CajunDiva
Contributor
TRIP REPORT: Two Fish Divers – Lembeh Strait/Bunaken Island, October 2011
(October 5-25, 2011)
As promised, here is our trip report for our recent trip to Bunaken Island and Lembeh Strait with Two Fish Divers. We love to dive and visiting Indonesia was big on our wish list, but unfortunately our budget was not as large as our wish list. Thanks to a great offer with Singapore Airlines, we were able to book a round trip flight all the way from Houston to Manado for a very reasonable price. From that point we were in the hands of Two Fish Divers and they took great care of us. This was the perfect venue for us because they have a professional dive operation (the only PADI 5* Dive Resort in Lembeh), but the lodging is fairly basic making the prices very reasonable.
Admittedly, I had doubts about surviving in Indonesia with no air conditioning, but honestly I had no problem adapting. During the day it was hot, but that’s when we were out diving and doing things anyway. When the sun set it didn’t take long to cool off. Fans were provided so we were able to sleep comfortably. In fact, by early morning we even got a little chilly. We had a superior cottage with one large double bed and an additional single bed, which for us served as a place to lay out our camera gear and computers for charging, etc. The electricity was 220. They provide adapters on request and we brought a couple of converters so we could utilize camera charging equipment and other items. We had a large bathroom that provided for all of our basic needs without being fancy or frilly. It even had a western style toilet, which was a must for me. We also had a large front porch with the most comfortable hammock I’ve ever experienced…made from parachute material! I spent every available moment I could in that spot. We also had a drying rack on the balcony to hang out our wet bathing suits & clothing to dry.
At Lembeh there were three of us assigned to one dive guide for the first four days. After our dive partner flew out on Friday it was just the two of us for the rest of our 10 day stay. Our guide Leo was fantastic and had a great eye for discovering all of the amazing creatures of the Lembeh Strait. At the risk of boring everyone to tears, here is a list of the sites we dove and some of the things we saw:
1. Rojos- Frogfish, Scorpionfish, Peacock Mantis Shrimp
2. TKII -
3. Makawide Palau– Bangai Cardinalfish, Cowfish, White Stonefish, Spiny Devilfish, Snake Eel, Devil Scorpionfish, Janoly’s Nudibranch, Juvenile Black Spotted Puffer
4. Tanjung Tebal- Brackish Frogfish, Ornate Ghost Pipefish, Shaggy Frogfish, Ambon Scorpionfish, Sepia Cuttlefish, Coconut Octopus, Dragonet, Raggy Scorpionfish, Flambuoyant Cuttlefish, Orangutan Crab, Catfish (school), Leaf Scorpionfish, Flying Gunard
5. Bangka Island 1- (Forgot to write down the name of the site) Got caught in heavy current and only had the opportunity to observe a couple of anemones with anemonefish and banded boxer shrimp
6. Bangka Island 2- Great coral formations, Reef Octopus, Spotted Stingray, Peacock Mantis Shrimp
7. Bangka Island 3- Beautiful wall dive, lots of fish life, Moray Eel, Painted Frogfish, numerous Nudibranches
8. Angel’s Window- Bright white Anemone, Juvenile Lobster, Moorish Idols, Puffers, Banner Fish, Yellow Boxfish
9. TKII- Painted Black Frogfish, Long Armed Octopus, Mimic Octopus, Mototi Octopus, Ornate Ghost Pipefish, Hairy Ghost Pipefish, Peacock Mantis Shrimp, Dragonet, White Seahorse
10. Pantai Parigi- Juvenile dragonet, Peacock Mantis Shrimp, Nudibranchs, Lionfish, Spotted Stingrays, Yellow Frogfish, Orangutan Crabs, Cowfish, Cockatoo Waspfish, Porcelain Crab, Lizardfish, Starfish
11. Batu Lubang- Peacock Mantis Shrimp, Nudibranchs, large Pufferfish, Orangutan Crab, Needlefish, Cowfish, Moorish Idols, Ambion Scorpionfish, Lionfish, Snake Eel, Moray Eel
