Seeking advice: Bunaken and Lembeh

[Wingy]

What everyone else has said. It was originally Benny the former manager at Froggies who told me about Bangka when I asked him his favourite dive site in the area. He just said sit on the edge of sauhong pinacle and watch the world go by. I can see why other guides said it was their favourite spot too. Absolutely LOVE Bangka. Stayed at Murex Bangka, no real complaints other than the condition of the boat and the guide (there was only one couple and me there at the time so off peak..way off peak but perfect weather the whole time) and food is a little same same but its Indo and was great value for money when I was there..2011 and 2012.

One of the few places in the world where you might find yourself saying to the diveguides...yes, thanks, thats the 20th pygmy sea horse for the day would you mind not pointing them out anymore...its often sensory overload at Bangka.

I think you would go insane at Bunaken for 10 days - yes the walls were nice when I was there but you will end up seeing Grandma the turtle almost every day, there's Siladen island not too far away where the jetty has good diving, lekuan or fukui (cant remember which one but has a triggerfish with attitude and sandy bottom) are interesting but most sites are walls are only good for so long when there's Lembeh for muck and Bangka for all three combined you could easily use some of that time up in and get better bang for your buck. If you do go there, Dont ignore those little coral bombies in the bay - saw my first mandarin fish through the day hiding in one.

Remember you are going to use up one day basically transiting from Bunaken to Lembeh - I would see if you can get a Bangka trip organised by a Lembeh op if you cant spend a night or two there. Really pretty island.

 

[Luko]

It was originally Benny the former manager at Froggies who told me about Bangka when I asked him his favourite dive site in the area. He just said sit on the edge of sauhong pinacle and watch the world go by. I can see why other guides said it was their favourite spot too. Absolutely LOVE Bangka. Stayed at Murex Bangka, no real complaints other than the condition of the boat and the guide (there was only one couple and me there at the time so off peak..way off peak but perfect weather the whole time) and food is a little same same but its Indo and was great value for money when I was there..2011 and 2012.

Now Murex Bangka is under Tom's management, he was the former Froggies manager before Benny, at the glorious time of Cristiane when their motto was one guide for max 2 divers. Tom knows what customers need and will go beyond to make it happen.
Boats have been renewed and are now faster than almost all others in the area (mighty Gangga's excepted), food is excellent, they serve such a delicious slightly smoked tuna with eggplant curry, just like in Maluku. Tom even ordered Klappertaart (local Coconut custard and merengue pie) as we requested.
Beddings have been renewed and new bungalows have raised from the ground.
.. and my friend Aswar is still the best dive guide in the area, hands down.

Just a pity the prices have been significantly increased the past year and that there is a management will of uniformizing Critters@lembeh and Murex practises. For instance flyers suggesting a tip of 15USD per day per guest may be a Lembeh resort usage for their own targeted US clientele but simply doesn't make sense at Bangka Murex...

 

[btonthemove]

I am envious, I've been to Lembeh 6 times. I've also dive Bunaken but that was after Raja Ampat so it was hard to compare. Next time I go back I am definitely going to Banka. Lembeh is my favourite place to dive, I enjoy every single dive. There is coral, sponges and black sand so I am probably bias towards Lembeh. Two fish is great and if you book to stay both and get bored with Bunaken I am sure they would transfer you to Lembeh earlier. I can also recommend NAD, Bastianos (there are stairs!) and Divers Lodge Lembeh (even more steps, but the best food and unlimited diving). I normally stay 6-10 nights. My only other recommendation is to find out what night the resort does the Mandarin Fish dive. It is my favourite dive and last time I went the resorts have worked out nights each. This really irritated me (but makes absolute sense, I have to think about the fish) as the place I stayed only went Thursday nights.

 

[Allison Finch]

Lembeh is my all time favorite spot and every time I hit Indonesia, I make time for this wonder. I, now, always stay at Kasawari resort. I just love that place.









The place is well run and SO comfortable. The photo facilities are excellent, too.

 

[jjwebster]

To those who have done a lembeh/bangka combination, how easy was it to transfer between your two resorts?

We are looking at 2 fish and nomad, is a direct boat transfer expensive? Or do you transfer back to the mainland and travel by road?

 

[murexdive]

Greetings from North Sulawesi SCrane,

North Sulawesi, is a fantastic choice for a dive holiday! Drs. Gerry Allen and Mark Erdmann were here last July and have revised their fish count to 1101 fish species in North Sulawesi and added 43 new species to their list. There is an article in Dive Photo Guide, about these new species and research.

Few dive destinations match the diversity found in North Sulawesi. Known for clear warm waters, steep walls, abundant hard coral, fish and turtle life, Bunaken Marine Park is easily accessible. In recent years, Manado Bay has become popular for finding critters for divers who want to experience muck diving. Bangka island offers white sandy bottoms, pinnacles, colorful soft corals and it even has a large variety of critters. Both Bunaken & Bangka have stable, healthy and diverse fish life. In many areas strong currents bring nutrient-rich water from the ocean depths close to shore, creating one of the most beautiful coral environments. Muck enthusiasts who venture to the waters of Lembeh Strait have endless opportunities for finding and photographing rare and unusual critters. Our Motto is “Keep Lembeh Weird!”

Just to give you an idea of transportation options I have attached a map of the area. Ask you can see, it's some distance to Lembeh from Bunaken and almost always this transfer is done by car. However, if you break up your trip with a stop in Bangka it is possible to do the entire itinerary by boat (except for airport transfers), with a 2-tank dive along the way on each leg of the journey.

We hope you find this information helpful, wherever you end up on your North Sulawesi dive holiday we hope you have a wonderful time.

Best Fishes,

 

[murexdive]

Sorry, was trying to remove 1 of the maps above and accidentally posted 2x's. Cannot figure out how to delete.

 

[Silveradorob]

I am researching the same area and came across this "Passport to Paradise" itinerary. Looks very promising!
http://murexdive.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Passport-to-Paradise.jpg

Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=10&v=5NlG57vQXGY

 

[TSandM]

My first "big" dive trip was North Sulawesi. We did five days in Bunaken, and five days in Lembeh, at Kungkungen Bay Resort. I enjoyed both, but I would say which one you spend more time on depends on the kind of diver you are. Bunaken is huge walls with no visible bottom; they are splendidly adorned with all kinds of marine life. There is a lot of current, and almost all the dives we did were drifts. You need to be prepared for some up and down currents, although all the ones we encountered were relatively mild.

Lembeh was my favorite, but some of that was that it's the kind of diving I'm used to doing -- diving close to a dark silt bottom, looking for animals who make their livings off camouflage. The guides were surprised at how many critters I found for myself, but then again, it's what I do at home. I loved the weird and the wonderful, and I was far more comfortable and happy in the relatively quiet water, without strong currents. I also liked the shore boat rides, and the comfort and beauty of our resort.

If I were to go back, I'm not sure I'd do Bunaken again, but I would go to Lembeh very cheerfully. But if you don't like slow diving and searching for cryptic critters, you might prefer Bunaken. We're all different.

 

[Freewillow]

With whom did you go TsandM? Thanks