Dive Review of NAD Resort in
Indonesia/Lembeh Straits

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NAD Resort, Mar, 2012, by Vivian Weber-Pagel, WI, US ( 2 reports). Report 6575.
No photos available at this time
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	NAD - NOMADIC ADVENTURE DIVERS. Could it live up to its name? Well, Folks, let me say this right up front. This report will provide you with almost no negatives to consider. Our two-week stay at the NAD Lembeh Resort could not have been more wonderful. So, where to begin? Let's start with that very first impression that one gets upon arrival. After long and arduous days of travel ...... Plover to Madison, Wisconsin, USA Madison to Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA Minneapolis to San Francisco, USA San Francisco to Jakarta, Bali Jakarta to Taipei, Taiwan Taipei to Manado, Indonesia .......we arrived in Manado where we were met by NAD Resort staff at Bitung Harbor. After a short, beautiful boat ride from the Harbor we arrived at the Resort, nestled between two hills inside a tranquil bay. It is a sight like this that breathes new life into weary travelers. We were treated to a cool drink as Serge, Manager of Dive Operations, provided an overview of the resort layout, schedule, dive op, meal routine, and checked dive certifications. We then retreated to our air-conditioned rooms where our bags awaited us. We explored the grounds before dinner and were delighted to find all kinds of nooks and crannies where one could find a comfortable place to be in solitude or to mingle with other guests and staff. The dry, Camera Room provided ample space and electrical outlets, high work tables, and towels where one could set up and store camera equipment. Similarly, the computer room was lined with high tables, stools, two computers, outlets for personal computers, a resource library, and lounge furniture. Next on the agenda - dinner. The dining room is open air with a long table capable of seating all guests. What a wonderful opportunity to meet the neighbors and share stories of the day's diving. A menu announced the specialties available for us at each meal, and food was served buffet style. Each meal was a delicious adventure of flavor and color and cuisine. The quantity and variety satisfactory to even the pickiest eater. So with all of our physical needs met to great satisfaction, let's talk about what we're all here for -- the diving! Lembeh Island is known for its muck diving and vast array of critters. So, here is the one shortcoming that might be perceived by some. You will generally not be diving colorful reefs, and you will not likely be encountering large pelagics. In Lembeh, you dive the ocean bottom, and you meet the small and smaller ocean critters. It is a macro photographer's dream -- and I didn't wake up for two, glorious weeks! Boarding our dive boat, Stargazer, we enter a covered area with cubbies for personal belongings and baskets under the seats for our dive gear. Camera rinse tanks are nearby. Each diver has a personal gear basket which is toted to and from the boat by the dive staff. Following each dive day, gear is rinsed and hung/placed carefully for drying. Boat towels are marked with your room number; fresh water, tea, coffee, fruit or pastries are available. As you pass through this covered area, there is open deck space, a tank and gear-up station, and an area where the staff assembles and prepares to meet your every dive need. At the dive site one of the guides offers a thorough dive briefing which is accompanied by a site map. Dives are generally 75 minutes in length, followed by a full hour surface interval. There are two morning dives and an afternoon dive. Night dives and shore dives are also options. Each group has its own dive guide, and we fell in love with our Joni. Always a bright smile and witty comment, Joni had the eye of an eagle. I swear he could spot a 1/2-inch critter 3 meters away! I sometimes could not keep up with his spotting. Still photographing one incredible creature, he was off finding another. He also took great joy in helping me to finesse my strobe when I was struggling with lighting. Free instruction - you can't beat that. The visibility was generally good, and there were no significant currents. After a week of incredible dives and sightings, I figured that we had seen it all. But each day brought yet another new critter. It was so amazing that I have to share the list with you. Orange Frogfish Napoleon Shrimp Humpback Scorpionfish Bangkai Cardinalfish Robust Ghost Pipefish Foot-long Pipehorse Porcelain Crabs Variety of Cleaner Shrimp Harlequin Shrimp Pair Bubble Coral Razorfish White Devil Scorpionfish Bannerfish Cardinal Fish at Mouth of Anemone Grey Shaggy Frogfish Red-Lined Sea Cucumber Starfish Shrimp and Shell One-Inch Serpia Cuttlefish Wonderpus Octopi Seahorse Red-Banded, Purple Bodied Shrimp Black-Banded Sea Snake Box Crab Map Puffer Tiger Shrimp Spotted Sweetlips Varieties of Lionfish Lemon Goby Pair Spinecheek Anemonefish Black-Saddle Snake Eel Eating Fish Black-and-White Mantis Shrimp Lembeh Sea Dragons Entwined Mating Nudibranchs Burrowing