Dive Review of Black Sand Dive Retreat in
Indonesia/Lembeh Strait

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Black Sand Dive Retreat: "A Gem in Lembeh", Oct, 2019, by Fredda Lerner, VA, US ( Sr. Reviewer 7 reports with 2 Helpful votes). Report 11217.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Our week in Lembeh Strait at Black Sand Dive Retreat (BSDR) far exceeded our high expectations. For years we have read about Lembeh and then decided to go to BSDR after a recommendation from fellow divers on a previous trip. We are so glad we did! The sand at the BSDR beach is really black! There are so many wonderful things about Lembeh Strait and BSDR. First the amazing muck diving. Before each dive trip, I create a mental list of various animals I want to see. At BSDR I was able to cross off most of them! Highlights: Mimic octopus - check (several). Wonderpus - check (a few). Starry night octopus - check (1). Coconut octopus - check (lots). White V octopus (lots). Ornate ghost pipefish (and some juveniles) - check. Seahorses - check (lots of different types, colors and sizes). Bobtail squid - check. Flamboyant cuttlefish - check. Cockatoo flounder - check. Banggai cardinalfish - check. Mandarin fish - check. Now BSDR - it is a real gem. It is very small and personal - owners Bruce and Fung joined us at some meals and came to talk with us personally at our bungalow. Bruce joined us on a night dive - he knows just about everything there is to know about diving in Lembeh. Each bungalow has a breathtaking view of Lembeh Strait. There is plenty of storage in the bungalow. The Dive Centre is by the beach and has separate lockers for each bungalow's dive equipment. There are several fresh water rinse tanks and showers. A unique feature of each bungalow is that the shower and bathroom are part of the bungalow but are in the open air. I loved it! The pool is shaped like a foot - which is very unique as well as beautiful. The food was great and plentiful. The service was impeccable. There are boat dives at 8am, 11am 2:30pm and 5:30pm (the night dive). Each dive is a single tank. The boats are small and hold 4 divers. It makes sense because all of the dive sites are close - only a few minutes away. And - one of the best shore dives in Lembeh is the BSDR "house" reef. To be real, there were 2 down sides of the trip. 1st - getting there. It takes over 30 hours to get there from the east coast of the US - but it is well worth it. 2nd is that we did not see any rhinopias (the deepest dive in Lembeh). I assume that was purposeful because we have a reason to return so that we can see them! And we will return to BSDR. Kudos to Bruce and Fung for such a wonderful dive resort!
Websites	Black Sand Dive Retreat [same]
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas, Hawaii, Cocos Islands, Galapagos, Australia, Chuuk/Truk, Palau, Yap, Philippines
Closest Airport	Manado	Getting There	DC --> SFO --> SIN --> MDC
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	calm, no currents
Water Temp	82-83°F / 28-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	20-50 Ft/ 6-15 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	All dives were guided based on what you requested to see. We used air. Nitrox available but expensive.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	Separate locked camera room at the Dive Centre, plenty of charging but no forced air. Towels are provided.

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Dive Review of Black Sand Dive Retreat in Indonesia/Lembeh Strait

Black Sand Dive Retreat: "A Gem in Lembeh", Oct, 2019,

Photos Submitted with this Report

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Black Sand Dive Retreat in
Indonesia/Lembeh Strait