Lembeh/Bunaken Dilemma

[anenomefishman]

Trying to figure out how to split my next dive trip in Indonesia between Bunaken area and Lembeh. I will be there 14-16 days in August '10. From what I understand, you either love or hate muck diving (Lembeh Straights). I have never been muck diving. I have only been to Indonesia once before (Wakatobi, mostly drift wall diving), so any insights would be appreciated. I do not have a huge supermacro camera rig, only a small Olympus one with macro capability.

I can either spend most my time in Bunaken, Lembeh, or even split.

Thanks,
Bruce

 

[highdesert]

OK, so in another thread you say you're a big Wakatobi fan ... Bunaken will give you a lot of Wakatobiness ... maybe heavier on the fish, lighter on the soft corals, but similar, though we still think of Wakatobi as our gold standard for beautiful walls. Lots of boatloads of divers at certain times, though a good company there can really steer you clear of most of that. But definitely a high-quality destination.

Lembeh ... amazing crittters, almost all muck with a couple of very nice coral-type dives thrown in. We loved doing it, but we do not fall in with people who will go there exclusively for weeks at a time. You will see lots of very bizarre animals, and every minute of it is worth it ... in measured doses for us.

It comes down to what works for you ... if we went back, I would choose a 50-50 split. That might work for you ... or not.

PS - Don't forget Bangka, just north and between Lembeh and Bunaken. Come to think of it, if we went back, I would probably do 50-50 Bangka (your Wakatobi-type hit) and Lembeh. Also some amazing coral head diving at Pulisan, just outside north end of Lembeh strait.

 

[anenomefishman]

OK, so in another thread you say you're a big Wakatobi fan ... Bunaken will give you a lot of Wakatobiness ... maybe heavier on the fish, lighter on the soft corals, but similar, though we still think of Wakatobi as our gold standard for beautiful walls. Lots of boatloads of divers at certain times, though a good company there can really steer you clear of most of that. But definitely a high-quality destination.

Lembeh ... amazing crittters, almost all muck with a couple of very nice coral-type dives thrown in. We loved doing it, but we do not fall in with people who will go there exclusively for weeks at a time. You will see lots of very bizarre animals, and every minute of it is worth it ... in measured doses for us.

It comes down to what works for you ... if we went back, I would choose a 50-50 split. That might work for you ... or not.

PS - Don't forget Bangka, just north and between Lembeh and Bunaken. Come to think of it, if we went back, I would probably do 50-50 Bangka (your Wakatobi-type hit) and Lembeh. Also some amazing coral head diving at Pulisan, just outside north end of Lembeh strait.

I am currently looking at a 65% Bunaken, 35% Lembeh split.

I am a fan of Wakatobi, only been there once though. Was fun and relaxing. Have been to Palau (x2, great wall diving), Truk (great wreck diving, Fiji (great soft corals, Beqa (x2), Wananavu, Taveuni) a few times as well. I have heard very good things about Bunaken, Lembeh area in Indosnesia.

So for Bangka you are diving out of the northeast tip? Where do you dive out of to get there? I see there is an island off shore with a resort.

Bruce

 

[highdesert]

Offhand I can think of Mimpi Indah, Murex, and Blue Bay ... all Bangka resorts. Maybe some I'm forgetting.

Mimpi Indah resort - Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia - Welcome to Mimpi Indah resort
Murex Dive Resorts & Live-Aboards | www.murexdive.com
Blue Bay Divers | Home

If Scott (Travelnsj) checks in here, he was at Murex last year and did a trip report you could search for.

Also Gangga Island Resort 7 miles west.

There's a flock of liveaboards in the area that service Bunaken/Bangka/Lembeh. Here's one boat I highly recommend that does just the trip you are looking for ...

Diving Indonesia with Wallacea Liveaboard : Togian Islands & Banggai - after Manado, Bunaken and Lembeh Strait

Also, Murex has both the resort and a liveaboard in the area ... you could probably split the resort & boat with one company, though I can't tell you anything about their boat..

Another thought ... if you were at Bangka, you could access the Pulisan dive sites really easily too ... bonus!

 

[anenomefishman]

Offhand I can think of Mimpi Indah, Murex, and Blue Bay ... all Bangka resorts. Maybe some I'm forgetting.

Mimpi Indah resort - Bangka Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia - Welcome to Mimpi Indah resort
Murex Dive Resorts & Live-Aboards | www.murexdive.com
Blue Bay Divers | Home

If Scott (Travelnsj) checks in here, he was at Murex last year and did a trip report you could search for.

Also Gangga Island Resort 7 miles west.

There's a flock of liveaboards in the area that service Bunaken/Bangka/Lembeh. Here's one boat I highly recommend that does just the trip you are looking for ...

Diving Indonesia with Wallacea Liveaboard : Togian Islands & Banggai - after Manado, Bunaken and Lembeh Strait

Also, Murex has both the resort and a liveaboard in the area ... you could probably split the resort & boat with one company, though I can't tell you anything about their boat..

Another thought ... if you were at Bangka, you could access the Pulisan dive sites really easily too ... bonus!

Thanks man, will scope this out.

Bruce

 

[gee13]

Im also split on this dilemma, I have dived Sipadan, Maldives and Bali. I will be heading out to GBR in a couple of months, then choice of Lembeh/ Bunaken. I am not sure from reports that Bunaken is going to give me what I have not seen in Sipadan and Maldives Wall diving. Please correct me if Im wrong. Im off the opinion that I do Lembeh exclusively for the muck diving, since I have experienced already, amazing wall dives with great viz and pelagic life. Anyone can tell me Bunaken is going to be better than Sipadan or Maldives and I will probably change my mind.

 

[Malene]

I would also suggest Bangka which has wall dives with beautiful corals and from which you can easily go on mainland Sulawesi, on the Pulisan sites which are almost muck-dives. That will give you an idea of what the diving in Lembeh is.
This is how I discovered muck-diving. Before I tried, I thought this was not my kind of dives. My idea of a good site was very good visibility, beautiful coral and big schools of fish.

But now I am addicted to muck-diving and I just spent 8 days diving in Lembeh and 24 dives were not enough!

So, for me, this type of dives HAS to be tried!

 

[highdesert]

I would also suggest Bangka which has wall dives with beautiful corals and from which you can easily go on mainland Sulawesi, on the Pulisan sites which are almost muck-dives.

Hi Malene - The Pulisan sites must vary greatly, which is not a surprise given the currents and topography locally. Our Pulisan experience was nearly white sandy bottom with large coral heads, more like "islands" amidst the sand. Very beautiful, but also very much not muck! But then it's the variety that makes the area such a great destination, no?

 

[gee13]

The feedback on Pulisan and Bangka seems to be that its much better than Bunaken. Does anyone know how far Bangka/ Pulisan is from Lembeh then? Assuming from NAD Lembeh that is if they actually do any trips out to Bangka or Pulisan.

 

[highdesert]

About 21 mi/34 km from NAD Lembeh to Bangka. From the north end of Lembeh Strait, about 17 mi/34 km.