12. Kangko Point- Nudibranchs, Commensal Shrimp, Mimic Octopus, Pipefish, Bangai Cardinalfish, Hairy Crab
13. Pintu Kolada- Mandarin dive…LOTS of Mandarinfish!
14. Aer Bajo - Coconut Octopus, Grey Frogfish, Yellow Seahorse, Flambuoyant Cuttlefish, Snake Eel, Garden Eels, Ambion Scorpionfish, Squat Lobster, Sepia Cuttlefish, Nudibranchs
15. Aer Prang- Misc. Reef Fish, Demon Stinger, Puffer, Nudibranchs, Cockatoo Waspfish, Porcelain Crab, SlowHand Commensal Shrimp, Boxfish, Pipefish, Banded Boxer Shrimp, Humpback Scorpionfish
16. Jahir- Night Dive, Urchins, Cowfish, Chrinoids, Hermit Crab, Squid, Coconut Octopus, Slipper Lobster, Snake Eel, Moorish Idols, Black Scorpionfish, Ambien Scorpionfish, Stargazer
17. Retak Larry- Mulfiple Scorpionfish, Multiple Nudibranchs, Slow Hand Commensal Shrimp, Lionfish, Snake Eel, Moray Eel, Brittle Star, White Seahorse, Bangai Cardinalfish, Flambuoyant Cuttlefish
18. Batu Sandar- Rescued a stingray that had been hooked on a fishing line, Cuttlefish, Slow Hand Commensal Shrimp, Porcelain Crab, Common Seahorse, Blue Spotted Stingray, School of Catfish, Dragonet, Banded Boxer Shrimp, Orangutan Crab, Moorish Idols
19. California Dreaming– Nudibranchs, Crinoids, Porcelain Crab, Sweetlips, Lionfish, Tunicates, Misc. Reef Fish
20. Hairball I- Porcelain Crab, Snake Eel, Hermit Crab, Scorpionfish, Nudibranchs, Flying Gunard, Yellow Boxfish, Commensal Shrimp, Long Armed Octopus, Peacock Mantis Shrimp, Pufferfish, Orangutan Crab, Juvenile Filefish, Decorator Crab
21. Magic Rock- Pygmy Seahorses, Bangai Cardinalfish, Porcelain Crab, Candy Crab, Ocean Trigger Fish, Nudibranchs, Leaf Scorpionfish, Giant Clams, Cuttlefish, Black Ribbon Eel
22. Nudi Retreat -
23. Makawide Beach - Last Day…forgot to write down what we saw!
24. Sarena West -
This was our first muck diving experience and we were absolutely blown away by the things we saw at Lembeh. It was somewhat difficult to overcome the desire to see coral sites, but we found that there were some beautiful dives in the Strait…it’s not all just muck! It wasn’t all just diving, either. We took one afternoon off from diving to go and check out Tangkoko National Reserve, which was really nice. Of course the purpose of our trip was to spot the elusive Tarsier Monkey (which we did) but I had much more fun observing the Black Macaque Monkeys in their habitat. The little ones were so much fun!
After 10 days at Two Fish in Lembeh, it was time to sample the wall diving of Bunaken Island. On transfer day we had a REALLY good time. Our driver showed us some interesting attractions. First we checked out a volcano, which was a first for me. Mt. Lokon has been erupting this summer, so we were taken to the other…Mt. Mahawu, which was equally impressive. Next we did a little souvenir shopping in Tomohon. We were offered the opportunity to stop at the local markets, but after hearing that they sell dogs there for food we declined the offer and settled for a couple of basic Indonesia souvenirs. After our brief shopping stop we had the opportunity to enjoy lunch at a restaurant overlooking Lake Tondano. The food was GREAT and we really enjoyed our time there. Our most challenging stop was a hike to the Kali Waterfall. The hike down was not so bad…coming back up was the challenge! But in the end it was worth the effort – the falls are gorgeous! Our final stop was at the mall in Manado. There is a place called J Co. that serves frozen yogurt and awesome donuts…yummy! Finally it was time to meet the Two Fish Divers boat for transfer to Bunaken Island. The crossing took about 40 minutes, after which we were all settled in our superior cottage which was almost a replica of the one in Lembeh.
