Ironborn
Contributor
In the course of researching dive resorts in the Lembeh Straits, I have been wondering to what if any extent a resort's location within the Straits and the dive sites that the dive operations select can affect one's dive experiences there. What have been your experiences and observations in that regard?
I ask because many resorts and dive operations elsewhere often tend to stay closer to their home base, perhaps in order to stay on schedule, conserve fuel, or for convenience or other reasons. I have nonetheless gotten the impression that most boat rides in the Straits are relatively short, unless one is at the far north or the far south, so would distance be less of a factor here?. I have seen some suggestions that the most centrally located resorts, such as NAD Lembeh and Bastianos, may be more advantageous in that regard, as almost any site would be within a reasonable range for them. Would you agree? By the same token, would distance be more of an issue for resorts in the far north or south?
Another factor is the likelihood that one will end up doing multiple dives on a resort's house reef (or, in the case of a Lembeh resort, its “house muck.”) I have gotten the impression that the “house muck” of Black Sands in particular and the neighboring sites are especially popular or productive. Would you agree, or are there any other resorts that you would say have especially good or popular “house muck?”
I understand that the Straits are famous for their overall biodiversity, but I was wondering to what if any degree there are are geographic variations within that overall biodiversity, i.e. do you see different critters in different areas, or does one see the roughly same mixture of critters throughout the whole area? I noticed in Anilao that the mixture of critters often varied as we went further away from our resort, or into areas where the constitution of the sandy bottom was different.
Are there any significant differences between mainland sites and those closer to the island itself?
I ask because many resorts and dive operations elsewhere often tend to stay closer to their home base, perhaps in order to stay on schedule, conserve fuel, or for convenience or other reasons. I have nonetheless gotten the impression that most boat rides in the Straits are relatively short, unless one is at the far north or the far south, so would distance be less of a factor here?. I have seen some suggestions that the most centrally located resorts, such as NAD Lembeh and Bastianos, may be more advantageous in that regard, as almost any site would be within a reasonable range for them. Would you agree? By the same token, would distance be more of an issue for resorts in the far north or south?
Another factor is the likelihood that one will end up doing multiple dives on a resort's house reef (or, in the case of a Lembeh resort, its “house muck.”) I have gotten the impression that the “house muck” of Black Sands in particular and the neighboring sites are especially popular or productive. Would you agree, or are there any other resorts that you would say have especially good or popular “house muck?”
I understand that the Straits are famous for their overall biodiversity, but I was wondering to what if any degree there are are geographic variations within that overall biodiversity, i.e. do you see different critters in different areas, or does one see the roughly same mixture of critters throughout the whole area? I noticed in Anilao that the mixture of critters often varied as we went further away from our resort, or into areas where the constitution of the sandy bottom was different.
Are there any significant differences between mainland sites and those closer to the island itself?