Sulawesi - 3 weeks

[Jay_Remi]

Hello fellow divers!

I am planning a 3 weeks trip for late December to Sulawesi with my wife, with preferably lots of diving (but some exploring too) Please bear with me, I got quite a few questions here….

Lembeh is the highest on my list. A few questions for this location:

• Would 4 full days of muck diving be enough in your opinion? Is it possible to do three dives a day + night diving?
• I can see there are two types of night dives. What’s your experience with Mandarin dive and Blackwater dives? Worth it?
• Accommodation: I can see two resorts are heavily mentioned in the forum: Lembeh resort and NAD. Are there other (decent) alternatives? I don’t need fancy – and I am not keen on heavily touristic affair (or too big an operation with loads of other divers). What matter the most to me is a well-organized dive centre, excellent guides, and good ratio guide/diver. When in Raja Ampat, I met with quite a few guys from Sulawesi who worked in Thalassa and recommended it. Any opinion?

Then there are Bangka and Bunaken.

• Would you recommend we do both (are they that different?) or one is ‘better’ than the other? If both, would 4 days of diving in each location be good duration?
• For Bunaken, is it best to be based in Manado or in Banaken island itself?
• Which dive center would you recommend in each? (and/or resort)
• Some in the forum referred to the “Murex passport”. Not a cheap affair, so I was wondering if this was worth it in your opinion?
• For Bangka, I assume best to be based there. Any place you’d recommend?

Finally

• Are there hidden gems in Sulawesi as far as diving is concerned that you think one should not overlook? (or best to focus on northern tip of Sulawesi for diving)
• Aside from diving, if you guys have any recommendation, don’t hesitate to share!

Many thanks in advance!

 

[tridacna]

Murex Passport to Paradise checks all your boxes. I've done it twice. I loved it both times.

 

[Searcaigh]

I've done Passport to Paradise once in 2015, excellent trip

I also stayed at Lembeh Resort twice prior to that 2013 and 2014, amazing time.

I stayed at NAD in 2022 as they had just opened after Covid, didn't enjoy myself as much as Lembeh Resort.

I also stayed at Bangka (Murex) as part of the Passport to Paradise trip in 2015 and in 2022 as it was a quarantine resort during Covid and I really enjoyed the vibe at Bangka, which has a good mix of macro and wide angle opportunities.

If I have a chance to return to N. Sulawesi I would definitely return to Murex Bangka.

 

[Luko]

When in Raja Ampat, I met with quite a few guys from Sulawesi who worked in Thalassa and recommended it.

Most of the guides from N/Sulawesi working outside of Manado have been going through Thalassa, they propose a kind of scholarship/internship there to teach them how to guide. It's known as a "dive guide university" in Manado.

Accommodation: I can see two resorts are heavily mentioned in the forum: Lembeh resort and NAD. Are there other (decent) alternatives? I don’t need fancy – and I am not keen on heavily touristic affair (or too big an operation with loads of other divers). What matter the most to me is a well-organized dive centre, excellent guides, and good ratio guide/diver.

Lembeh Resort is on the (ridiculously) expensive side for Lembeh (disclaimer been twice at Lembeh resort, couldn't justify the price to me compared to other operations). Lots of groups too.
NAD is great for photographers.
TwoFish have excellent budget savvy operations on Bunaken and Lembeh, good guides as well.
You can check out Divelodge in Lembeh where they can provide private boat formulas at relatively low cost.
Manado coastline also has decent divespots such as Bethlehem/Popo or even next to restaurant downtown (can't remember the exact name such as "Express"), so basing yourself in (eastern side of) Manado, you would have both Bunaken and Manado sites available within a 30 minutes boatride.
Bangka : Murex where I've been 6 times is probably your best choice, they're the original operation on the island, on Bangka since 20 years.

Personally I'd pick :
- Murex in Manado
- Murex in Bangka
- BSDR or NAD in Lembeh

 

[chillyinCanada]

I've done Murex Passport a number of times.
I love Bangka very much and cut short both the Bunaken and Lembeh portions.

I've also stayed at NAD and Black Sand Resort.(Black Sand has many many stairs and those cannot be avoided ss the resort is at the top of the stairs and shore is at the bottom of the stairs.)

It will be difficult to find a bad guide in North Sulawesi.

 

[Jay_Remi]

Murex Passport to Paradise checks all your boxes. I've done it twice. I loved it both times.

Well... that does not really respond to my queries. But thanks anyways.

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

So jaylus. Enjoy and then post your reviews and pics so I can live vicariously though you, please.

 

[Jay_Remi]

I've done Murex Passport a number of times.
I love Bangka very much and cut short both the Bunaken and Lembeh portions.

I've also stayed at NAD and Black Sand Resort.(Black Sand has many many stairs and those cannot be avoided ss the resort is at the top of the stairs and shore is at the bottom of the stairs.)

It will be difficult to find a bad guide in North Sulawesi.

Thanks. So you'd recommend Bangka over Bunaken, correct? May I ask why you'd go for Murex passport as compared to other options? Murex passport seems very popular here, but from what I see, it does not seem to offer great value for money. Hence trying to look at alternatives.

 

[Jay_Remi]

Most of the guides from N/Sulawesi working outside of Manado have been going through Thalassa, they propose a kind of scholarship/internship there to teach them how to guide. It's known as a "dive guide university" in Manado.


Lembeh Resort is on the (ridiculously) expensive side for Lembeh (disclaimer been twice at Lembeh resort, couldn't justify the price to me compared to other operations). Lots of groups too.
NAD is great for photographers.
TwoFish have excellent budget savvy operations on Bunaken and Lembeh, good guides as well.
You can check out Divelodge in Lembeh where they can provide private boat formulas at relatively low cost.
Manado coastline also has decent divespots such as Bethlehem/Popo or even next to restaurant downtown (can't remember the exact name such as "Express"), so basing yourself in (eastern side of) Manado, you would have both Bunaken and Manado sites available within a 30 minutes boatride.
Bangka : Murex where I've been 6 times is probably your best choice, they're the original operation on the island, on Bangka since 20 years.

Personally I'd pick :
- Murex in Manado
- Murex in Bangka
- BSDR or NAD in Lembeh

Merci Luko. Do I understand from your message that - aside from Lembeh - having a mix of Bangka and Manado would be better rather than focusing on one location only? Are the two locations really different in terms of diving experience? (asking this to potentially avoid too many transfers). Well noted for recommended resorts. May I ask what does BSDR stand for? Is that Black Sand dive retreat?

 

[Jay_Remi]

So jaylus. Enjoy and then post your reviews and pics so I can live vicariously though you, please.

I will definitely report back. But I am afraid there won't be any pic: I am a rare bird, never taking any pic under water.