Regions / Asia / Indonesia / NAD-Lembeh

NAD-Lembeh

$1334 USD / 7 nights

Nitrox $

WIFI Available

Handicap Accessible

NAD-Lembeh resort is located in a private bay on the Lembeh Strait and is known for its macro and muck diving. The resort is also known for their 2:1 diver ratio. The resort features ten beachfront rooms as well as five seaview bungalows that have an extra dayroom/office. All of the rooms have a view of the ocean, air conditioning, and WiFi. The seaview bungalows are standalone and are located in a secluded area of the resort, just a short walk from the main building. These bungalows have a beautiful view of the bay and are perfect for couples who would like to spend their evenings lounging on the private deck. The beachfront rooms are directly on the beach and near the pool, and are perfect for guests who want to be close to all of the resort’s daily activities. Twin and double beds are available as well as adjacent rooms for groups traveling together. Each room has its own veranda that overlooks the gardens, pool, and beach. All of the rooms are placed close to the restaurant, camera room, bar, and floating jetty so guests don’t have to walk far to have access to all of the resort’s amenities.

NAD-Lembeh WEATHER

The resort has a small pool and jacuzzi in the garden area with rattan furniture for guest to lounge. Across from the pool are beach services and kayaks that are available for guests to use in the bay. The open-air restaurant seats up to forty people and most meals are served buffet style. The menu features many Asian dishes as well as pasta, pizza, burgers, and other choices. The bar has power outlets, projectors, and TVs, which are perfect for editing photographs and watching presentations.

One attraction at NAD-Lembeh is that it is the first dive resort to grow its own produce in an eco-friendly way. The resort has a large garden area producing leafy greens, vegetables, and fruits. Once the plants mature, the garden is expected to provide the resort and its guests with enough produce for the daily salads.

The NAD-Lembeh dive team has fifteen full time guides and has a guarantee of a 2:1 guest to guide ratio. This provides a nearly-private dive experience, especially for photographers. Air, including nitrox and various cylinder sizes, are available onsite for divers to use. The resort also gives guests the opportunity to participate in blackwater dives. On blackwater dives, mantis shrimp, flounders, and jellyfish are encountered. This is a great experience for photographers and guides are trained to help spot rare critters. There is also great muck diving in the Lembeh Strait where the black sand bays and coral reefs have some of the most diverse marine life. There are frogfish, rhinopias, and a huge array of nudibranchs and octopus, including the blue-ringed octopus and mimic octopus.

The dive center’s camera room is perfect for the underwater photographer’s needs. It is located next to the restaurant and has thirty workstations with expansive space. Each station features LED lights, rubber mat, camera towel, four international and eight European power outlets with USB ports. There are also basic tools including a drying cabinet, TV, computer, and fish identification books. At the front of the camera room, there are fresh water rinse tanks to clean equipment as well as an air gun. The gift shop also has diopters, float arms, and torches for sale

Dive Conditions

Conditions can make or break your trip. Temperature, visibility and the current vary greatly across this expansive country. Be sure to check the conditions of each destination you’re planning to dive before you leave. Diving is excellent year-round, but the best time is from May to September. Monsoon season is from December to June. Visibility may not be as good during the monsoon, however, certain locations like the Komodo Islands are a diver’s dream during this time due to an influx of mantas.

Most of Indonesia can be dived year-round with March to October being the most popular time of year to dive. This period of time marks the dry season in most parts of the country, with the exception of some dive areas like Ambon and southern Raja Ampat where most rainfall occurs in May/June to October/September due to the southern monsoon. It's best to visit these areas in the months of November to April for optimal dive conditions.

Generally speaking, Indonesia's climate is almost entirely tropical, with May to September as the dry season, and October to April the rainy season, and with heavier rainfall from December through February. However, the opposite might be true for certain dive areas in Indonesia like Raja Ampat and Ambon, and the best time of year to visit Indonesia really depends on where you intend to stay in the country.

The water temperatures remain quite consistent through the country, hovering at 26°-29°C (82°- 85°F) year-round. Typically, you won't need anything more than a 3-5mm wetsuit, or even a skinsuit. However, the diving conditions and difficulty in Indonesia hugely vary, depending on where and when you dive in the country.

Ambon Bay, Maluku – world class muck diving. Critters that can be seen here include rhinopias, frogfish, ghost pipefish, lots of juvenile fish, stonefish, mandarin fish, nudibranchs, harlequin and coleman shrimps, wonderpus, mimic and flamboyant cuttlefish, and even the much-sought-after psychedelic frogfish.

Alor, East Nusa Tenggara – the hidden gem. This off-the-beaten-path dive destination offers a mix of both world-class wide-angle and macro sites. Pristine coral reefs, steep walls, sloping muck sites--the diving in Alor is really diverse and would please the most discerning diver and underwater photographer.

Banda Sea, Maluku – sea snakes and hammerheads. Most of the diving around the Banda Sea involves excellent wall dives, and great macro sites, but the biggest draw is probably the resident sea snakes at Manuk and Gunung Api islands.

Bali – wrecks and mola molas. Unique critters, fascinating wrecks, beautiful walls, colorful corals, excellent muck dives, huge schools of fish, pelagics--Bali has it all. Technical diving and freediving are also possible in Bali with a good number of reputable dive operations.

Derawan Islands, Borneo – manta rays and whalesharks. Derawan is a remote group of islands in East Kalimantan (East Borneo), and is home to one of the three jellyfish lakes known to men, with the other two located in Palau and Misool Island in Raja Ampat.

Komodo, East Nusa Tenggara – drift dives and world class reefs. Komodo National Park is a group of volcanic islands with over 5,700 giant lizards known as Komodo dragons. This UNESCO World Heritage Site also hosts a world-class scuba diving scene. Imagine drift dives with colorful corals in various formations teeming with marine life, big and small. Divers can see big schools of fish pretty much year-round, as well as eagle and manta rays.

Lembeh, North Sulawesi – muck diving capital. Known as the world's capital for muck diving, Lembeh Strait in North Sulawesi offers second-to-none macro biodiversity. The number species that you can cross off your list within a week of diving Lembeh is staggering.

Manado and Bunaken, North Sulawesi – wall dives and reefs. Manado Bay offers a mix of great muck and reef sites, treating divers to unique critters like mimic octopus and flamboyant cuttlefish, as well as various seahorses, squid, nudibranchs, and frogfish.

Raja Ampat, West Papua – the holy grail of Indonesia. Alongside Kaimana Regency and Triton Bay in the south, and Cenderawasih Bay in the east, Raja Ampat archipelago makes up a massive area, collectively known as the Bird’s Head Seascape. Divers can visit the Raja Ampat area many times in their lifes and discover something new each time.

Wakatobi, South East Sulawesi – beautiful coral reefs. Wakatobi's reefs are extremely healthy and offer unique large coral formations, various sea fans, and sponges which are overflowing with marine life. The underwater topography is no less unique, featuring various walls, ridges, and overhangs. While it's not the place for large pelagics, eagle rays and reef sharks can typically be seen.