Bangka or Lembeh in January?

[JackDC]

Three friends and I are going to North Sulawesi next month. We were planning to stay and dive in Bangka for 5 days. We’ve never been to Indonesia and, while Lembeh sounds incredible, for two of them it will be their first time diving (I’m advanced open water certified and have done about 40 dives) and the idea of muck diving is not appealing to them—they’d rather see reefs. We’re also under the impression that there’s not much else to do on Lembeh besides diving, whereas Bangka has nice beaches and some snorkeling spots (and also some muck diving).

However, the rainy January weather seems a bit prohibitive for Bangka as I’m told the swells can cause trouble getting to dive sites and the visibility may be lower, whereas I’ve heard Lembeh is fine in January.

I’m hoping someone may be able to make our decision easier: should we change plans and go to Lembeh instead? Or stick with Bangka?

 

[living4experiences]

Having just returned from Raja Ampat, muck diving will not be fun for new divers. I did my first-ever muck dive on this trip. I have over 500 dives and I did not like it. I'm glad I tried it, but when I return to Indonesia, I will seek a destination with reef diving. You are going in the rainy season, so you may be stuck with less-than-ideal conditions anyway. Hope you have a good trip!

 

[FishWatcher747]

Bangka is a wonderful choice. Each of the resorts has a house reef that you and your friends could spend all of your time on and not be bored. Healthy coral, interesting creatures and there is plenty of sand (muck) to search for nudibranchs if that is what you want to do. There are also deeper wall dives that are fantastic.

 

[JackDC]

Thanks! Okay, sounds like we should stick to our plan with Bangka. I know it’s not ideal timing, but January was the only time we could travel and we all wanted to see Indonesia. Better a rainy trip than none I figured.

 

[Indah]

Ta

Thanks! Okay, sounds like we should stick to our plan with Bangka. I know it’s not ideal timing, but January was the only time we could travel and we all wanted to see Indonesia. Better a rainy trip than none I figured.

Take into consideration that the prevailing winds will come from the Northwest to Northeast. They can bring in have swells, and often waves at the coasts. First time diving means that they are even not certified yet, or never dived after their certification? Did you communicate that clearly with the resort where you will be staying?

 

[FishWatcher747]

Thanks! Okay, sounds like we should stick to our plan with Bangka. I know it’s not ideal timing, but January was the only time we could travel and we all wanted to see Indonesia. Better a rainy trip than none I figured.

The guide I had at a Bangka resort, Nomad Divers, who was terrific, had quite a talent for finding the smallest creatures like pygmy seahorses. They are so small that my old eyes couldn't appreciate them even with a magnifying glass. Well after a few dives partly over sand searching for small critters when it was my turn to pick the dive site I would pick the best wall site called Sahaung for first dive then I let the guide pick a coral reef site for the shallower second dive (there are many nice coral reef drift dives).

For your friends just starting out I would focus on the coral reef sites and skip the muck (sand) dives.

I think the guides there see wonderful coral everyday and don't understand why we enjoy it so much. For them hunting for critters for their customers is more of a challenge.

Where are you staying?

 

[JackDC]

Ta

Take into consideration that the prevailing winds will come from the Northwest to Northeast. They can bring in have swells, and often waves at the coasts. First time diving means that they are even not certified yet, or never dived after their certification? Did you communicate that clearly with the resort where you will be staying?

Yes, I communicated our varied experience levels. They said the diving would “depend on the weather” but as along as the sea wasn’t too rough that we should be fine. I assume some sites would be sheltered from these winds?

The guide I had at a Bangka resort, Nomad Divers, who was terrific, had quite a talent for finding the smallest creatures like pygmy seahorses. They are so small that my old eyes couldn't appreciate them even with a magnifying glass. Well after a few dives partly over sand searching for small critters when it was my turn to pick the dive site I would pick the best wall site called Sahaung for first dive then I let the guide pick a coral reef site for the shallower second dive (there are many nice coral reef drift dives).

For your friends just starting out I would focus on the coral reef sites and skip the muck (sand) dives.

I think the guides there see wonderful coral everyday and don't understand why we enjoy it so much. For them hunting for critters for their customers is more of a challenge.

Where are you staying?

We’re staying at Bastianos. Nomad was another resort we considered—hope Bastianos is just as nice.

I’ll specifically ask to visit Sahaung. Thanks for the recommendation!