N Siluwasi first trip-Bunaken and Lembeh S dive accomodations??

[irenedabanian]

Where would you experts recommend we divers stay for first trip to the above? Need two resort picks.
Bunaken: Tasik Ria or LumbaLumba- selected for nice digs and great DM's for a moderate price
Lembe Straits: Lembe Straits Resort or KBR-same consideration
Has anyone tried Gangga-looks to be out of our price range but has anyone been there recently?

Any other suggestions? Is it worth it to stay on Bunaken to be closer to the park? Two fish is on Bunaken but DM's are not real DM's.
We only travel one 2 1/2 week exotic dive trip a year so we can spend a bit more for comfort and solid DM guides.
Enjoyed Uepi in Solomons last year but cannot spend that much for this trip.

 

[TSandM]

We stayed at Tasik Ria and were happy enough with them. The resort is very pretty with a nice pool. The "house dive" is great. They have a nice restaurant/bar out at the end of the pier, where you can eat and drink for an additional fee. The food was mediocre, but this was in 2006, so it may have changed.

The boats were large and commodious and well organized. I liked the guides, and they had eagle eyes. It's a longer ride to the park, but I didn't mind (what else do you have to do, anyway?). They had a solid roll-call system for logging divers back in. I don't know if they had Nitrox -- I believe we dove air.

In Lembeh, we stayed at KBR, and I can't say enough good things about the place. It's very pretty, and I appreciated that they built as much of it as they could out of materials gained by preparing the site (wood for the cabins, stone for the bathrooms). The dining room sits out over the water and has a gorgeous view. The house reef was so much fun, one almost wondered why it was necessary to get on a boat! The guides were wonderful, and again eagle-eyed, although their strategy of using rapid and violent waves of their lights to alert us to critters made me a bit crazy (since I've been trained that that's a signal that someone is out of gas). Service was wonderful, with tea and cookies arriving at the dock after each dive, and dinner orders being taken from the dock, so that by the time you had your shower and went to the dining hall, food was already arriving. They have a beautiful, big camera house with lots of power. Be sure to do the night dives! I'd go back to KBR in a heartbeat; in Bunaken, I might be tempted to see if I liked someplace else better.

 

[Cruiser24]

u might also want to consider murex dive resort... they are a small family run resort. very firendly and homely. they have been around since 1987 and i believe they are one of the pioneers in this area. if possible grab the dm opo... he is really good and will take good care of you. Murex Dive Resorts & Live-Aboards | www.murexdive.com

disclaimer - i m not related to murex in any way other than being a very happy and satisfied customer. dived with them last year and opo was our guide.

tasik ria is a bit further from the park and therefore the rides do take a bit longer. hv stayed with them a few years ago. my personal gripe is the long boat rides. other than that, they are pretty good as well.

 

[highdesert]

We like to dive a lot when we're on a trip ... 4x a day is just right. Long boat rides can get, well ... long. We think this makes staying on Bunaken a better choice with 15 minute maximum boat rides, most sites actually closer. You could practically swim to Sachiko's, with Timur I & II close one way and Pangalingan the other way.

Spending "a bit more for comfort" means hot water and A/C, so here's a choice that rates well, located on the quiet side of the island ...

Bunaken Cha Cha Nature Resort Manado/Bunaken - Diving Bunaken with us in North Sulawesi, Manado, Bunaken National Marine Park in Indonesia

 

[D2Diver]

Any other suggestions? Is it worth it to stay on Bunaken to be closer to the park? Two fish is on Bunaken but DM's are not real DM's.

Here is my psi & by all means I am not an expert. "not real DM's"! Do you ask your financial advisor if they have a BS, MBA or Phd before choosing them & where they went to school? Or do you ask around, read reviews & choose someone for their knowledge & expertise? What do you base this statement on? I just returned from stays at both Two Fish in Bunaken & Lembeh. I relied on my "guides" expertise in the knowledge of the area & my own muck diving skills to find critters. I did not need to know their credentials. I judged for my self their compentency. Did I have the best guides that explore these areas maybe not but I had great dives. Would I return & dive these resorts-yes. If I had more $ would I go somewhere else-perhaps. Did I feel unsafe at any time? Absolutely not. I would not dive anywhere that I felt was beyond my skills relying on some other diver to bail me out should I not be up to par. I am not familiar with these areas but they are -diving every day every season knowing the behaviors that happen at different times of the year. Could they be more scientific? As one who leans that way, I would say probably. I saw everything but a couple on my list & they strived hard to find those I mentioned. In a dive or 2 they knew my air limit, what I liked & would signal go to safety stop range before I would & I would look at my gauge & smile as they were spot on. When I go back there are a few things I will be more assertive about but keep in mind I feel if I said I am not happy about this or that management would listen & work it at so I would feel better. Read Two Fish reviews they are well respected & I would agree even if not perfect.

 

[CajunDiva]

I just returned from a 2 1/2 week trip with Two Fish Divers. We spent 10 nights in Lembeh, followed by 7 nights in Bunaken. I am very impressed with this operation. From the moment I arrived, I felt like family. I got to know the other divers much more easily because not only were we diving together, we were dining together...and it was great! The operation is run very smoothly and no stone is left unturned. We were very impressed with both of our dive guides. They were both uncanny in their ability to spot just what we were looking for.

I am having trouble wrapping my head around a trip report just yet, as we touched down in Houston today after a 32 hour long travel experience. But I will be doing just that as soon as I am able to get my ducks in a row...I think they're currently flying south!!!

 

[NCBabs]

Loved KBR great place all around as for Bunaken i stayed at Kima Bajo another great place. Let me know if I cna help making arrangements.

here is a short less than 3 min video I did from KBR

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