Trip Report: Bangka Island, November 2018

Ironborn · Dec 20, 2018

What follows is a stand-alone account of my stay at Murex Bangka. I have already posted a separate overview of my whole Indonesia trip and will also post a separate account of my stay at NAD Lembeh.

My stay at Bangka Island was the first leg of a two-week trip to North Sulawesi. I decided to pair a visit to Bangka Island with my visit to Lembeh, which was the primary attraction in North Sulawesi for me. I did not want to spend the whole two weeks in one place (Lembeh) and thus had to decide whether or not to spend the other leg of my trip in Bunaken or on Bangka Island. I chose Bangka over Bunaken because of my preference for reefs over walls. Out of the five resorts on Bangka Island, I chose Murex Bangka because it seemed to be the most popular and well-regarded and because the other resorts seemed quite modest in what they offered. I missed the first day of my stay at Murex Bangka because Singapore Airlines canceled my flight from New York and would not rebook me until the next day. They could have booked me on a codeshare flight that would have gotten me to Manado on time, but they gave priority rebooking to passengers with status and higher fare classes, so I missed my first day.

The coral, sponge, and other reef growth on and around Bangka Island may have been the densest, richest, healthiest, and most diverse that I have ever seen. The reefs were quite pristine and largely free of the human refuse that one might see in Lembeh or other Indonesian dive destinations. The amount of generic or “garden variety” reef fish was quite high, although I might have seen one or two bigger schools of fish in Cozumel. The reefs here persuaded me that I need to invest in a better wide-angle setup for my camera, as I could not really do justice to these rich reefscapes with what I had. As for more distinctive or remarkable “critters,” they were present in good numbers, but not nearly as abundant or diverse as they were in the muck dive sites of Lembeh. We did some muck dives here too, and they yielded notably lesser numbers and less variety of critters than the muck dives in Lembeh.

Beyond the general reef fish, my notable fish sightings included frogfish, crocodilefish, scorpionfish, the occasional stonefish, and a shark. I found the crocodilefish to be among the most impressive sights (if one can see through their camouflage). They were often big enough for wide-angle shots.

Paul on Instagram: “Crocodilefish, Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Crocodilefish, Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

I had a lucky streak of frogfish sightings on my first day, but then they disappeared until my last day.

Paul on Instagram: “Frogfish, Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography #sealife…”

Paul on Instagram: “Frogfish, Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography #sealife…”

Paul on Instagram: “Frogfish, Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography #sealife…”

Paul on Instagram: “Frogfish, Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. #scuba #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography #uwphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Frogfish, Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography #uwphotography…”

Tassled scorpionfish are a favorite of mine and were quite common on both Bangka and Lembeh; there is just something about them that I find especially photogenic.

Paul on Instagram: “Tassled scorpionfish, Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Tassled scorpionfish, Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Tassled scorpionfish, Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Tassled scorpionfish, Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Tassled scorpionfish, Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

The stonefish really do look like stones at first glance, so be careful where you put your fingers.

Paul on Instagram: “Stonefish, Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Stonefish, Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

We saw this one white-tipped reef shark at the same location twice, where he appeared to have taken up residence and was sleeping.

Paul on Instagram: “White-tipped reef shark, Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

I managed to get a few decent shots of the often antsy harlequin sweetlips.

Paul on Instagram: “Juvenile harlequin sweetlips, Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography…”

Paul on Instagram: “Harlequin sweetlips, Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

In both Bangka and Lembeh, the blue-spotted stingrays often followed us around at night, as they appeared to be using our lights to hunt. The tarpon of Bonaire routinely do the same thing at night, so it was interesting that the stingrays here displayed a similar nocturnal predatory adaptation to the presence of night divers. The guides often shooed them away, so that they would not eat the smaller creatures that we were admiring or photographing, and so that we would not land on them by accident.

Paul on Instagram: “Blue-spotted stingray, Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. #scuba #diving #scubadiving #paditv #photography #underwaterphotography…”

(continued in the next post on this thread)

Ironborn · Dec 20, 2018

Ironborn · Dec 20, 2018

Some of the best dives from Bangka Island, for both reef and muck dives, were actually not around Bangka Island itself but neighboring Talisei Island, which had even healthier reefs and also the most fruitful muck dive of the Bangka leg of my trip. It was well worth the lengthy boat rides of 30-45 minutes each way, and I would recommend requesting a trip there. The resort also did many of the night dives on the mainland, rather than close to the island; those mainland areas seemed to be more active at night. Closer to the island itself, the best dive sites were probably the very impressive pinnacles, such as the famous Sahaung, which sparked my interest in further pinnacle diving.