I don’t know if it was the fact that the moon was full (affecting the tides) or maybe the time of year, but the currents were really strong at Bunaken. The morning dives were manageable, but the first two days we tried to dive in the afternoon we really got rocked by some serious currents, which really just doesn’t sync very well with our dive personalities. We love to take it easy and look for the small stuff…and of course take tons of pictures. My photography skills were seriously challenged this week, and I’m afraid I didn’t live up to the challenge! But I did my best and had a grand time trying.
The sites we dove at Bunaken were:
Alban, M. Kampung, Lekuan II, Ron’s Point, Lekuan III, Sashiko, Fukui, Lekuan I, Johnson, Tanjung, a mainland muck site called ABA and a site at Siladen Island.
I was unable to keep up with everything we saw, but one comment I can make is that Bunaken has a healthy turtle population! We saw them on almost every dive and got a few decent photos. One of the highlights was when dive guide Stefan found a Pontohi Seahorse…major find!
As usual I’m getting a bit too long winded, so I’ll wrap it up by saying that we really enjoyed our amazing 18 day odyssey in Indonesia. The travel was much more harrowing than we predicted because the time difference between our home and Indonesia is 13 hours. Even though we’ve been home over a week it’s still difficult to get our days and nights straight. Two Fish Divers was just what we were looking for…a resort that provided great diving opportunities, safe diving practices, a sincere awareness of conservation and an affordable price tag. I would sincerely recommend them to anyone with the same criteria.
I have uploaded our photos to albums in my gallery...enjoy
***NOTE: Thanks so much to our ScubaBoard buddies for all the great recommendations on what to do during our stopover in Singapore...we had a blast at Boat Quay and Clarke Quay!
(October 5-25, 2011)
As promised, here is our trip report for our recent trip to Bunaken Island and Lembeh Strait with Two Fish Divers. We love to dive and visiting Indonesia was big on our wish list, but unfortunately our budget was not as large as our wish list. Thanks to a great offer with Singapore Airlines, we were able to book a round trip flight all the way from Houston to Manado for a very reasonable price. From that point we were in the hands of Two Fish Divers and they took great care of us. This was the perfect venue for us because they have a professional dive operation (the only PADI 5* Dive Resort in Lembeh), but the lodging is fairly basic making the prices very reasonable.
Admittedly, I had doubts about surviving in Indonesia with no air conditioning, but honestly I had no problem adapting. During the day it was hot, but that’s when we were out diving and doing things anyway. When the sun set it didn’t take long to cool off. Fans were provided so we were able to sleep comfortably. In fact, by early morning we even got a little chilly. We had a superior cottage with one large double bed and an additional single bed, which for us served as a place to lay out our camera gear and computers for charging, etc. The electricity was 220. They provide adapters on request and we brought a couple of converters so we could utilize camera charging equipment and other items. We had a large bathroom that provided for all of our basic needs without being fancy or frilly. It even had a western style toilet, which was a must for me. We also had a large front porch with the most comfortable hammock I’ve ever experienced…made from parachute material! I spent every available moment I could in that spot. We also had a drying rack on the balcony to hang out our wet bathing suits & clothing to dry.
