ChrisCH wrote:Hi!
Well, it's already January, so I hope you had a great trip... but just my two cents: I personally love Lembeh, but I am an experienced diver who happens to love Macro life. An average beginner will see there mostly black sand and a couple of animals which look a bit odd. It takes a bit of experience to appreciate how rare some species are and that this was not just any small octopus...
Long story short: I'd recommend as well to fly to Manado, but instead of the Lembeh Strait head to the Bunaken national park. Biodiversity is just as high, but you get colorful reefs with nice coral on top which most people who are not into underwater macro photography prefer...
My thinking was that if you have the inclination and $ for a place like Labuan you are probably not some impoverished noob.
I agree with you, in that when you are relatively new/newly qualified more of a dive is spent considering 'you', your kit, your depth, air, time, others etc. Later on, that become more of a second nature and then the moment becomes what's in front of you, and only that
So yes, when starting out, you want big action, as it's what you remember over and above fussing about your gear, trim, air-use etc. Sharks, turtles, rays are the stars of your log-book .... etc.
At some later point spending days pursuing the occasional 'big drama' becomes rather boring, not least as there are a lot of promises suggested, but rarely does it actually come together quite as suggested.
At some point you tire of the hunt for the big drama. You have seen some of it, and you know it involves a lot of fruitless days. And time is money, esp. diving in a far away place.
I think then, when you are more experienced, have the breathing controlled, and see no need to rush: That is when you reach a point of really being able to see things. Things that previously passed you by. The list is veeeerrry long!
p.s. I think I DIY'd Lembeh and Bunaken as a 2-centre dive trip over about a 2 week period. The dive centres can arrange ground transport and airport trfrs, so it's not that difficult to do. [Bunaken was the macro stuff, esp the Thresher Sharks, the Lembeh was the macro stuff. The two together worked very well.
