Things you wish you had known before your first trip to N Sulawesi...

[Pillpusher]

Diving Bunaken taught me that, if you are diving strong currents on big walls, expect they will sometimes go down . . . or up!

You might enjoy checking out this thread: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/underwater-videography/480515-mucky-secrets-marine-creatures-lembeh-strait-weekly-series.html. The videos are truly wonderful and educational.

Thanks, yeah, I've been keeping up with it. Great series, even if it is just a few minutes as a time...lol.

 

[matts1w]

Can anyone else verify that the weight allowance for a couple traveling together isn't combined? After I posted the question, I read elsewhere that it is.

Welcome to Asia. The only we can 100% verify is that the sun will rise, will set, and what was true today may or may not be true tomorrow.

 

[Pillpusher]

I also found out the carry on limit is 7kg (my camera Pelican). Oh well, I'm not gonna sweat it. It's a vacation. I just plan on packing and then see what happens when I leave Singapore.

 

[andrethediver]

A +10 diopter is not nearly enough for Lembeh...go for +30 at least.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

 

[paulfromharwich]

I don't know how widely this is known but if you transit through Sinapore to Manado with Sinapore Airlines like I did then you may be entitled to a S$40 voucher.

See here for details.

 

[Pillpusher]

A +10 diopter is not nearly enough for Lembeh...go for +30 at least.

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I only use a SeaLife DC1400, so I have limited diopter options. I had just ordered a SubSee +10, but was told yesterday they are discontinuing that adapter because it apparently offers little magnification advantage over the camera's super macro mode. So, I'm open to suggestions if you know of any that will work with my camera.

---------- Post added June 4th, 2014 at 07:40 AM ----------

I don't know how widely this is known but if you transit through Sinapore to Manado with Sinapore Airlines like I did then you may be entitled to a S$40 voucher.

See here for details.

Great... Now I have to take my wife shopping in the airport...lol...j/k. Great info! Thanks! I'm originating from Houston (US isn't on the point of origin list), but I have a layover in Beijing. So, maybe they'll consider China the point of origin.

 

[andrethediver]

I was using a GoPro 3 with an $11 set of Vivitar diopters from Amazon and wished I had ordered 3 sets as +10 stacked with +4 (+14) provided little magnification for the small stuff. YMMV.

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[parrotman]

The things that I wished I had known - it seems that none of the rooms and hotels ever have anyplace to hang or store clothing so plan on leaving them in your suitcase. They have REALLY big spiders.. I am not bothered by them but my group of friends that I travel with seem to be so they would come screaming down to my room to kill the monster spider in their room. ( they really are big) don't make friends with any stray cats on the resort grounds because they will end up in a burlap bag and off to some unpleasant demise. The locals at Lembeh are truly lovely people. Friendly and kind. They also do not have the same sense of personal space that Americans do so don't be surprised if someone touchs you or gets close. The little children in Manado think that big tall white men are fascinating. The reason that I say I wish I had known is that I would have brought trinkets or treats. I spent a good hour in Manado one time while several school children came and had there picture taken with me. I am 6'4" and quite fair. They were so cute.

 

[Pillpusher]

Ha! Good to know... Although, I'm only 5'10", so they probably won't be all too enthralled by me...lol.

 

[Wingy]

Ahh yes, the photo thing. The good folk of Manado do like a good photo op. I went into the mega mall (food supplies and amazing patisserie downstairs) to get a camera charger and ended up squished against a wall having my photo taken for an hour while people went and got babies and grandmas for photos with me too. Im 5'1 - it has nothing to do with height or gender either. Friend who has lived in Manado for 8 years still gets his photo taken. Hey have fun with it. I ended up wasting another hour on the beach at Bunaken having my photo taken with every member of the Ambon football team who were on a trip to Bunaken for a good season end. Take photos of them too

And for some weird reason there seems to be a rather large number of albinos around n. sulawesi......dont know what genetic burp happened to result in that. I turned it into a hobby - albino spotting.