Resort Comparisons in Lembeh

Hi! I have had a fabulous time reading trip reports, sifting through old posts and visiting resort websites. However, I am still missing some key info to decide between the resorts in Lembeh.

A little about myself and my husband: We have been to this area before on a LOB, as well as Bunaken, Lekuan, Bangka etc. We fell in love with the muck and are dying to do more diving in the Lembeh Strait. In a resort, we don't need luxury, just value for the money: clean place to sleep with hot water and friendly staff. We want to dive as many times and as long as possible (safely). Definitely want Nitrox.

Hubby is an avid amateur photog, so a place to charge batteries, keep equipment, etc.
Would love a low diver to guide ratio, and especially if they keep photographers in separate groups (some won't yield to let anyone else take a few snaps)

Now for the questions:

2 Fish in Lembeh: Do they have Nitrox and how much is it? Is it possible to do 4 boat dives per day? How is the house reef?

Black Sand resort: Is there a time limit for dives?

NAD: One trip report I read stated "house reef is nothing special", anyone have the same or different opinion?

Lembeh Resort: one trip report I read stated that they have a 60 minute time limit on dives, but that it's not enforced. Anyone else have this experience while there?

For any of these resorts, are there limits on diving the house reef in terms of hours ( I noticed KBR only has house reef diving from 8am-5pm)

Also, I spoke to a couple who stayed at KBR who stated that they were unable to dive the house reef while there due to strong currents. Are any of the above resorts also subject to currents like these?

Sorry for such a long-winded thread! I really appreciate any comments or suggestions any of you have. Thank you so much.

I can only comment regarding 2 Fish, haven't been to the other resorts.

I wasn't using Nitrox and don't really remember it being offered there, but I may have just not noticed since I didn't ask about.

4 boat dives per day is not a problem there.

If the house reef was located in most places, I would not be impressed. But I had great fun going out on slow, relaxed solo dives in the evenings and playing with my camera on the 2 fish reef. I saw a few nudis I had not encountered before, mandarin fish in the staghorn, various anemones with shrimp and crabs...fairly good muck fun as I saw it. So for muck oriented dives it can be OK.

Thank you so much for your feedback

I had read one trip report that stated Nitrox was available at 2 Fish, but that they get it from another resort. I'll contact them and find out for sure.

Hi,

I went to Lembeh Resort last year. I loved it! When we arrived, they asked us for a list of critters we wanted to see and they delivered all of them! I am not a photographer but I do remember some dive going over 60 minutes, no problem. They do offer nitrox. I did not do nitrox so I really did not want to go over 60 minutes. The dive profiles tend to me square.
I did not do the house reef, 3 boat dives a day were enough for me and I did not do any night dives. The staff , food, and room were great. I know what you mean about photographers not letting other people in. I think Lembeh resort does a great job making everyone happy.
Hope this helps.

Frogfishlover,

Every little bit of information helps! Thanks for the info.

For me, I can easily dive 5x a day with Nitrox.. With air, I am wiped out after 3 dives. Nitrox makes all the difference in my energy level.

NudiHuntrs:

Lembeh Resort: one trip report I read stated that they have a 60 minute time limit on dives, but that it's not enforced. Anyone else have this experience while there?

Click to expand...

I had one 80 minute dive with Lembeh. The resort and dive operation is great. Only a couple of times did I ever encounter a current.....we just went with it.....going back in October.

Travelnsj,

Thanks for your response. I am very jealous of your travel schedule, by the way. For now, i'll just have to live vicariously through your trip reports

For anyone interested, I did hear back from Nigel of 2Fish. Nitrox is available for 6 Euros per fill.

Did you have a look at our web site: Dive Lembeh Strait with Divers Lodge Lembeh scuba diving resort

Boat for the two of you alone with 220 volt power, toilet and fresh water. Excellent guide.
Nitrox, best rental gear available if you want to save weight. Very comfortable bungalow with working space for cameras and of course 24 hours power.

Best regards, Rob

Rob,

The only reason I didn't mention Diver's Lodge Lembeh is that the website answered all of my questions It looks great.

Our tentative timeframe is September for 10-14 days. We have some flexibilty in our dates. I guess the next step will be checking availability.

to anyone,

Do the resorts in Lembeh book up pretty far in advance?