Murex Bangka runs a good dive operation. Tank fills were always complete. Nitrox blends were either accurate or only off by a percentage or two on occasion. The boats were in good condition and provided a reasonable degree of comfort, complete with a head. The operation nonetheless might have benefited from an additional boat, as they did occasionally put more divers on a boat than seemed prudent. They did, however, keep the groups small underwater, usually 2-4 divers per guide. The guides demonstrated sharp wildlife spotting skills, although Bangka is really more about coral and general reef fish than critters. My only gripe was that the guides could have done a bit more to curb some of the behaviors of other divers, e.g. hogging photographic subjects or the finning of a sea fan with pygmy seahorses. They offer a two-tank trip in the morning, an afternoon dive, and a night dive/mandarinfish dive if there are two or more interested divers; I was able to do a night/mandarinfish dive every night.

The resort itself and its facilities were rather less impressive to me, especially for the significant price. I understand that some people prefer a more rustic environment, but I am not one of them, especially if the pricing is comparable to what one would pay at a more upscale resort elsewhere. The dive operation might have benefited from a pier or at least removable ramps for the boats, which they tied up close to the beach. Boarding the boats, which often rode high in the water, might be difficult for someone with short legs, tight hamstrings, or other physical limitations. It would be quite easy for someone to fall and hurt themselves, although staffers were always present to assist us. The camera room was small, had fans instead of air conditioning, and somehow felt more humid than the rest of the resort, perhaps because of its proximity to the water. I knew about the lack of daytime electricity outside the camera room when I booked and had been OK with that, since I would be out diving most of the day and the electricity would supposedly come on at 5pm. The problem was that the electricity was usually at least half an hour late. The late electricity is not a trivial detail when you are waiting for air conditioning to recover from a long day or planning to work on and recharge your camera in your room because the camera room is so humid. I had booked an “Ocean View” room, which was at the top of a hill and had a view of another building under renovation, rather than the ocean. There was also some loud noise from either a generator or a compressor and a distinct sewage-like smell nearby. The best aspect of the facilities for me was the bed in my room, which was both very large and very firm, which I prefer but might be uncomfortable for those that prefer soft mattresses. It also had mosquito netting, which is extremely useful due to the many mosquitoes on the island; bring your mosquito repellent.

Aside from the facilities, resort staffers were friendly and helpful. The food was of good quality for buffet service and a good introduction to Indonesian cuisine for me. I acquired a taste for nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice) that I will seek to indulge in the future. Some of the food was on the spicier side, which is not my usual preference but was nonetheless a good opportunity to broaden my horizons.

My stay at Murex Bankga was a positive, rewarding experience overall. The rich and diverse reef growth and high fish density gave me a taste of why Indonesia is such a highly-regarded destination and motivated me to visit other Indonesian destinations in the future. Pinnacles such as Sahaung also motivated me to dive more pinnacles in the future. The population of more noteworthy or distinctive critters, beyond the general reef fish, was not as extensive or diverse as I might have hoped for a place so close to Lembeh, but at the end of the day, I got more than my fill of critters at Lembeh. I do hope to return to North Sulawesi in the future, although Lembeh will still be the main attraction for me, as critters and macro photography are of greater interest to me than corals and general reef fish.

If and when I return to North Sulawesi, I do not know if I would return to Bangka or try Bunaken instead, in the interest of variety. Aside from my preference for new destinations over old ones, the choice of resorts on Bangka Island and their offerings and facilities seem limited compared to Lembeh. When I was on Bangka, I saw that Bastianos from Lembeh was having a “soft opening” for its new resort on Bangka, right next to Murex. It looked more comfortable and upscale than Murex, at least from the boat. Perhaps the new Bastianos would be a better fit for my personal preferences, so I look forward to hearing feedback from anyone that has stayed there. The quality of the dive operation and the other staff at Murex Bangka nonetheless impressed me enough that I would consider staying at Murex Manado if I wanted to dive Bunaken, although I am uncertain as to whether or not Bunaken's walls would be as appealing to me as Bangka's reefs and pinnacles.

