Lembeh Resort Trip Report - Critter hunting below AND above water!

[Wisnu]

Lembeh is always amazing - love to come back agai next year
tahnks for the nice report and great pics.

 

[TSandM]

You brought back some great memories!

This picture looked to me as though it needed just a red hat with some white fur trim to be quite seasonal:

 

[shawrg]

Amazing critters! I don't know what several of them are, but your photos show them off beautifully. Thanks for the great report too!

 

[Sorrows]

We just completed a 13 night stay at Lembeh Resort and loved every second of it. When we first arrived, we were a bit nervous we'd be bored for two weeks in one place doing only muck diving. But by the end of the trip, we wished we could add another two weeks. We had never been to Indonesia before and it was a long trek from the US, but this resort, the staff, and the diving made it all worth while.

Thank you so much for a wonderful trip report! I am now more determined than ever that THIS is the year we finally get to Indonesia, which has been on the top of the bucket list for quite some time. This will most likely be our last big trip with our college-aged son, so I want to get it right.

I've been thinking about the various Lembeh/Bunaken/other N. Sulawesi combinations and am curious why you chose to stick with Lembeh? Since we are avid critter hunters/macro photographers, I've thought of doing the same, but it seems if we go all the way out there (from D.C.) we should include both experiences--but now that I have read your report (among others) I'm thinking of following your example. I wonder if there are others out there who would recommend sticking with Lembeh? Why or why not?

Sorry to hear that Cathay Pacific has gone downhill. What about Singapore Air? I hear lots of good things about it--plus I would LOVE a stopover in Singapore; actually I would love a stopover in ANY of the possible gateway cities.

Thanks again for a detailed trip report--and photos!

 

[Chaseh]

Just wow, great great album.

We're about to book a safari through Southern Africa and this is making me question our chioce. How many dives a day are available at this resort? Are shore dives popular, available, and worth doing?

 

[Wisnu]

Chaseh,
Lembeh is muck diving capital of the world - if you love strange critters and into UWP, you will not regret your decision.
Typical diving day is 3 dives/day typically short boat diving, plus 4th night dive at house reef, some crazy people love 5 dives/day.
There's group from wetpixel regularly conduct night dive safari - certaily worth doing if you're critters lover.

If you're bigfish lover - lembeh is not your choice.

Cheers

 

[ekapoo]

I've been thinking about the various Lembeh/Bunaken/other N. Sulawesi combinations and am curious why you chose to stick with Lembeh? Since we are avid critter hunters/macro photographers, I've thought of doing the same, but it seems if we go all the way out there (from D.C.) we should include both experiences--but now that I have read your report (among others) I'm thinking of following your example.

Sorrows-
The reason we chose only to visit Lembeh was purely personal. There are other areas close by we would have loved to explore (and hopefully will some day), but this trip we wanted to just stay put in Lembeh for several reasons:
1. We wanted a purely relaxing vacation without having to pick up, pack and move in the middle of it - even once.
2. As sad as this may sound to some, we just weren't in the mood for a reef diving trip. We wanted to see unique and unusual creatures for a change of pace.
3. We wanted to fully take advantage of the length of time we had for this vacation to photograph every critter on our bucket list for that area. In reality, we really did need the full time in Lembeh to see it all (i.e. we didn't see a blue ring until dive #30).

So overall, we couldn't have been happier with 2 full weeks in Lembeh. In case you want a day of Bankga diving, the dive shop at the resort did offer day trips of three dive to the area (for an extra fee). We thought about it, but decided not to take advantage because we didn't want to miss any critters at Lembeh!

 

[ekapoo]

Chaseh-
At Lembeh Resort the schedule was as follows:
7am breakfast
8am boat dive 1
back to resort for surface interval
10:45 boat dive 2
1pm lunch (at resort)
2:30 boat dive 3
relax or shore dive
6pm night boat dive (or you could night shore dive)
7pm dinner (or about 8pm if you did the night dive)

The shore diving was decent at the resort. Definitely worth doing. Most guests we saw did a shore dive at least once.

 

[Sorrows]

Thanks, ekapoo, you are echoing a lot of what I feel--particularly the part about moving in the middle! I also understand that at that time of year (December) Lenbeh is more protected and less likely to be affected by weather. So we are definitely leaning Lembeh for the full time.

I have a few more questions if you don't mind:

1. I've read that there are several reef-ish dives and a wreck you can do at Lembeh so there is some variety IF one feels the need for it? Was that your experience as well?

2. Did you use a 3m wetsuit and did you find it adequate?

3. How did you get that frogfish just as he was opening his mouth? Planned or happy accident? Btw, outstanding!

 

[ekapoo]

Sorrows- in answer to your questions:
1. Yes we did do a few reef-ish dives - California dreaming was reef. Nudi Falls and if I remember correctly, nudi retreat, also had some reef in the shallows. That was plenty of reef for us. And you could do a day trip to Bankga which is reef if you want to. I did not see a wreck on any of our dives, but that does not mean there isn't one there somewhere.
2. The water was 82 F. On several dives there was a very cold upwelling from the deep. I used a 5m and was glad I did for those chilled upwellings. So did my husband. I get cold fast though and always wear a 5m and a beanie too. Most of the guests had on 3m and seemed OK.
3. The frog fish shot was mostly luck. I was photographing him and saw him open his mouth once just as I finished, so I thought I would have the camera ready again just in case he opened it a second time... and he did.... and I was lucky to have caught it!

Have a great time there! We will be planning a return trip soon.