pughio83
Contributor
Me and my friend stayed at TwoFish divers in Lembeh for 6D5N and 4D3N in Twofish Bunaken between dec 2-10th 2011. We flew from Uk to Manila initially as we had a week in Palau before hand, so then flew with Cebu Pacific from Manila to Singapore, then used Silkair to get to Manado. On the way back we just returned to Singapore for a couple of days before flying home to Uk (International flights were Emirates - great airline). No hassles with any airline, Silkair gave 10kg extra baggage allowance for dive gear!!
Twofish Divers picked us up at the airport, again no hassles. 1.5hrs transfer to the jetty where a small boat took us across the Strait to the resort ( ie we started at twofish lembeh). From the very start everyone at the resort was friendly and helpful, registration was easy and everything we needed was provided or explained.
The resort is very quiet and relaxing. We stayed in a superior cottage which was spacious with a large double bed and a single, en suite bathroom with hot shower. Fan room only but got cool at night so used it more for keeping mozzies off!! Clean sheets and towels changed often, free water tank in the rooms. Hammock on balcony was fab!! Views overlook the Strait, and the surroundings are tropical gardens and jungle. Tarsiers are all over the area but i have seen many before so didnt go looking this time. If you like snakes, i was told there are plenty around outside of the resort if you want to go looking (vipers, pythons etc..).
The resort had a central lounge area, with dvd player and tv for watching films if you wish, also videos on lembeh marine life. Lots of guide books around, a bar with drinks and snacks, and generally a nice place to socialise. the meals were provided at three set times over the day. Most of it was indonesian foods for lunch/dinner, well cooked, healthy, very tasty, and plenty of it. breakfast was generally fruits, cereals, milk, tea/coffee and pancakes/omelettes. Local snacks were provided during the day as well (doughnuts/cakes etc..). be aware there is no menu and the food choices limited at dinner - always rice or noodles, a meat or fish dish or both, and 2-3 veg dishes, eggs etc..fruits for dessert usually, or cakes. Wifi access in the offices can be used for small fee. And you can do photo work there also. Laundry service available. As are land trips eg to tangkoko.
Diving was well organised and tailor made to what you want to see. currents were minimal and i gave a list of things i would liked to have seen and the diveguides found most of them!. They were all good but our guide was called Sandy who was fab (but everyone helps eachother). Me and my friend pretty much had one guide for just us two, with max 5 on a boat.
The marinelife was amazing. We saw so much and more. these included bargibanti, Denise and Pontohi pygmy seahorses, estuary, thorny and haired seahores, mimic octopus, blue ringed octopus, starrey night and coconut octopuses, flambouyant cuttlefish, saw blade shrimp, tiger shrimp, honshu pipefish, ornate and robust ghostpipefish, lembeh pipehorses, ambon scorpionfish, hairy/painted/clown frogfish, flying gurnard, inimcus, stonefish, flame scallop, and countless nudibranchs of all types, crazy spider crabs of all types, and loads more.
All our own gear was looked after very well, nitrox was free. In the 6 days we did 20 dives, and the cost for everything was amazing, such good value. The weather was hot and sunny most days, some over cast, rained twice for short periods.
After Lembeh we were transfered to Bunaken (approx 60 mins), and in similar fashion went to Twofish divers there. The resort was bigger but similar designs and same amenities/facilities, similar foods.Only 4 others in the resort so bit quieter (had about 10 in lembeh). No complaints with the Bunaken resort, i just prefered the Lembeh location and atmosphere, and prefer muck diving. (Nb lembeh has some nice coral sites like angels window etc..).
Diving in Bunaken was less interesting for me, though my friend loved it. All wall dives, all very similar, plenty fish life, limited macro, or its there but harder to find. The week before a mola mola was seen, and thresher sharks so surprises can be seen. occ odd shark or eagle ray. The coral was nice but i have seen much more life on walls elsewhere (sipidan/ Sogod bay in philippines / bali). Plenty turtles to be seen (mostly greens). Weather was dire during my Bunaken stay. Sunny for one day but other 3 just rained so my chances to dive nain island to look for hammerheads was not an option (hammers have been seen there on 2/3 of the last trips). Night dive at fekui well worth it though. And we did see Pontohi pygmy seahorses again there.
overall i have no complaints of Twofish. Highly recommneded, excellent prices. If you want luxury then try somehwere else, but if you are there to have an enjoyable relaxing time and concentrate on the diving then I dont think you can get better. Well run by Dani and Matt in Lembeh. would return to lembeh tomorrow, would use Twofish again (to see the wonderpus which eluded me though other divers saw them). Would not retun to Bunaken in general again,as it doesnt offer enough from the diving for me. But if you want easy pretty wall dives then it maybe for you. And there is macro to see if you look hard!
