Lembeh...meh...

[Dan]

I posted this thread about muck diving in Lembeh: Where do you muck dive?

One of the best, most complete documentary video of Lembeh is done by a professional videographer and narrator, Nick Hope. Here is the excellent, must see, 92-minute video of Lembeh by Nick Hope of bubblevision.com:


If watching those little critters on the black sand & trashy bottoms are too boring to you, then, you would have saved some $$$, time & go elsewhere that is more suit to your liking.

 

[Mike Veitch]

I am not sure where you guys have been diving in Anilao but there are plenty of coral reef sites. More likely you aren't going to them due to the popularity of macro photography in the region so DMs get skewed ideas of what people want to see. Bahura used to be the "big" site in Anilao back in the day, now, haven't heard the name in years! Everyone just visits the critter sites...

 

[Mike Veitch]

Here is an old Philippines Gallery, all of the wide angle photos are from Anilao Philippines - Images | Mike Veitch

 

[MaxBottomtime]

When I went to Anilao I was so disappointed there were no kelp forests. I didn't find a single wolfeel either.
Seriously, Lembeh is well know as the muck diving capital. Why would anyone go there and expect to see large animals?

 

[Wingy]

Well..to be fair..a whale shark did show up a few months ago lol...but that is not the reason one would go to Lembeh...sometimes perhaps we get a sense of scale wrong and dont realise how tiny these creatures are in real life not in pics.

I think when we stop and just sit and observe animal behaviour for a while it brings me a deep contentment, no photos needed. In my mind I know exactly where and when I first spotted a mandarin fish by myself and could even tell you her location down to a few inches.

While some people like to capture these moments with their cameras, I see enough people without cameras at muck diving sites to know im not the only one who is learning behaviours...I guess thats an added element to our diving progression.

We get past OOH A Nudibranch to looking closer at ..what is it doing..ohh, it has a deformed rhinopore..oh that sea horse is pregnant and has no eyes, isnt nature awesome at finding a way.

 

[tursiops]

LOL. This is kinda like complaining that one went to Cocos Island and with all the sharks in the way it was hard to find a good nudibranch.

 

[Cali_diver]

I think you hit the nail on the head @Wingy It is like going on a safari... so many people just want to fly through and see as many things as possible but the most magical encounters come when you just sit and watch. We have seen so many amazing things after everyone has snapped their pics and moved on both underwater and above. The other advice I have for people is to look around in areas where guides find things. I always find other nudibranchs, slugs, froggies, rhinopias etc.

 

[Darnold9999]

Magnifying glass is a really good idea - my eyes are getting on (along with the rest of me). One dive guide got really excited - pointing to what to me was a blob of algae, and then it moved. Took a couple of pics and got really really close - took a few more pics. Even the best of them blown up to full screen it is all but impossible to see that this is anything but a blob. In the water it was possible to see the hairy octo because it was moving, but a magnifying glass would have been an excellent tool. If seeing such a creature does nothing for you then Lembeh is not for you.

 

[Dan]

Magnifying glass is a really good idea - my eyes are getting on (along with the rest of me). One dive guide got really excited - pointing to what to me was a blob of algae, and then it moved. Took a couple of pics and got really really close - took a few more pics. Even the best of them blown up to full screen it is all but impossible to see that this is anything but a blob. In the water it was possible to see the hairy octo because it was moving, but a magnifying glass would have been an excellent tool. If seeing such a creature does nothing for you then Lembeh is not for you.

I have the same problem with this guy, above.

 

[tsuyoshi]

I find it difficult to find macro with a busy reef action esp my eyes arent that good. Our theory is that there is so much going on it may be hard to spot tiny things.

I"d trade place w OP any time to be wet at Indo than stuck on dry land.