Trip Report: Bangka / Lembeh (March 19)

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chiggins

Registered
Messages
62
Reaction score
73
Location
TX
# of dives
200 - 499
This is long overdue, but better late than never.... This was a trip in March. I left a day early, in a snowstorm that shut down the airport for most of the morning. My original itinerary was tight and had no backups without missing part of my trip. The smaller regional jets that are common at my home airport are much more prone to delays and cancellations than those operated by the mainline carriers. Suspecting that there would be a crew delay the next morning, if the plane even made it in the night before, I arrived at the airport around noon and was able to get rebooked on a 7am flight that had been very delayed. To get to Manado, I made connections through Chicago (ORD), Tokyo (HND), and CGK (Jakarta). Once I got to Chicago, it was smooth sailing and had an entire row open to Toyko. I made a bed and laid across 3 seats for an (almost) flat sleeper seat and slept most of the way to Tokyo. Unfortunately, my checked bag did not make it, until 2 days later but all of my important gear was in my carry on. The checked bag only had fins, wetsuit (which was not necessary), and extra clothes.

Bastianos Bangka: 5 nights – 11 dives
I was lucky to be able to stay here during their soft opening. This brand-new resort has been thoughtfully designed and constructed. There was still ongoing construction, but I’m certain it has since been completed. I stayed in one of the beachfront rooms which was very comfortable with a deck/patio sitting area, huge outdoor bathroom, and plenty of desk space for cameras and electronics. The manager, Thomas, runs the resort with Swiss precision and has high expectations for his staff. He and most of the resort staff came from the other Basianos locations. The resort service and food was excellent. Since the resort was not fully opened, it was quiet with just a few other guests; I was the only American during my stay. Food was excellent and far exceeded my expectations for an island dive resort. Apparently, some of the owners/investors also own restaurants on the main island. I arranged transportation to/from the airport through Bastianos and everything was seamless.
Diving was very good. Nitrox was available and fills were consistent. The staff took care of setting up, carrying, and cleaning everything. The dive operation was safety focused, and despite being a newly opened resort, demonstrated experience in operations as well as with the local sites. The resort has a long pier that definitely makes coming and going easy, especially at low tide. They use larger, semi enclosed boats with large tank tables that can probably handle 10 divers. Bangka offers a good mix of muck and corals. My favorite site during the trip was probably Tanjung Usi, which had some an impressive wall and plenty of critters. This site is at the southern tip of the island and at an entrance to the bay, so current was moderate, and we did this as a drift dive. The underwater pinnacles at Sahaung were both very good sites, and I also enjoyed several dives including a night dive from the resort’s pier at the house reef.

Black Sand Dive Retreat, Lembeh: 5 nights – 14 dives
I chose BSDR after reading some positive reviews. The resort is located on the main island, so no boat transfer across the straight was required. I had BSDR book a transfer from the airport to the resort; everything was seamless and took about 90 mins. There is a new road under construction that should reduce the time between Manado and Bitung in the future. I asked both resorts if a boat transfer would be possible, but it wasn’t possible during this trip.
BSDR is small but well run by Bruce and his staff. The resort sits in an old coconut plantation and overlooks a bay and the straight. The location is quiet and safe. As the name indicates, there is a well shaded black sand beach at the dive center. The room was larger than expected with a large private outdoor bathroom. Facilities were well maintained. Food here was also quite good from their rotating menu that offers a good variety of Asian and international dishes.
BSDR uses small fiberglass boats which ensures small groups and quick rides to/from dive sites. They return to the dive center during surface intervals for snacks to change tanks. I had Stephan as my guide who is very experienced, has a keen eye, and is very patient. The individual attention made the diving in Lembeh special.
My first dive in Lembeh was at TK on the afternoon that I arrived. Unfortunately, I rushed assembling my camera and activated the write-protect on the memory card. This was my first trip to Lembeh, so when we found the Wonderpus, Mimic, and Coconut octopuses along with an assortment of other critters on the first dive, I could hardly contain my excitement despite the disappointment of not getting pictures. The rest of the trip was equally satisfying. Given Lembeh’s reputation as a much location, I was surprised by the health and variety of corals at a few of the sites and appreciated the variety. The house reef was among my favorites and can be accessed from shore without a guide if you have a buddy and it also makes a great night dive. Other favorite sites were Hairball, Nudi Retreat, Pintu Kolada, and Angel’s Window.
The dive staff, resort staff, and owners make this small resort special. I would return to BSDR in a heartbeat and wish I had allocated more time. Diving Lembeh was amazing and the trip came to an end too quickly.
The weather was great for the entire trip except for a few afternoon rain showers and night time thunderstorms; nothing that affected diving. Water temperature was 28-30C in both locations. Even after a week of diving, I was comfortable in a board shorts and a rash-guard for most day dives and used a lavacore long sleeve top at night and on deeper dives. I took a 3/2 spring suit but never used it. Other divers had a mixture of thermal apparel ranging from some in 5 mil semi-dry suits to (mostly) shortys.
The return trek was long but uneventful and flights were the same route I had taken. I would recommend that others spend more time than I did. 5 nights on Bangka is about right, but I would recommend leaving 7+ for Lembeh. Some of the resorts and travel agencies (Bastianos, Murex), offer a safari with time in Bunaken, Bangka, and Lembeh. Unfortunately, this didn’t work since I was traveling solo and generally prefer to pick and choose resorts individually. The real benefit of the safari seems to the possibility of diving during the transfer between resorts instead of sitting in a car for several hours. The other recommendation that I might pass on is to fly via Singapore. Although my flights on United, ANA, and Garuda were fine, Singapore is a great airport and more direct for many people than making stops in Tokyo and Jakarta.
 
Thank you for sharing! Going on a LOB to Togean, Una Una, Lembeh and Bangka in August, very nice to know there is lots to see:)

By any chance did you see sharks/rays etc at Bangka?
 
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Thank you for sharing! Going on a LOB to Togean, Una Una, Lembeh and Bangka in August, very nice to know there is lots to see:)

By any chance did you see sharks/rays etc at Bangka?

I did see a few white tip sharks on Bangka. No big rays but spotted rays were common.
Apparently I went during the off season but the weather was fine and there was plenty to see. I hear august is normally better.
 
Wow , great report , thanks for sharing. And the photos are fab. Was it nice and sociable at Bastianos and did people generally eat together ?
 
Great report and my gosh, you got some fab shots!

It's interesting to me that you think 5 days is enough at Bangka. My longest time there was 2 weeks if I recall correctly and it wasn't enough for me.

I also loved my stay at Black Sands but the stairs just about did me in. lol

Bastianos sounds very appealing. I've only stayed at Murex, which is one of the prettiest spots I've ever seen but being able to board the boat without having to wade out and climb up the back has huge appeal for me also, as does the good food. Murex is kinda hit or miss on that.
 
Oh dear, I am well overdue for a trip back to Bunaken to see some friends and Bangka for Sauhong 1&2 and hopefully the changes aren't too huge.....but.....when did Bastianos close to have a soft opening?
Wow how time flies...I just realised my first stay on Bunaken with Froggies who are or were next to a then busy Bastianos was 12 years ago....

Why wasn't I told?
 
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