Stargazer Bubble Decorator Crab Boxfish/Cowfish Skeleton Shrimp with Eggs Leechhead Slug Coconut Octopus that tires of us, gathers two shell halves, sits on one, and pulls the other over its head! Crab wearing Upside-Down-Jellyfish Mantis Shrimp Charging Camera! Map Puffer with Eggs Siagiani Hairy Squat Lobster Fibriated Moray Long Nose Shrimp Hairy Shrimp Pygmy Cuttlefish 'Zapping' Food Rolls of Nudibranch Eggs Upside-Down Jellyfish Three Blue-Ring Octopi Giant Yellow Frogfish Skunk Clownfish Network Pipefish Crown of Thorns Starfish Mantis Shrimp With Eggs Coconut Octopus Ghost Pipefish Hairy Cowry A Rainbow of Tunicates Whip Coral Shrimp Basket Star Slender Filefish Black-Finned Snake Eel Ribbon Eel Warty Frogfish Sea Cucumber Crab Feather Stars Feeding Orangutan Crabs Golden Cuttlefish Anemone Crabs Galletea Elegans Squat Lobster Big Eye Soldierfish Fang Blennies in Bottles Bargibanti Pygmy Seahorse Pair Reticulated Starfish Snapper Juvenile Hairy Frogfish Flounders Helgarda Okinawa Nudi Halimeda Crabs Flabellina Nudibranch Convention of Nudibranch Fingertip Dragonet Red Night Shrimp Flamboyant Cuttlefish Whip Coral Shrimp Cockatoo Waspfish Burrfish Snowflake Eel Pygmy Dragonet Ghost Pipefish with Eggs Flame Helmet Snail Coleman's Pygmy Seahorse Harlequin Snake Eel Juvenile Flying Gurnard Trailing Nudibranchs School of Striped Catfish Crocodile Flathead Mandarinfish Mating Juvenile Golden Cuttlefish Mimic Octopus Swimming Mimic Octopus in Flounder Posture One-Inch, White Painted Frogfish Barrimundi Walking Crinoids Napoleon Snake Eel Moorish Idols Clark Anemonefish Tube Anemone Big Eye Goby Sand Perch Red Cushion Starfish Feather Pen Toby Tomato Anemonefish Juvenile Ribbon Eel Stargazer with Lure Out Yellow Shaggy Frogfish Rare, White Halimeda Pipefish Cardinalfish at Mouth of Anemone Decorator Crab With Fire Urchin Atop Friendly, Large Cuttlefish Tigertail Sue Cuke With Shrimp Pair Ornate Ghost Pipefish Pair Golden Puffer Black-Spotted Puffer Sweetlips Juvenile Orange Scorpionfish Banded Pipefish With Eggs Yellow Crinoid Shrimp Tiger Shrimp Pair Nudibranchs: Chromodoris-kuniei Chromodoris-annae Chromodoris-fidelis Chromodoris-magnifica Flabellina-exoptata Halgerda batangas Halgerda okinawa Jorunna-parva Nembrotha Tambja-gabrielae Chromodoris-kuniei Janolus Tyroli Ceratosoma Chromodoris Rudiani And more, too numerous to mention And this, my Friends, is a list of only those creatures that I took photos of and can identify or describe! Just another glorious day in paradise. But I can't end this report without introducing you to the leadership team that makes NAD-Lembeh so very special. You've met Serge, Manager of Dive Operations and delightfully sassy, Jack-of-All-Trades. Then there's always-smiling and efficient Linda, Office Manager. And the heart of the resort - Owner/Operators, Simon and Zee. I was so impressed with how this young couple manages and operates NAD. Everything runs like a well-oiled machine. The Resort is well designed and well cared for, and they have never-ending ideas for additions, improvements and upgrades. They are available to each guest and respond quickly to any need or request. The relationship between Simon, Zee, their Managers and other staff seems based on a sense of family and mutual respect. They are engaged with guests and work side-by-side with staff whether the project be preparing for dinner, building a new dock, or planting new flora. Perhaps this next observation best depicts who they are as people and managers: NAD-Resort hires two shifts of kitchen staff so that their employees can work reasonable hours and attend to their families as well as their careers! You don't see this type of consideration often; and as a workers' rights activist, that warmed my heart and demonstrated who Simon and Zee are. The other heart-warmer is daughter, Bella, just eight months old at the time of our visit and the apple of everyone's eye. Thanks to each of you for an outstanding trip. I can't wait to return.
Websites	NAD Resort [same]
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Tulamben, Bali Raja Ampat Region, Indonesia Ambon, Indonesia Curacao Bonaire Roatan Cozumel Cayos Cochinos Utila
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	82-84°F / 28-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	50-100 Ft/ 15-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	This is muck diving/critter hunting at its best. Each guest group has its own dive guide, so specifics can be worked out with him. Dives were generally 75 minutes in length.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals	N/A	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	A dry camera room was available to photographers. Camera gear could be safely stored and set-up in this area. Ample lighting, electrical outlets, and camera towels were available. Fresh water rinse tanks were available on the boats and camera-specific rinse tanks were available on shore.

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Dive Review of NAD Resort in Indonesia/Lembeh Straits

NAD Resort, Mar, 2012,

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 NAD Resort in
Indonesia/Lembeh Straits