Question Lembeh or Tulamben?

[vivyung]

Hi fellow divers!!

Sorry if this topic has been discussed before...I can't seem to find the correct thread.

I've recently returned from a dive trip in Tulamben, mainly for the macro and I was blown away! I'm trying to plan my next trip now and am torn between going back there or trying a new destination, like Lembeh?

The only thing that I found difficult in Tulamben was the current, which made uw macro photography a little difficult to manage (I'm a newbie ^^), many of my photos turned out looking like nudis with messy hair haha.

Would Lembeh Strait have less current as opposed to Tulamben?

Thank you all in advance!!

 

[Searcaigh]

Having dived in both Lembeh and Tulamben (heading back there tonight) there is a difference between the two.

I don't recall much current in Lembeh to be honest, but there is a cost difference primarily due to more luxurious accommodation and food as well as boat v shore diving.

That said, there has only ever been one site at Tulamben where the current was crazy, Kwanji, and it had a severe down current, certainly not something I would expect a new diver with <100 dives to manage.

The guides should also know your limitations and where they take photographers to dive too, but in many cases this does not happen and you dive to a schedule where current and tides shift on a daily basis.

 

[vivyung]

Having dived in both Lembeh and Tulamben (heading back there tonight) there is a difference between the two.

I don't recall much current in Lembeh to be honest, but there is a cost difference primarily due to more luxurious accommodation and food as well as boat v shore diving.

That said, there has only ever been one site at Tulamben where the current was crazy, Kwanji, and it had a severe down current, certainly not something I would expect a new diver with <100 dives to manage.

The guides should also know your limitations and where they take photographers to dive too, but in many cases this does not happen and you dive to a schedule where current and tides shift on a daily basis.

Yes! I dived in Kwanji as well and I definitely found the current the strongest there amongst other sites, I was quite surprised as I encountered 4 thermocline upwelling in just one dive! The down current was manageable when I was there, but for me as a uw photography newbie it's definitely not easy.

 

[Searcaigh]

You probably need some more benign dives with the camera until you can manage buoyancy and trim, but Tulamben in general is easy diving but with some dodgy entrances and exits at some sites e.g. Bulakan, which is one of my favourites.

 

[uncfnp]

I dove Tulamben but it was only a few dives through the resort so limited experience and I wasn’t overly impressed. I am at Lembeh right now and it has been amazing. I would gladly return and hope to in the future. Easy dives with little to no current. That plus the quality/quantity of macro make it a photographer’s paradise. I don’t carry a camera but absolutely loved it. And the resort too. NAD Lembeh. Got to love the personal attention and 2 to 1 diver/guide ratio. The food has been consistently good and plenty of it. Beds comfortable and views amazing.

From our bungalow…

 

[cetacean]

@vivyung

Lembeh has very little current (although occasionally you get get some on the more exposed sites near the opening of the strait).

Having said this, Tulamben doesn't have much current either. The challenge you may be running into is that you are still (based on the number of dives you list in your profile) a fairly new diver (esp. for managing an underwater photography rig).

As an example, both my adult children dive and shoot, however neither was allowed to dive with a camera until they had racked up 100 dives. This may be a bit old school, however it meant they had decent buoyancy by the time they started carrying a camera on dives.

My guess here (which others have hinted at) is that some of your challenge in managing the current in Tulamben may be because you are still developing your diving skills, not the current itself.

Acknowledging that you are unlikely going to put down your camera at this point, I would suggest you look at some locations where buoyancy skills may not be as big an issue. Places like Tioman and Mabul (Malaysia) or Puerto Galera in the Philippines (around to the left from Sabang beach) are locations worth looking at.

 

[cetacean]

I dove Tulamben but it was only a few dives through the resort so limited experience and I wasn’t overly impressed. I am at Lembeh right now and it has been amazing. I would gladly return and hope to in the future. Easy dives with little to no current. That plus the quality/quantity of macro make it a photographer paradise. I don’t carry a camera but absolutely loved it. And the resort too. NAD Lembeh. Got to love the personal attention and 2 to 1 diver/guide ratio. The food has been consistently good and plenty of it. Beds comfortable and views amazing.

@uncfnp What resort were you at in Tulamben? There are a number of dives you can do in the area that can be less interesting (esp. if the guide isn't finding the critters for you).

The reason so many u/w photographers travel to the north coast of Bali is because of the macro critters. On most dives it's good, and on a few dives it can rival Lembeh or Anilao. It's really dependent on the guide and how they view you as a diver. It's also usually cheaper and easier to get to.

Glad you like Lembeh - our 5th trip there was last summer - stayed at NAD. The guides are some of the very best at finding critters - as we often say, it's very much a "target rich" environment for underwater photographers.

 

[Luko]

I've recently returned from a dive trip in Tulamben, mainly for the macro and I was blown away! I'm trying to plan my next trip now and am torn between going back there or trying a new destination, like Lembeh?

Having been diving Tulamben for years now, sometimes 2 or 3 trips a year I would tell current is not a major characteristic for Tulamben : out of my probably more than 300 dives in Tulamben, except for say 10 dives I don't remember unmanageable current. That was -as you mentioned- on Kwanji as well as on Melasti both being parallel to the run of the current with no shelter, while you could as well plan sites like Sidem or Batu Ringgit where you'll find less current at the same time of the day.
As you discovered it, when you dive with the appropriate guides Tulamben has nothing to envy to the star macro sites in SEA like Lembeh or Anilao, and probably gives you more freedom to plan your dives since you don't have to get into a boat. Add on top some of the freelance guides are photo experts, the best of them organizing workshops twice a year.
Tulamben is the cheap and flexible, nonetheless quality option for macro diving.

Lembeh is different in the sense that you'll have to take a boat to your dive sites and rely on the resort planning. You won't be able to call your dives such as it is possible in Tulamben.
There are lots of good dive spots in Lembeh, and many resorts however take into account it will be more expensive and less flexible than in Tulamben. It's true that there should be (almost) no current at all.
On the critters side except for flamboyant cuttlefish that are very rare in Tulamben (only a few sightings last year) and the Bobbit worm I cannot remember more critters in Lembeh I have yet to see in Tulamben, reversely I can name a few that I saw in Tulamben but didn't see in Lembeh (granted I have more experience in Tulamben than in Lembeh).
That said Lembeh is very dense in critters which favors behavior encounters, but that might be for your next level of photography once you're more confident into your macro skills.

All in all :
- if you want to get more photo experience, take a specialized photo guide in Tulamben or even a workshop (I can provide you a list).
- if you want a change -which is not bad at all- and make sure you won't be disappointed : book a week in Lembeh.

 

[uncfnp]

@uncfnp What resort were at in Tulamben? There are a number of dives you can do in the area that can be less interesting (esp. if the guide isn't finding the critters for you).

The reason so many u/w photographers travel to the north coast of Bali is because is for macro critters. On most dives it's good, and on a few dives it can rival Lembeh or Anilao. It's really dependent on the guide and how they view you as a diver. It's also usually cheaper and easier to get to.

Glad you like Lembeh - our 5th trip there was last summer - stayed at NAD. The guides are some of the very best at finding critters - as we often say, it's very much a "target rich" environment for underwater photographers.

Mimpi Resort. We enjoyed the resort and everyone was very nice but the dive guide either wasn’t good at spotting or there wasn’t that much to show. The only critters I even recall beyond the usual seen most everywhere were an electric clam and a white frog fish.

On just the first day here we had three octopus, including mimic and long arm plus a blue ring the next day. I especially like that the guide writes the names down for each critter.

 

[Soloist]

Here are a few pictures from our trip diving with NAD-Lembeh last week.