What do you wish you had known BEFORE you went to Lembeh/Lembeh Resort?

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Sorrows

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Let the countdown begin! We depart for Singapore on Saturday and, in exactly one week, we'll be in Lembeh! We are all so excited that we are pretty much useless for anything work-related, and, I fear, insufferable to our friends and family as all we can talk about/think about is Lembeh.

Btw, it's hard to explain "muck diving" to non-divers isn't it? Usually I end my explanation with the words "diving mecca" and tell them it's at the top of every diver's bucket list. But still, confused looks abound.

So...any last-minute advice, suggestions, guidance? What do you wish you had known BEFORE you went to Lembeh/Lembeh Resort? Things you wish you had brought? Things you brought that you didn't need? Day tours you'd recommend? Dive sites? Things like that. Anything and everything!

I've got my DEET already, thank you!
 
Day tours? No, just dive.
 
Yep, in the day time I would tour the bottom and at night--same thing. 2 weeks ago the water was a tad cooler (80-82F) than when we dove there in March (82-84F). Viz was better and we saw more critters. Bring a muck stick and any macro gear you can grab. We dove with Black Sand Dive Retreat and had a GREAT time, some of the best diving I've done. Try to reduce your breathing rate for the next week, it'll still all be there! // ww
 
We really enjoyed going to see the Spectrum Tarsiers. We did that the last day, when we didn't want any more nitrogen loading, anyway. The whole trip was fun -- we got to see a little of the city, a lot of the countryside and the people's homes, and a number of cool animals. But definitely the tarsiers were the stars!

One thing I think is important to know is not to dismiss the house reef. The dives I did on the KBR house reef were every bit as good as the ones we took boats to do, although we did see different critters in different places. I don't think there is anywhere in the Lembeh straits that you aren't going to find amazing things, if you look carefully.

I also don't know what Lembeh resort offers for food, but have an open mind to the local-type choices, if they have them. I thought the local style food we had in Indonesia was almost uniformly great, even the slow-cooker stuff they fed us on the boats in Bunaken. MUCH better than the attempts to provide Western dishes.

Oh, and one final thing . . . the bottom of the Lembeh strait is dark, fine sediment. Excellent buoyancy control and keeping your feet out of the silt is critical for getting good photographs!
 
Some people like to prepare a list of what they wish to see, and give it to the guide. If you are looking for Rhinopias though, when I was there in September, the guides (I was at NAD) told me they hadn't seen any Rhinopias in two years. Looks like one was found in June, but most likely it disappeared not too long after it was found:

http://www.lembehresort.com/dive-center/weve-found-the-rhinopias/

And I wish I had gone to Hairball more than once! So ask to go to Hairball early in your trip, and maybe you'll find out you want to revisit it again. I am an air hog, and I spent 90 minutes on that site, staying mostly at 10m or shallower.
 
No worries on food, TSandM, as I like Indonesian food very much and am open to just about everything. I still like my traditional Western breakfast, though--haven't gotten used to spicy noodles yet, but I'm working on it!

House reef and Hairball. Good to know!

Got my muck stick; still haven't found a suitable magnifying glass, unfortunately. I've got a camera, but am definitely not the photographer of the group and don't really make an effort with macro. I know my limitations.

Rusti, a Rhinopias would be awesome, but they're not the only weird fish in the sea, right? I'm excited about all the different octopusi and frog fish! I would love to have an entire wall in my house with nothing but frog fish!
 
Let the countdown begin! We depart for Singapore on Saturday and, in exactly one week, we'll be in Lembeh! We are all so excited that we are pretty much useless for anything work-related, and, I fear, insufferable to our friends and family as all we can talk about/think about is Lembeh.

Btw, it's hard to explain "muck diving" to non-divers isn't it? Usually I end my explanation with the words "diving mecca" and tell them it's at the top of every diver's bucket list. But still, confused looks abound.

So...any last-minute advice, suggestions, guidance? What do you wish you had known BEFORE you went to Lembeh/Lembeh Resort? Things you wish you had brought? Things you brought that you didn't need? Day tours you'd recommend? Dive sites? Things like that. Anything and everything!

I've got my DEET already, thank you!

Buy one or two bottles of rum in the duty-free after you arrive in Singapore (not before because you'll likely have to pass through security again). I always travel with a pocket flask, local fruit juice + Baccardi Limon is quite the treat after diving !
 
Rusti, a Rhinopias would be awesome, but they're not the only weird fish in the sea, right? I'm excited about all the different octopusi and frog fish! I would love to have an entire wall in my house with nothing but frog fish!

Then you probably wouldn't be disappointed. Be careful what you wish for, though (but don't take this too seriously!). I heard a fellow traveler at the resort complained, "NO MORE NUDIBRANCHS!". I also like nudibranchs in general, but by the end of the trip, I too was kind of tired of them. And was getting there as well with the frog fish. I remember the guide pointed me to a giant frogfish, and my reaction was only, "Oh, OK", and I immediately moved on. Only in Lembeh!! :wink:
 
Be careful with your DEET - it can melt plastic (as in camera parts). Rhinopias live in Ambon, another great muck area. Lembeh Resort is a giant stairmaster. Hope you're not in cottage 12. Great accommodations, better than average food, expert dive guides. Enjoy!
 
Be prepared to come out the other end of the holiday wanting to be a macro photographer. My gear was upgraded very soon after!! I found i loved taking photo's there, so much easier as the creatures don't move too much, and I had little to no current.

Don't get sidetracked by the coral sites, much is so much more fun - and thats what you're there for!

---------- Post added December 13th, 2012 at 12:26 PM ----------

Oh also maybe take a vest along. YOu will find yourself doing very long dives and just hangin there watching things, you can get a little cool towards the end of those long dives. Do more night dives!!
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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