Question Planning for Holiday in Indonesia July 2025

[cetacean]

@rmorgan

Nice images... I noticed other than the very first image, all of the others were basically macro images. Bunaken has some beautiful walls, and Bangka has some interesting larger life (including the occasional dugong). Were you specifically set up for macro, or was that all that you found?

 

[rmorgan]

Hi Rick, your pictures are beautiful, thanks for sharing!

Thank you. A labor of love.

 

[rmorgan]

@rmorgan

Nice images... I noticed other than the very first image, all of the others were basically macro images. Bunaken has some beautiful walls, and Bangka has some interesting larger life (including the occasional dugong). Were you specifically set up for macro, or was that all that you found?

Thanks! I’m a sucker for macro, for sure, and Lembeh is, well, Lembeh. Our Bunaken dives tended to turtles, our excellent Bunaken Oasis guide, Hentje Pontoh (of the Pontohi Pygmy seahorse) loves critters, and there were some pretty strong currents so the photography was a challenge. The visibility was down a bit when we were at Bangka, post-volcano, we had only a few dives there, and the seas were up. Sadly, no dugongs , but we did find the Bangka dives very interesting, with terrific topography and variety. It’s an amazingly beautiful region.

 

[pelan-pelan]

Lots of good advice here. Don't forget there is some excellent muck to be found on the Manado side (and this is where I have seen dugongs). So if there is a hitch with your itinerary, staying a couple of days Manado side is not a waste. And from Lembeh there are the tarsiers, Tomohon market and the highlands and volcanoes. Good use of last day non-diving.

Researching critters is a good idea - like the story of newbies swimming away from hairy octopus not knowing what they were. It helps the "What the hec are they pointing at" situation. I thought frog fish were the size of thumbnails (which some are) and could not see what the guides were pointing at. I peered at the rock, couldn't see it. Later, shown photos on the boat - the rock was the fish. Well it gave the guides a big laugh!