Following the first 12 days of the Murex Passport to Paradise trip my daughter and I moved on to Siladen Island on the Manado side of N. Sulawesi.
The main reason for this was because the previous managers at Lembeh Resort (Ana and Miguel) had now taken over the running of Siladen Resort and Spa since April this year, otherwise I doubt we would have left Lembeh Resort, but Ana and Miguel have become really good friends over the past couple of years during my visits and really wanted to see what Siladen could offer compared to our experience with Murex at Manado.
Lembeh Resort transferred us to where we were to take the boat to Siladen, another two-hour drive. We arrived at Thalassa Dive Resort to use their jetty, in fact our friend Joe had left Lembeh the day before to dive at this resort, but we did not see him.
The jetty appeared to be under some reconstruction and we had to negotiate some workers pouring cement to access the end of the jetty and then board the boat, which arrived just as we did.
We were then told two more guests were arriving, however we did not have to wait long before they did and to my surprise two other people who used to work at Lembeh Resort, Lillian and Linda
The boat ride over to Siladen did not take long, but due to the low tide we were unable to land at the resort. Fortunately our dive boots were available and we waded ashore through the shallows and then walked to the resort where we were met by Miguel and Ana, who then showed us around the resort and did the usual paperwork for the diving, before we went for lunch.
Newly built dive gear room
Camera room, which also doubles as a classroom
All the food at the resort was served either in the dining area or outside when weather was suitable. There had been a bit of a southerly wind blowing for the past few days but fortunately not like at Bangka, so we dined under cover on the first day to prevent things from the trees falling into our food.
Pool area between the bar and the dining area
The bar area which also has a pool table
After a sumptuous lunch we prepared for a muck dive at Tiwoho over on the mainland. There were only five of us on the boat, and Yanni and I had our own guide, Delly, who was to be with us for every dive we did.
The boats are larger than the Murex boats but that does not mean more people are loaded on them. Currently they have three dive boats and a new fourth one is being built.
Heading from Siladen Island to dive
Standard routine diving at Siladen was two dives in the morning, then back for lunch followed by an afternoon dive. This was due to the tides and the ability to board the boats at high tide in the morning and afternoon, but coming back we frequently had to alight several hundred meters from the resort and walk back. The dive gear was taken care of by the dive team, and of course if diving later the gear stayed on the boat until it was unloaded and washed
As we were not staying in one of the guest areas I cannot comment on them, but our beds were super comfy and had a great sunset view.
There is a library of books in the bar area as well as the dive area for anyone looking to identify that "critter" spotted on the last dive.
The food was as good as Lembeh Resort and all meals served buffet style. The staff are also wonderful and I am sure the standards will rise as Miguel and Ana raise the bar bit by bit as they have done at Lembeh and Wakatobi.
Some of the great catering staff
Over the next three days we did eight dives, half of them muck dives, three dives on Bunaken and a superb wreck dive on a Dutch freighter that sank during WWII, the Molas wreck.
With regards to the wreck, Miguel and I did this together and with the arrival of the new dive managers, whom we met at Thalassa Jetty when we were departing, perhaps some stages for deco will be available in the coming year
Apologies for the lack of wide-angle shots, I rarely have opportunities to shoot wide angle in my local area where visibility rarely exceeds 5M. To be honest I was overwhelmed by Bunaken with 20M+ visibility but my attempts at photographing these vistas was appalling.
Chromodoris willani with three rhinophores
Alas all good things come to an end, and we bid Ana and Miguel farewell again until next year.
The main reason for this was because the previous managers at Lembeh Resort (Ana and Miguel) had now taken over the running of Siladen Resort and Spa since April this year, otherwise I doubt we would have left Lembeh Resort, but Ana and Miguel have become really good friends over the past couple of years during my visits and really wanted to see what Siladen could offer compared to our experience with Murex at Manado.
Lembeh Resort transferred us to where we were to take the boat to Siladen, another two-hour drive. We arrived at Thalassa Dive Resort to use their jetty, in fact our friend Joe had left Lembeh the day before to dive at this resort, but we did not see him.
The jetty appeared to be under some reconstruction and we had to negotiate some workers pouring cement to access the end of the jetty and then board the boat, which arrived just as we did.
We were then told two more guests were arriving, however we did not have to wait long before they did and to my surprise two other people who used to work at Lembeh Resort, Lillian and Linda
The boat ride over to Siladen did not take long, but due to the low tide we were unable to land at the resort. Fortunately our dive boots were available and we waded ashore through the shallows and then walked to the resort where we were met by Miguel and Ana, who then showed us around the resort and did the usual paperwork for the diving, before we went for lunch.
Newly built dive gear room
Camera room, which also doubles as a classroom
All the food at the resort was served either in the dining area or outside when weather was suitable. There had been a bit of a southerly wind blowing for the past few days but fortunately not like at Bangka, so we dined under cover on the first day to prevent things from the trees falling into our food.
Pool area between the bar and the dining area
The bar area which also has a pool table
After a sumptuous lunch we prepared for a muck dive at Tiwoho over on the mainland. There were only five of us on the boat, and Yanni and I had our own guide, Delly, who was to be with us for every dive we did.
The boats are larger than the Murex boats but that does not mean more people are loaded on them. Currently they have three dive boats and a new fourth one is being built.
Heading from Siladen Island to dive
Standard routine diving at Siladen was two dives in the morning, then back for lunch followed by an afternoon dive. This was due to the tides and the ability to board the boats at high tide in the morning and afternoon, but coming back we frequently had to alight several hundred meters from the resort and walk back. The dive gear was taken care of by the dive team, and of course if diving later the gear stayed on the boat until it was unloaded and washed
As we were not staying in one of the guest areas I cannot comment on them, but our beds were super comfy and had a great sunset view.
There is a library of books in the bar area as well as the dive area for anyone looking to identify that "critter" spotted on the last dive.
The food was as good as Lembeh Resort and all meals served buffet style. The staff are also wonderful and I am sure the standards will rise as Miguel and Ana raise the bar bit by bit as they have done at Lembeh and Wakatobi.
Some of the great catering staff
Over the next three days we did eight dives, half of them muck dives, three dives on Bunaken and a superb wreck dive on a Dutch freighter that sank during WWII, the Molas wreck.
With regards to the wreck, Miguel and I did this together and with the arrival of the new dive managers, whom we met at Thalassa Jetty when we were departing, perhaps some stages for deco will be available in the coming year
Apologies for the lack of wide-angle shots, I rarely have opportunities to shoot wide angle in my local area where visibility rarely exceeds 5M. To be honest I was overwhelmed by Bunaken with 20M+ visibility but my attempts at photographing these vistas was appalling.
Chromodoris willani with three rhinophores
Alas all good things come to an end, and we bid Ana and Miguel farewell again until next year.
