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?
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?