Black Sand Dive Retreat

No markup

You pay exactly the rate the resort publishes. On top of that, only the actual bank costs of currency conversion and the international transfer — no commission of ours.

We run the deal

Correspondence with the resort, holding the room, the contract, booking confirmation and all paperwork are on our side. There is nothing for you to arrange yourself.

Card payment

We accept payment by card through Stripe and issue an invoice. The transfer to the resort is our job — you do not have to find a way to pay abroad.

Support all the way

We help you choose the room and dates, work out the dive package, answer questions about flights and gear, and stay in touch until you are home.

The exact amount is confirmed when we hold your booking: it includes the resort's rate at the day's exchange rate plus the actual transfer costs. No hidden fees.

About the resort

Country: Indonesia
Location: Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi
Nearest airport: Manado (MDC) — an hour by car on the Manado–Bitung toll road
Transfer: Included in the package, both ways
House reef: Yes — the Hairball 3, TK1 and TK2 sites lie directly off the beach; one free self-guided house reef dive for every two paid boat dives
Dive centre: In-house dive centre with a camera room, two compressors and a nitrox blending system
Nitrox: Available on request
Rooms: 7 bungalows, a maximum of 14 guests
Staff: No more than 4 divers per boat
Internet: Free in the bungalows and the main building

At the resort

Private black sand beach

Freshwater pool with loungers and umbrellas

Restaurant overlooking Kambahu Bay

Lounge with sofas in the main building

Dive centre with individual equipment cubicles

Fan-cooled camera room

220 V and 110 V outlets at the camera stations

Rinse tanks for gear and for camera equipment

Briefing centre and rental equipment room

Air conditioning and a ceiling fan in the bungalows

Walk-in closet and room safe

Walled semi-open garden bathroom with hot water

Drinking water, tea and coffee in the bungalow

Laundry service

Diving

No more than 4 divers per boat

Most sites under 10 minutes away

Hairball 3, TK1 and TK2 house reef off the beach

Free self-guided house reef dives

Three separate boat departures a day

Night boat dives on request

Nitrox on request

Camera room with 220 V and 110 V outlets

Water averaging 28 °C

Visibility averaging 10–15 metres

The first boat leaves at 8:00, the second at 11:00, the third at 14:30, and night dives go on request between 17:30 and 18:00. Every departure is out-and-back, so you are not obliged to do the morning dives — sleeping in with a late breakfast is a real option. Bottom time on boat dives is kept to 75 minutes so the schedule holds and surface intervals stay safe. Staff clean your gear at the end of the day and hang it in your own locker, then have the BCD and regulator assembled and aboard the boat the next morning. The house reef is open from 8am to 8pm: with two paid boat dives you get one free self-guided house reef dive a day, and three-dive packages get unlimited access. Solo diving is prohibited by local law, so you dive with a buddy; a guide for the house reef can be booked on request. Regulars on the house reef include nine species of frogfish, eight of octopus, cuttlefish, squid, seahorses, five kinds of ghost pipefish, stargazers, bamboo and coral cat sharks, banggai cardinalfish, morays, snake eels and ribbon eels. Divers rarely go deeper than fifteen metres.

Food

A short à la carte menu, not a buffet

The menu changes daily

Cooked to order and served hot

Restaurant overlooking Kambahu Bay

Morning and afternoon snacks

Welcome drink and fruit basket

Drinking water, tea and coffee in the bungalow

Lounge with sofas and WiFi

Lunch is ordered right after breakfast, so it is ready when you get back from the dive and there is still time to relax before the afternoon departure. In the evening the bay fills with the lanterns of fishing canoes — that is the view from the restaurant, surrounded by flowering trees and palms. Alcohol, soft drinks and juices after breakfast are charged separately.

Beyond diving

Foot-shaped freshwater pool

Black sand beach

Tangkoko National Park

Lounge with sofas and WiFi

The pool is a few steps from the restaurant, with a shower, umbrellas and shade for anyone avoiding the sun. The main trip ashore is Tangkoko National Park, which offers the best chance anywhere of seeing the spectral tarsier, the smallest primate on the planet, along with the endemic black crested macaque and cuscus. Unlike most parks in Southeast Asia the wildlife is easy to see, helped by the rangers visitors are required to take along.

Rooms

Standalone bungalow

View: Kambahu Bay and the Lembeh Strait

Seven bungalows, each looking out over Kambahu Bay and the Lembeh Strait. The bedroom has air conditioning and a ceiling fan, with drinking water, tea and coffee to hand. There is a walk-in closet for luggage and gear and a safe for valuables. The bathroom is walled and semi-open onto its own garden, with a hot water shower.

View over the bay and the strait Air conditioning and a ceiling fan Walk-in closet for luggage Room safe Walled semi-open garden bathroom Hot water shower Drinking water, tea and coffee Free WiFi Laundry service at extra cost

When to go

Best time: Year-round — the strait is sheltered, though some critters are seasonal
Water temperature: Averaging 28 °C
Visibility: Averaging 10–15 metres, occasionally up to 30

The Lembeh Strait is sheltered from the open sea, so it can be dived all year; what changes is the cast of critters, which differs from month to month. The water averages 28 °C, but the dives are many, shallow and therefore long, so the resort recommends a full wetsuit. Thermoclines move through from time to time, which is a good thing: cold upwellings spur mating cycles in nudibranchs, pipefish and other species. Visibility is lower than on ocean reefs — 10–15 metres on average, sometimes less, sometimes a full thirty. The reason is the same as the reason for the abundance of life: the water is rich in nutrients. Clarity generally improves as you head north from mid-island into more open water. For macro none of this matters — the attractions are viewed from close quarters.

Getting there

The nearest airport is Sam Ratulangi (MDC) in Manado. The resort is an hour by car on the new Manado–Bitung toll road; the stretch from Bitung to the gate is good tarmac, and no boat ride is needed.

The most direct international route is via Singapore: Scoot, the budget arm of Singapore Airlines, flies to Manado four times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday), 3.5 hours in the air. In August 2024 AirAsia restarted its Kuala Lumpur — Kota Kinabalu — Manado route. Domestically there are daily flights from Jakarta, three hours, some of them direct, as well as from Denpasar and other cities.

The 30-day Visa on Arrival is the usual option and is open to citizens of sixty countries (as of 30 May 2022). At the airport you need a passport valid for more than six months from the date of arrival, a return ticket, the visa fee of IDR 500,000 (card or cash) and proof of travel insurance covering at least USD 20,000. Entry rules keep changing, and the resort advises checking before you fly.

Malaria and dengue fever exist in North Sulawesi but are rarely contracted in coastal locations thanks to the onshore breeze. There are few mosquitoes on the property, and spray and coils are provided in the bungalows; the resort suggests bringing repellent and covered clothing for the evening, and consulting a doctor in advance about anti-malarials.

Mains voltage is 220–240 V with two round-prong sockets; the camera room has both 220 V and 110 V outlets plus adapters. On site you can pay by Visa or Mastercard, or in cash in rupiah, euros and — only if immaculate — US dollars, since Indonesian banks refuse notes that are old, damaged, marked or even folded. Bitung has ATMs.