Twofish Divers picked us up at the airport, again no hassles. 1.5hrs transfer to the jetty where a small boat took us across the Strait to the resort ( ie we started at twofish lembeh). From the very start everyone at the resort was friendly and helpful, registration was easy and everything we needed was provided or explained.
The resort is very quiet and relaxing. We stayed in a superior cottage which was spacious with a large double bed and a single, en suite bathroom with hot shower. Fan room only but got cool at night so used it more for keeping mozzies off!! Clean sheets and towels changed often, free water tank in the rooms. Hammock on balcony was fab!! Views overlook the Strait, and the surroundings are tropical gardens and jungle. Tarsiers are all over the area but i have seen many before so didnt go looking this time. If you like snakes, i was told there are plenty around outside of the resort if you want to go looking (vipers, pythons etc..).
The resort had a central lounge area, with dvd player and tv for watching films if you wish, also videos on lembeh marine life. Lots of guide books around, a bar with drinks and snacks, and generally a nice place to socialise. the meals were provided at three set times over the day. Most of it was indonesian foods for lunch/dinner, well cooked, healthy, very tasty, and plenty of it. breakfast was generally fruits, cereals, milk, tea/coffee and pancakes/omelettes. Local snacks were provided during the day as well (doughnuts/cakes etc..). be aware there is no menu and the food choices limited at dinner - always rice or noodles, a meat or fish dish or both, and 2-3 veg dishes, eggs etc..fruits for dessert usually, or cakes. Wifi access in the offices can be used for small fee. And you can do photo work there also. Laundry service available. As are land trips eg to tangkoko.
Diving was well organised and tailor made to what you want to see. currents were minimal and i gave a list of things i would liked to have seen and the diveguides found most of them!. They were all good but our guide was called Sandy who was fab (but everyone helps eachother). Me and my friend pretty much had one guide for just us two, with max 5 on a boat.
The marinelife was amazing. We saw so much and more. these included bargibanti, Denise and Pontohi pygmy seahorses, estuary, thorny and haired seahores, mimic octopus, blue ringed octopus, starrey night and coconut octopuses, flambouyant cuttlefish, saw blade shrimp, tiger shrimp, honshu pipefish, ornate and robust ghostpipefish, lembeh pipehorses, ambon scorpionfish, hairy/painted/clown frogfish, flying gurnard, inimcus, stonefish, flame scallop, and countless nudibranchs of all types, crazy spider crabs of all types, and loads more.
All our own gear was looked after very well, nitrox was free. In the 6 days we did 20 dives, and the cost for everything was amazing, such good value. The weather was hot and sunny most days, some over cast, rained twice for short periods.
After Lembeh we were transfered to Bunaken (approx 60 mins), and in similar fashion went to Twofish divers there. The resort was bigger but similar designs and same amenities/facilities, similar foods.Only 4 others in the resort so bit quieter (had about 10 in lembeh). No complaints with the Bunaken resort, i just prefered the Lembeh location and atmosphere, and prefer muck diving. (Nb lembeh has some nice coral sites like angels window etc..).
Diving in Bunaken was less interesting for me, though my friend loved it. All wall dives, all very similar, plenty fish life, limited macro, or its there but harder to find. The week before a mola mola was seen, and thresher sharks so surprises can be seen. occ odd shark or eagle ray. The coral was nice but i have seen much more life on walls elsewhere (sipidan/ Sogod bay in philippines / bali). Plenty turtles to be seen (mostly greens). Weather was dire during my Bunaken stay. Sunny for one day but other 3 just rained so my chances to dive nain island to look for hammerheads was not an option (hammers have been seen there on 2/3 of the last trips). Night dive at fekui well worth it though. And we did see Pontohi pygmy seahorses again there.
overall i have no complaints of Twofish. Highly recommneded, excellent prices. If you want luxury then try somehwere else, but if you are there to have an enjoyable relaxing time and concentrate on the diving then I dont think you can get better. Well run by Dani and Matt in Lembeh. would return to lembeh tomorrow, would use Twofish again (to see the wonderpus which eluded me though other divers saw them). Would not retun to Bunaken in general again,as it doesnt offer enough from the diving for me. But if you want easy pretty wall dives then it maybe for you. And there is macro to see if you look hard!
