Black Sand Dive Retreat

Food & Drinks

The delicious meals are served in the main building, which offers scenic panoramas.

Dive Information

Biodiversity In Lembeh

Lembeh Strait is auspiciously located in the famed Coral Triangle, which boasts the greatest marine biodiversity on the planet. As one move away from this area, the numbers of marine species decrease dramatically.

Why are these waters so rich? It most probably is no coincidence that the largest water movement on the planet, known as the Indonesian Throughflow, splits past the northern tip of Sulawesi. To the north of Sulawesi, a string of volcanic islands form a chain all the way to the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. Below the water, this chain forms the Sarangani Sill, which divides deepwater basins to the east and west.

To the west of Sulawesi is the Sulawesi Basin, while to the east there is the Philippine Sea and the West Caroline Basin. The movement of water westwards from this basin begins the Indonesian Throughflow. Hitting the Sarangani Sill, the shallow portions of this water flow over this barrier and continue westward and down the west coast of Sulawesi.

The deeper waters hit the barrier and are diverted southward down the eastern side of Sulawesi and through the Moluccan Islands.Most of North Sulawesi lacks a continental shelf, which means that abyssal depths exist directly offshore and these deeper, nutrient-rich waters are forced upwards and churned with surface waters as they are flushed through the narrow confines of the strait.

Though currents are strong in the main channel, there are numerous small bays out of the current stream suitable for easy diving in which the nutrients settle to foster the rich biodiversity that our region is renowned for.

Diving Day

The strategic location in Kambahu Bay has Black Sand Dive Retreat located right amongst the best muck dives in the entire strait. Most of the boat trips to the dive sites are ten minutes or less. This gives you more time for relaxing at the resort rather than spending a large chunk of your day bobbing around on a boat. With a maximum of four guests per boat, they're keeping the dive groups small, while most of the other resorts in the area put 8, 12 or even more guests per boat, which results in a lot of the sand bottom being kicked up and pile-ups ensuing at special critters.

All of the boat dives are out-and-back, so you are not obligated to do two morning dives if you do not wish to. Sleeping in with a late breakfast is a viable option. The first boat dive of the day is at 8:00, with coffee/tea and a snack awaiting at the Dive Center on your return. The second boat dive departs at 11:00. The resort asks guests to limit their bottom time to 75 minutes on boat dives to keep to the schedule and ensure safe surface interval times.

As your lunch was ordered immediately after breakfast, your meal will be quickly served as soon as you seat yourself in our restaurant for lunch, allowing you time to relax before the afternoon dive, which leaves at 2:30. Night boat dives are available on request and depart at 5:45 or 6:00, depending on the time of year. Unguided or guided House Reef dives, day or night, can be arranged by our dive staff. Simply ask. The House Reef is open at 8 am and the resort asks guests to be out of the water by 8 pm.

The staff will help with your equipment, cleaning it and hanging it up for you in your equipment locker at the end of your diving day. The next morning they will have your BCD and regulator set assembled and ready aboard the boat. If doing a self-guided beach dive, you need to rinse and store your equipment yourself.

Dive Center Information

In the spacious Dive Center there are equipment cubicles for guest equipment to drip dry in the breeze between dives and provide space for easy suiting up. Within meters are showers as well as rinse tanks for washing both diving equipment and for soaking underwater camera gear.

There is a dedicated camera room that is fan-cooled, offering two heights of camera stations, each with outlets for charging both 220 V and 110 V.

The two compressors and Nitrox blending system have their own room, there is a WC for guests, a rental equipment room, and a briefing center, covering all your diving requirements.

Well-trained guides with magic eyes are a top priority and with years of experience in the area, guests can be assured of seeing the very best that the strait has to offer. Under the supervision of Canadian PADI Instructor Ben Baker, the Dive Team can be relied upon to maintain the enthusiasm and marine knowledge that Bruce is renowned for.