Dive Review of Sangalaki Dive Lodge in
Indonesia/Sangalaki

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Sangalaki Dive Lodge, Oct, 2002, by Rick Tuss, DE, USA ( Sr. Reviewer 7 reports with 1 Helpful vote). Report 290.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Good: Mantas, mantas, and more mantas. Dived and snorkeled with 10's of mantas every day. They constantly feed in large numbers around the island. I had to snorkel with them nude... I am now known as the Great White Manta! The locals thought I was crazy. Turtles, turtles, and more turtles. Not quite as many as Sipadan, but plenty. This is one of the few marine parks in Indonesia that actually has a warden to look out for them. Obverved females coming and leaving shore to lay eggs. Assisted many newborns to the ocean... wonderful helping newborn turles make a good start to their lives. If you want to see mantas and turtles, this is definitely the place to go, but be prepared to rough it a bit. The other marine life was abundant and the corals quite healthy. Saw multiple large groupers on one dive... a rarity in Indonesia as most get consumed! Great wall diving on close by islands. Jelly fish lake to snorkel in. The vis wasn't fantastic, but the plankton is why the mantas are there. The accomidations aren't 5 star, but ok for a dedicated dive resort. The people were extremely friendly and wanted to please. Bad: At the end of the earth. International flight from Singapore to Balipapan then domestic to Berau (ever flown an Indonesian domestic flight??). Serious weight restrictions on the domestic flight... be prepared to pay additional for your dive gear! 2.5 hour boat ride from Berau to Sangalaki. The boat trip back was even worse in a small speed boat in rough seas... Everything needs to be brought into the small island of Sangalaki, including fresh water a couple times a week. It's kind of like being on a large liveaboard, only it doesn't rock all the time (the island is only about 5 acres). The food was marginal. It greatly improved at the end of the week... they hired a new cook and she was really proud of her cooking. No shore diving! It's a shame because the house reef is great with super critters including mandarin fish, nudibranch, etc. SDL needs to put in a getty out to the reef.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	All over
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	choppy, currents
Water Temp	82-84°F / 28-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	0
Water Visibility	40-80 Ft/ 12-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Time limit normally of 60 minutes per dive
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	Squadrons
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	No fresh water bucket on boats. Cameras were protected by laying them on an open life jacket in rear of boat. Did have separate fresh water troughs on shore to soak cameras.

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Dive Review of Sangalaki Dive Lodge in Indonesia/Sangalaki

Sangalaki Dive Lodge, Oct, 2002,

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 Sangalaki Dive Lodge in
Indonesia/Sangalaki