Lembeh & Bunaken Dive Report

Report and Photos by Allan & Barbara Jones

Featuring Kungkungan Bay Resort and Kima Bajo Resort & Spa

Report and Photos Copyright © 2009 -- All Rights Reserved

Kungkungan Bay Resort -- Lembeh Strait

"Flamboyant Cuttlefish?" No problem!

"Octopus?" Yes, would you like Blue Ring, Mimic or Wonderpus?

"Pygmy Sea Horse?" Sure, a pink, yellow or white one?

When arriving at Kungkungan Bay Resort (KBR), long known to experienced divers as the macro capitol of the world, the divemaster guides take it as a personal challenge to fulfill your ultimate wish list of strange and rare macro photo subjects. With a maximum of just four divers per guide, they will lead you from one unique critter to the next. It is not often that one does not have their exotic macro wishes realized. Of course, it's up to you to get the picture!

Since we've started diving there in 1997, Kungkungan Bay Resort has undergone many beneficial changes and improvements. All rooms are now fully air-conditioned, with up graded interiors. There is a beautiful new swimming pool, a great health spa, and particularly close to all divers' hearts is the cool new second-floor bar and restaurant. This fall, we'll be heading back to KBR for our sixth visit. When you arrive, all of the staff members remember you and greet you by name. It's almost better than going home!

Learn more about: Kungkungan Bay Resort

Kima Bajo Resort & Spa -- Bunaken Marine Park

Located just over a one-hour drive from KBR, Kima Bajo Resort and Spa sits on the western edge of lush rolling hills overlooking the azure-blue Pacific. After a week of shooting macro at KBR, we change our cameras over for some easy going, wide angle photography as we move to Kima Bajo to dive the protected waters of Bunaken National Marine Park.

Getting from one resort to other is a snap. Our dive gear is loaded into baskets and we just set our camera systems on top for the short trip.

Kima has just introduced three new dive boats for the short 10-minute trip to the dive sites. These wooden boats, with traditional Sulawesi lines, have plenty of storage area, an environmental head, and camera rinse tanks. We do two morning dives and then head back to the resort for lunch and a quick nap before the afternoon dive.

The dining area is open sided and looks west over the water with the striking Manado Tua volcano in the back ground. As the tropical sun sets over the water at day's end, this is as good as it gets!

North Sulawesi is easy to get to. We fly award-winning Singapore Airlines and check our bags from Los Angeles straight through to Manado. It's jet service all the way. Combining a week at Kungkungan Bay Resort with a visit to Kima Bajo Resort gives you the best of both worlds of underwater photography (macro and wide-angle) without even the hassle of repacking your gear between these two great locations!

Learn more about: Kima Bajo Resort & Spa

Allan and Barbara Jones - Copyright 2009 - All Rights Reserved

Follow these links for lots more Indonesia information:

• Indonesia Dive Report -- Manado, Bunaken, and Lembeh
  Island Dreams owner Ken Knezick has made numerous, extended research trips to Indonesia. Read his most recent review of diving opportunities in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, with first-hand reports from Murex Dive Resort and the excellent new Lembeh Resort.


• Group Dive Tours to Indonesia -- Join us!

• Wakatobi Found -- A First-Hand Report from Wakatobi Resort

• Kararu Dive Voyages -- Excellent New Indonesia Live-Aboard

• Kima Bajo Resort & Spa -- Luxury Dive Resort in Manado

• Kungkungan Bay Resort -- Dive the Best of Lembeh Strait

• Lembeh Resort, Sulawesi - Lembeh's Newest & Finest Dive Hotel

• Lembeh Strait Report -- Report by Indo-Expert Bruce Moore

• Beneath the Dragon's Realm -- Exploring Komodo Park

• James Watt's Indonesia Report -- Manado, Bunaken, Kungkungan

• Political Concerns? -- An Insider's Perspective on Indonesia

• Return to: Explore-Indonesia.com