At Lembeh there were three of us assigned to one dive guide for the first four days. After our dive partner flew out on Friday it was just the two of us for the rest of our 10 day stay. Our guide Leo was fantastic and had a great eye for discovering all of the amazing creatures of the Lembeh Strait. At the risk of boring everyone to tears, here is a list of the sites we dove and some of the things we saw:
1. Rojos- Frogfish, Scorpionfish, Peacock Mantis Shrimp
2. TKII -
3. Makawide Palau– Bangai Cardinalfish, Cowfish, White Stonefish, Spiny Devilfish, Snake Eel, Devil Scorpionfish, Janoly’s Nudibranch, Juvenile Black Spotted Puffer
4. Tanjung Tebal- Brackish Frogfish, Ornate Ghost Pipefish, Shaggy Frogfish, Ambon Scorpionfish, Sepia Cuttlefish, Coconut Octopus, Dragonet, Raggy Scorpionfish, Flambuoyant Cuttlefish, Orangutan Crab, Catfish (school), Leaf Scorpionfish, Flying Gunard
5. Bangka Island 1- (Forgot to write down the name of the site) Got caught in heavy current and only had the opportunity to observe a couple of anemones with anemonefish and banded boxer shrimp
6. Bangka Island 2- Great coral formations, Reef Octopus, Spotted Stingray, Peacock Mantis Shrimp
7. Bangka Island 3- Beautiful wall dive, lots of fish life, Moray Eel, Painted Frogfish, numerous Nudibranches
8. Angel’s Window- Bright white Anemone, Juvenile Lobster, Moorish Idols, Puffers, Banner Fish, Yellow Boxfish
9. TKII- Painted Black Frogfish, Long Armed Octopus, Mimic Octopus, Mototi Octopus, Ornate Ghost Pipefish, Hairy Ghost Pipefish, Peacock Mantis Shrimp, Dragonet, White Seahorse
10. Pantai Parigi- Juvenile dragonet, Peacock Mantis Shrimp, Nudibranchs, Lionfish, Spotted Stingrays, Yellow Frogfish, Orangutan Crabs, Cowfish, Cockatoo Waspfish, Porcelain Crab, Lizardfish, Starfish
11. Batu Lubang- Peacock Mantis Shrimp, Nudibranchs, large Pufferfish, Orangutan Crab, Needlefish, Cowfish, Moorish Idols, Ambion Scorpionfish, Lionfish, Snake Eel, Moray Eel
12. Kangko Point- Nudibranchs, Commensal Shrimp, Mimic Octopus, Pipefish, Bangai Cardinalfish, Hairy Crab
13. Pintu Kolada- Mandarin dive…LOTS of Mandarinfish!
14. Aer Bajo - Coconut Octopus, Grey Frogfish, Yellow Seahorse, Flambuoyant Cuttlefish, Snake Eel, Garden Eels, Ambion Scorpionfish, Squat Lobster, Sepia Cuttlefish, Nudibranchs
15. Aer Prang- Misc. Reef Fish, Demon Stinger, Puffer, Nudibranchs, Cockatoo Waspfish, Porcelain Crab, SlowHand Commensal Shrimp, Boxfish, Pipefish, Banded Boxer Shrimp, Humpback Scorpionfish
16. Jahir- Night Dive, Urchins, Cowfish, Chrinoids, Hermit Crab, Squid, Coconut Octopus, Slipper Lobster, Snake Eel, Moorish Idols, Black Scorpionfish, Ambien Scorpionfish, Stargazer
17. Retak Larry- Mulfiple Scorpionfish, Multiple Nudibranchs, Slow Hand Commensal Shrimp, Lionfish, Snake Eel, Moray Eel, Brittle Star, White Seahorse, Bangai Cardinalfish, Flambuoyant Cuttlefish
18. Batu Sandar- Rescued a stingray that had been hooked on a fishing line, Cuttlefish, Slow Hand Commensal Shrimp, Porcelain Crab, Common Seahorse, Blue Spotted Stingray, School of Catfish, Dragonet, Banded Boxer Shrimp, Orangutan Crab, Moorish Idols
19. California Dreaming– Nudibranchs, Crinoids, Porcelain Crab, Sweetlips, Lionfish, Tunicates, Misc. Reef Fish
20. Hairball I- Porcelain Crab, Snake Eel, Hermit Crab, Scorpionfish, Nudibranchs, Flying Gunard, Yellow Boxfish, Commensal Shrimp, Long Armed Octopus, Peacock Mantis Shrimp, Pufferfish, Orangutan Crab, Juvenile Filefish, Decorator Crab
21. Magic Rock- Pygmy Seahorses, Bangai Cardinalfish, Porcelain Crab, Candy Crab, Ocean Trigger Fish, Nudibranchs, Leaf Scorpionfish, Giant Clams, Cuttlefish, Black Ribbon Eel
