Accomodations/Diving in North Sulawesi

[philip2711]

Thanks everyone, we have managed to swing th trip so we have 3 days stay in Singapore and 12 in Sulawesi, realized that Benjamin can start the bubble maker program at 8, anyone tried it or know of anyone offering it?

At this point in time (barring last min airline issues we are heading there Feb 26 and back on the 16 of Mar 2009.

Hi Blenny,
This is an interesting one; I'm just back from a two week solo trip to the same area and stayed with NAD in Lembeh and then with SeaBreeze on Bunaken.

I didn't see people with kids at either of these two resorts so am unable to comment on that side of things but do suggest you write them in any case to see what they have to say, because I can otherwise wholeheartedly recommend them for quality of service, diving, friendliness and professionalism.

I'd point out some of the things that may not be obvious yet from the replies you've had:
a) Whilst Lembeh is the muck diving mecca it isn't the ONLY thing to do. Most of the muck dives take place on the mainland side, whilst there are walls and coral gardens on the island side. Having said that, muck diving is the main thing and it would be a shame to be in Sulawesi and not alllow yourself a few days to try something new!

b) On the Bunaken side, you need to balance the higher level of creature comforts at resorts on the mainland with the boat time it will take you to get to the wall dives in Bunaken. If you stay close to Manado on the mainland, the resorts may well be better in the sense that there's hot water, electricity 24*7 and swimming pools - but most of the diving on the mainland side is going to be muck (and IMHO, not as good as at Lembeh) or 30-45 mins boat ride out to the walls of Bunaken. On Bunaken electricity is provided only between 6:00pm and 6:00am (more or less) but you are right there with the dive sites.

c) Wet suit? I would recommend one; I'm a 3mm person myself (kind of full length but with shortened sleeves and with a long sleeved rash vest). You will be in the water easily 60 mins on most dives and it seems to me just not worth the risk ofgoing without!

d) Nitrox vs Air? In Lembeh I dived totally with nitrox, whilst in Bunaken totally with air. There's a general reluctance to use nitrox in Bunaken due to the nature of the diving and the risks of going deep beyond the recommended limits - again most dives I got min 60 mins but I did limit myself then to 2-3 dives per day with air vs. the 3-4 I get using nitrox.

e) Neither place is current free, though Lembeh is more relaxed.

f) singapore - lived there for a little less than a year and loved the place - but my motto is that it's a great place to live, not much to do for a visit. 3 days there is enough..... It's shopping mecca (hide those credit cards) and food, and interesting sights and sounds of a wonderfully mixed community - chinese, malay, indian and a large smattering of expats. With Benjamin in tow, the night zoo, Jurong bird park, Sentosa island are def worth a visit; and if you can you should also head for the Botanical Gardens. There's quite a bit of interesting WW2 history up at Changi (the old prisoner of war camp) and if you want to see how an airport should really work just feast your eyes on Changi airport and allow yourself some good time before your onward flights. Singapore is not Bangkok, KL or Manilla - in the sense that it doesn't have the authentic SE Asian buzz - it's all a little too sanitized for that, but boy, does it WORK!

Hope that this has proved useful - ENJOY!

 

[AlanWald]

On Bunaken electricity is provided only between 6:00pm and 6:00am (more or less) but you are right there with the dive sites.
What I think philip2711 meant by this is that the Bunaken Village supplies electricity during that period. Resorts will have their own generators for the rest of the time.

I also concur that you should wear a full length exposure suit for sun protection and against scrapes and stinging things even if the water is 84 F.(29 C)

I dive in Southern California in summer with a 7/6/5 mm suit and in Bunaken and Lembeh with a 0.5 MM (half mm) full length suit and am never cold in either place. Others wear a full 5 mm suit with hood and are still cold in Bunaken.So it is very individual.



And yes the Airport in Singapore is extraordinary. Plus there is a new terminal 3 and an adjacent major hotel. There is a lovely Orchid Garden with a Koi (fish) pond at one end of terminal two.

You will find a complete range of accommodation in the North Sulawesi with more opening every year

Once you have found your level of comfort/expense, a key thing is dive operator policies.
Do they limit your time underwater? I have never done a dive less than 60 minutes in Lembeh/Buanken, have averaged 75 to 85 minutes and even did one dive for 100 minutes (granted I spent the last hour at about 15 feet). This is with the standard Aluminum 80 (yoke clamp , NOT DIN) that is most common in this part of the world. There is so much to see at 15 to 20 feet, especially at the edge/top of Lekuan wall off Bunaken. I have seen schools of huge bumphead parrotfish, tuna, dolphins (underwater, rarely seen) and other big things at shallow depths. Napoleon wrasse. Last year someone saw a baby whale shark at Lekuan wall offf Bunaken Island Village that was about a month old. Extremely rare!!!!

Also ask what is the normal diver to guide ratio? The fewer divers per guide the better for everyone. Especially the photographers. The guides will find you most anything you desire to see. If there are eight divers per guide then you have just a leader rather than a guide. Four and less divers is best.

The people in North Sulawesi are lovely , always smiling and laughing and they will love taking care of your child while you are out diving.

I highly recommend Reef Fish Identification Tropical Pacific (Paperback)
by Gerald Allen Roger Steene , Paul Human Many photos were even taken at Lembeh.
You can get it from Amazon for $30.

Do as many night dives as you can in Lembeh. Because the sites are shallow and the tide does not go out much (compared to Bunaken) it is easy to get to and from the boat from land. Bunaken night diving is fine, except for you diving along a wall. In Lembeh you are always near the bottom and the most amazing things show up like a 5 foot octopus and the false fire urchins that are out for a day at the races. I have never seen a creature like that move so fast.

At night you will see the larger invertebrates out hunting, big nudibranchs ( Spanish dancers , eight inches, measured) , pleurobranchs etc.