I have a few questions for further discussion:

How would you compare the richness of the reef growth and the general fish density of Bangka Island to that of other Indonesian destinations, such as Bali, Komodo, or Raja Ampat?
Other than Bangka Island, what destinations around the world are famous for pinnacle dives? I understand that Saba in the Dutch Caribbean is famous for pinnacles. Saba has been on my “to do” list for a while, but I am also interested in learning about other destinations.
What is the diving like around some of the other islands nearby, such as Gangga Island (which I had considered as an alternative to Bangka) and Talisei Island? We only did two dives on Talisei Island, but they were some of the best dives of my entire stay on Bangka.
If you have stayed at Murex Manado, how did the dive operation and the facilities compare to those of Murex Bangka?
If you have stayed at the new Bastianos resort on Bangka Island, how was your experience, and would you recommend it to others?

AlMitch · Dec 20, 2018

Thanks for your extremely detailed review.

I have stayed at Blue Bay and at Mimpi Indah, both are definitely even more "rustic" than Murex.
I am interested to hear that Bastianos has opened a new resort there. Wonder if they have AC. I have two small kids and they just do not sleep with out AC!!

I am surprised you saw so few pygmy sea horses on Bangka, typically there are tons of both the Bargi and the Pontohi (and or Severnsi). I have also seen the Lembeh Sea Dragon (just around the corner from Murex).

DSC01239 by Angmo Al, on Flickr

It certainly does not come close to Lembeh, but if you add in dives to Paradise Pier across on the mainland then I thought there was a really good mix of muck and reef. Paradise Pier is definitely a great pier to dive on for both muck and WA around the pier.

Batfish at Paradise Pier. by Angmo Al, on Flickr

To answer your first question, I would say that on the whole Bali is about on par with Bangka concerning corals (although Sahung is a special dive site and probably a tad better than most spots on Bali), BUT Raja Ampat on the whole smokes Bangka, RA is on a whole other level.

Ganga is super fancy but super expensive, they supposedly do the same dive sites as the Bankga resorts.

Trailboss123 · Dec 20, 2018

Paul, What lighting setup are you using with your DC2000?

Ironborn · Dec 20, 2018

AlMitch:
I am surprised you saw so few pygmy sea horses on Bangka, typically there are tons of both the Bargi and the Pontohi (and or Severnsi). I have also seen the Lembeh Sea Dragon (just around the corner from Murex).

We saw maybe three or four groups of two to three of the red Bargibanti pygmy seahorses, which the guides seemed to know from previous dives. No denises or pontohis - I saw one or two of each of those in Lembeh, though.

chillyinCanada · Dec 20, 2018

Paradise Pier is no longer available. Heart breaking for divers. Have you ever seen so many frog fish, especially of different colours? And so cold 9ver there, I loved hoovering over the volcanic vent!

Something has happened to the plethora of pygmy seahorses too, at least on my last two trips to the island. They can still be found but not like on my first visit.

When ironed says Bad thanks is building next door, I'm assuming that the resort is still out of sight and ear shot of Murex.

Ironborn · Dec 20, 2018

AlMitch:
It certainly does not come close to Lembeh, but if you add in dives to Paradise Pier across on the mainland then I thought there was a really good mix of muck and reef. Paradise Pier is definitely a great pier to dive on for both muck and WA around the pier.

.

We only went to the mainland for night dives, for whatever reason, so it was harder to get a good view of the reefscape, but the night dives on the mainland were noticeably richer in critters - I was not sure if that was due to the nighttime, the different environment, or both.

Ironborn · Dec 20, 2018

Trailboss123:
Paul, What lighting setup are you using with your DC2000?

@Trailboss123 I am using two of the Sea Dragon 2500 video lights. I use them for still images and not for video, so that I can see how the lighting will look in my viewfinder (e.g. in order to avoid excessive shadows on the subject, or to leave the background black), and adjust my exposure settings to get a balanced exposure. The trade-off is that their effective range is more limited than that of strobes. It works well enough for macro and smaller wide-angle subjects (e.g. turtles), but not so much for reefscapes.

If you are thinking of getting Sea Dragon video lights, SeaLife just put out a new 3000 series, which looks interesting.

chillyinCanada · Dec 20, 2018

Ironborn, I would not return to Bunaken and certainly not at Murex Manadao.

My experience of Bunaken, both times was not ideal. So much garbage, Lembeh looked pristine. The majority of the dives were dark and deepish. Though the top of the Reef is gorgeous once you discount the garbage, just not enough time was spent there. On the other hand, if you like turtles, it's got a couple of awesome sites. How those turtles are still alive in spite of the trash astounds me.

I like the rooms at Murex Manado and the food is OK, I guess but it's a 45 minute boat ride out to the garbage patch for the dives.

Trip Report: Bangka Island, November 2018

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