't know about their food.

I agree Murex's food is pretty monotonous. I ended up eating lots of the local peanuts. I haven't checked their prices recently, but I know Luko said they hiked them significantly, leaving them even less of an excuse for monotonous food.

 

[billt4sf]

Did you see any dugong?

No.

 

[billt4sf]

Having sent two weeks in N. Sulawesi, I'm not quite sure if we would go back. We'll have to look again at the costs. Our hesitations are the accommodations and the condition of the water.

There sure is a LOT of garbage in the water! On several dives I had to gut check myself "Do I really want to jump in that?" Part of it was knowing that what we see is only a portion of what must be getting dumped in. I hope the dive resorts are reading this! I know its not your fault, but I am just saying that here we are, just two guests, and if we hesitate to go back, you can be sure others are, too. It's a worldwide problem, I know.

We washed our ears after every dive as we do anywhere in Indo (and maybe from now on, anywhere in the world).

I have to admit that the older I get, the longer it takes to recover from an illness. A LOT longer! (I had some recent experience). So when I am living in accommodations that don't feel "really clean" to me, it gives me some qualms. By "really clean" I don't just mean the floors or the driveway, but the overall feeling of it, including wondering how cleanly the food was being prepared and served (BTW it was never hot, only in Lembeh Resort & Spa ). My wife says she can more easily adapt than me, and probably she can, but I know she felt a great sense of relief to be back at our place in Ubud.

Just some thoughts after a dive trip. Hope you are all well and having fun doing (or at least planning) some great diving!

Oh yeah - YMMV.

- Bill

 

[AlMitch]

I've been to Mimphi Indah and Blue Bay and here is my quick comparison.
Accommodation: MI has the better bungalows with proper showers, they are nice and big and clean and in the middle of the jungle. BB's are quite basic but clean and right on the beach front. The Mandi shower may be an issue for your...but it's not so bad.
Beach: BB's beach is just stunning! MI's mostly disappears at high tide.
Power: Both cut off between midnight and 6am. BUT I did chat to the guys at BB and I think if you push them they may keep it running at night.
Food: BB's food was amazing, varied and tasty and the crew serenade you through dinner on hand made instruments. MI was very "local" and after 6 night I was bored as heck.
Diving: BB's guides are BRILLIANT and the boats are big and comfy!! The last time I was at MI the guides were very poor and the boat is starting to look a tad old.

When our boys are a tad older I would consider going back to BB. BUT I would offer them an extra few $$'s to keep the fans on at night.
MI has a real Robinson Crusoe vibe.

There are two other resorts on Bangka not mentioned above, Nomads and then Sea Soul Divers.
Sea Souls looks pretty interesting and if I were heading back to Bangka I may be tempted to give them a try.

 

[Flian]

i am going to Bangka next year, was wondering whether spent 2 days on bunaken, have anyone going both place before? Is Bunaken worth the money? cause i will need to spend more on transit.

 

[oli4]

Danny now owns altogether with Angelique, Dr.Batuna's heritage.
Pym is a nice and enthusiastic guy in charge of whole Murex operations.
Tommy an indo/chinese was in charge for Bangka resort, I believe a belgian guy now does. In the end you can now witness what's the difference.
I already told Murex managment that in my view there was no need for a gringo manager in Bangka.

Luko, I don't know you and you don't know me... I am the gringo... It's nice to see you engaging, but please, get your facts straight.

 

[Searcaigh]

Is Bunaken worth the money?

Bunaken is brilliant