22. Nudi Retreat -
23. Makawide Beach - Last Day…forgot to write down what we saw!
24. Sarena West -
This was our first muck diving experience and we were absolutely blown away by the things we saw at Lembeh. It was somewhat difficult to overcome the desire to see coral sites, but we found that there were some beautiful dives in the Strait…it’s not all just muck! It wasn’t all just diving, either. We took one afternoon off from diving to go and check out Tangkoko National Reserve, which was really nice. Of course the purpose of our trip was to spot the elusive Tarsier Monkey (which we did) but I had much more fun observing the Black Macaque Monkeys in their habitat. The little ones were so much fun!
After 10 days at Two Fish in Lembeh, it was time to sample the wall diving of Bunaken Island. On transfer day we had a REALLY good time. Our driver showed us some interesting attractions. First we checked out a volcano, which was a first for me. Mt. Lokon has been erupting this summer, so we were taken to the other…Mt. Mahawu, which was equally impressive. Next we did a little souvenir shopping in Tomohon. We were offered the opportunity to stop at the local markets, but after hearing that they sell dogs there for food we declined the offer and settled for a couple of basic Indonesia souvenirs. After our brief shopping stop we had the opportunity to enjoy lunch at a restaurant overlooking Lake Tondano. The food was GREAT and we really enjoyed our time there. Our most challenging stop was a hike to the Kali Waterfall. The hike down was not so bad…coming back up was the challenge! But in the end it was worth the effort – the falls are gorgeous! Our final stop was at the mall in Manado. There is a place called J Co. that serves frozen yogurt and awesome donuts…yummy! Finally it was time to meet the Two Fish Divers boat for transfer to Bunaken Island. The crossing took about 40 minutes, after which we were all settled in our superior cottage which was almost a replica of the one in Lembeh.
I don’t know if it was the fact that the moon was full (affecting the tides) or maybe the time of year, but the currents were really strong at Bunaken. The morning dives were manageable, but the first two days we tried to dive in the afternoon we really got rocked by some serious currents, which really just doesn’t sync very well with our dive personalities. We love to take it easy and look for the small stuff…and of course take tons of pictures. My photography skills were seriously challenged this week, and I’m afraid I didn’t live up to the challenge! But I did my best and had a grand time trying.
The sites we dove at Bunaken were:
Alban, M. Kampung, Lekuan II, Ron’s Point, Lekuan III, Sashiko, Fukui, Lekuan I, Johnson, Tanjung, a mainland muck site called ABA and a site at Siladen Island.
I was unable to keep up with everything we saw, but one comment I can make is that Bunaken has a healthy turtle population! We saw them on almost every dive and got a few decent photos. One of the highlights was when dive guide Stefan found a Pontohi Seahorse…major find!
As usual I’m getting a bit too long winded, so I’ll wrap it up by saying that we really enjoyed our amazing 18 day odyssey in Indonesia. The travel was much more harrowing than we predicted because the time difference between our home and Indonesia is 13 hours. Even though we’ve been home over a week it’s still difficult to get our days and nights straight. Two Fish Divers was just what we were looking for…a resort that provided great diving opportunities, safe diving practices, a sincere awareness of conservation and an affordable price tag. I would sincerely recommend them to anyone with the same criteria.
I have uploaded our photos to albums in my gallery...enjoy
***NOTE: Thanks so much to our ScubaBoard buddies for all the great recommendations on what to do during our stopover in Singapore...we had a blast at Boat Quay and Clarke Quay!
