This summer, I was lucky enough to return to North Sulawesi for a week and a half of diving. I had been to Lembeh last summer, and this time I returned to the island for an underwater photography workshop. I also made a point to visit Bangka, another nearby island I hadn’t been to before, on my trip.
Bangka Island
There are actually more than one Bangka Islands in Indonesia, but the one I went to is off the same North Sulawesi peninsula as Lembeh Island. Here’s the peninsula on a map:
North Sulawesi.
And here’s a close-up showing where Bangka and Lembeh are situated:
Bangka to the north and Lembeh to the east.
I stayed at Coral Eye, originally a marine research station that now hosts recreational divers as well. The food was superb, and I really enjoyed the laid-back and remote feel of the place. I did 10 dives over 4 days in total. Though it’s very close to Lembeh, the diving is much more colorful (more reefs, less sand). This can be good or bad depending on your preferences; in Lembeh it’s less beautiful but you see all sorts of strange and interesting critters in the muck. I enjoy both, and if/when I go back to the region I think I’ll again make stops at both islands. For the record, my favorite dive site on this leg of the trip was Busa Bora Timur.
Bangka highlights: MANY frogfish; boxer crabs that wave tiny anemones around for protection; my first crocodile fish; and a great big stone fish.
Here are some pics from Bangka before I move on to recapping Lembeh:
A boxer crab waving anemones for protection.
A pair of cuttlefish mating.
Two dragon shrimp hanging out on whip coral.
Frogfish portrait.
A goby doing its best to blend in.
Hairy squat lobster.
A nudibranch.
Pink anemonefish peeking out.
Pygmy seahorse – about half an inch long!
A difference species of pygmy seahorse – also about half an inch long.
My first crocodilefish! Isn’t its eye cool!?
Lembeh
The main reason for my return to Lembeh: an underwater photography workshop hosted by Underwater Tribe at NAD Lembeh. I had met one of the workshop leaders last year and after meeting him, knew I wanted to learn more from him and his buddies.
Over the course of the workshop, I learned from professionals about camera settings, lighting, composition, post-processing and more. I also met a lot of other keen divers and photographers. And I did 21 dives over the course of the week!
I have also learned that despite now having a better understanding of post-processing, I just don’t have time for it (this post alone has taken me 5 months to get to! So none of the photos here are edited, with the exception of a bit of cropping and rotating. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy learning about it! I always love learning 😀
Lembeh highlights: 3 rhinopias, the holy grail for underwater photographers (and my first ones!); so many peacock mantis shrimp (my favorite underwater critter); nudibranchs everywhere; and bunches of itty bitty crustaceans to discover.
Here are a few of the Lembeh photos (scroll to bottom of post to see some more).
Juvenile flying gurnard on a blackwater dive.
Junevile pipefish drifting by on a blackwater dive.
A head-on look at a hairy frogfish yawning.
Harlequin shrimp – the first I’ve seen!
Moray ell.
One of dozens of different types of nudibranchs I saw on the trip.
Ornate ghost pipefish
Peacock mantis shrimp – probably my favorite underwater critter. I love the colors!
Solar-powered nudibranch. I was pretty proud to be the one that found it!
A gorgeous flatworm going for a swim.
A rhinopias – rare and very exciting for underwater photographers!
Another rhinopias!
Another type of mantis shrimp: the pink-eared mantis shrimp.
Zebra crab on a sea urchin.
University Visit in Jakarta
Similar to last year, I merged my vacation with a work trip. After the diving, I had several days of meetings with colleagues in Jakarta. I also led a new-student orientation for students at the UA Jakarta micro-campus and visited with several smaller groups of students. The meetings were productive as always, but I definitely benefited this year from having already adjusted to the correct time zone before the campus visit!
Summary
What can I say? Indonesia is magical, and I hope I get to return many times in the future. There are so many other parts of the country I want to explore – Komodo, Bali, Raja Ampat, Banda Sea, Borneo, Sumatra…the list could stretch on and on. The people are so friendly and welcoming, the food is excellent, and the nature and scuba diving is some of the most impressive in the world. I will definitely look for more opportunities to return.
Total dives this trip: 31
Total dives: 230
Blue-ringed octopus making its escape.
A well-camouflaged shrimp on a whip coral.
Yellow tozeuma shrimp.
Coconut octopus on the move.
A crocodilefish yawning.
A pretty cute cuttlefish – about two inches long.
Emperor shrimp on the back of a nudibranch.
Fish peeking out from a hole.
Frogfish.
Another nudibranch in Lembeh.
Ribbon eel.
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