Black Sand Dive Retreat — Hotel in Bitung

Mid Januari the hubby and I returned to Black Sand Dive Retreat. Yep, for the third time! (previously in June 2012 and November 2016). In the 20+ years that we've been diving in about the same number of different countries, we have never ever gone back to the same place more than twice. But Black Sand? Oh we just couldn't stay away!

You know how your memory sometimes plays tricks on you so when you return to a place you’ve stayed before, it just doesn't feel the same as you thought it would? NOT SO with Black Sand! If anything, this place just keeps getting better!

So what's new? Well, Linda was new to us. And man, she really is the perfect manager wow! This tiny but turbo spunky lady welcomes you at your arrival, immediately puts you at ease with her clear and comprehensive info and registers and remembers each detail of your preferences and needs.

Then it's off to the spacious, clean and pre-cooled bungalows overlooking the lush greens and blues of the strait, to unpack in the walk-in wardrobe and refresh in the half-open balinese bathrooms. I LOVE these bathrooms that each come with your own little private garden and are never sticky hot or damp.

And then there’s the 3 course lunches and dinners to die for! I swear those wonderful flavors just seem to become more delicate and intense each time (and there’s always a vegetarian option). And yet, the best is still to come, after a good nights’ sleep on those excellent mattresses.

Because after all, you’re here to dive, right? And this is critter heaven! The first thing you need to know is that the shallows in front of the resorts’ beach, from where the little speedboats depart, is the splitting point between two of the worlds’ most renowed critter dive spots! And with a dive package, you can just walk in there whenever you feel like it for free! Just ask the guide to prepare your bottle and gear and you can go accompanied or by yourselves.

Diving here is no waiting game. As the resort is located in the center of the best critter dive spots, boat transport takes between 1 and 10 minutes max. to a wide variety of coral, rubble and black sand sites. Once your eyes have adjusted to spotting things that prefer to not be detected, you’ll soon notice that things all around you are alive. The excellent guides will show you frogfish, leaf fish, cuddle fish, flamboyant octopus, mimic octopus, wonderpus, ghost pipefish, sea horse, pygmy seahorse, …. and a whole slew of different crabs, moray eels, slugs and shrimp species including donald duck, harlequin and tiger shrimps…

So you’d think that after three times of diving like crazy here (including a +2 hour night dive on the house reef) we would be done? Nope, cause every time we come, we see plenty of new stuff. The diversity of these bizarre and amazing critters is simply staggering. Besides, despite that the strait is world famous for its critters, there is also an abundance of exquisite, healthy coral at certain dive spots like Aw Shucks (shallows), Makawideh slope and wall and especially California Dreaming is a wonderful wide angle spot!

Finally, as for that deciding bit of info you’re looking for: why choose this resort? Well, here are our reasons: Located slam bang in the best part of the strait for the best dive sites and clearer water. Situated strategically on the side of a hill facing the prominent wind direction. While it’s often scorching hot and moist (which mozzies love so much) at other resorts, your porch and the restaurant stay wonderfully breezy. The peace and quiet. Just 6 bungalows for two people in a stunning tropical garden with a delightful cool swimming pool. Max 4, often just 2 divers per boat/location with their own guide! Canadian owner Bruce’s golden tips on how to approach and photograph certain critters while you enjoy dinner (and his passion for them). I could go on, but one more huge one for us: Black Sand definitely offers by far the best value for money...

This resort was amazing and completely blew away my expectations. First, the owners are just incredible hosts; they are knowledgable about everything above and below the water, they care about every detail from food to service to accommodation and comfort, and they are passionate about diving. They are kind and helpful at all times. They go out of their way to make you feel welcome.

The resort is beautiful on the edge of a cliff overlooking the strait. The dive shop resides in front of one of the most gorgeous black sand beaches I have ever seen. The sand was like silk and black as night. It was beautiful. The cabins are HUGE and all themed based upon sea creatures and Bruce's incredible photography. The dark wood cabins are beautifully created with attention to detail, comfort, size and privacy. All the amenities are present. The outdoor bathroom is a dream - absolutely lovely! There is a huge water tank in the room for consumption which is great that a) you have enough water and b) plastic is not piling up with every bottle you drink! I appreciate the conservation effort.

The dive team is superb. They can see everything. We did one house reef dive ourselves at night and missed so much without them. They are talented, kind, patient and safety conscious. Every dive lasts between 60-80 minutes. The guides are down at least an hour to 70 minutes. They are great about looking for things that interest you. There are a maximum of 4 divers on a boat with one guide which keeps things calm and easy given all the cameras. The dive masters are incredibly chill; we never felt rushed and they let you dive your own profile if you so desire. The equipment is great and the boats are clean. The drivers do a great job caring for cameras, lights, etc.

The camera room just off the dive area is superb. It has about 15 well lit cubby stations and each one has enough power outlets to charge 5 cameras. It's excellent and they provide towels. I do wish they had a high pressure air hose.

The final day was spent at the beautiful foot shaped pool and they booked us on a trip to the jungle to see Tarsiers and other things. It was great. The staff, aside from Bruce and Fun, could not be more kind or lovely.

We loved our time at Black Sands - they made a huge Christmas and New Years celebration with a roasted (full) pig. They had excellent 10 am and 5 pm snacks between dives and before dinner which were always delicious and a highlight. Free internet was awesome too and you pre-order your meals so when you sit down at the table your food is ready for you within a few minutes. I loved that benefit as the time between dives was needed for camera maintenance, relaxation, etc. The food presentation and taste were superb!

All of the best dive sites are within a 5 minute book ride. All sites are within 15 minutes. Three of the best sites (and they do change) are a stone's throw away. It's a huge mistake to stay anywhere but Black Sand...

After diving a number of other resorts over the last year, we returned again to Black Sand Dive Retreat on Lembeh Strait in Indonesia. With another great visit we continue to feel this is the best small dive resort we have found anywhere in the world.||For those unfamiliar with Lembeh, this is in western North Sulawesi about an hour from Manado airport. It is primarily muck diving rather than reef diving. Most areas are sand, mud and coral rubble. This may sound unattractive to divers used to gorgeous coral reefs, but the muck environment is inhabited by a bizarre and wonderful collection of creatures you will not find anywhere else. On any visit you will see dozens of different nudibranchs, frogfish, seahorses, octopuses, shrimp, crabs, eels, etc. The visibility is not what you find on a pristine reef, but the creatures you find make it more than worth it.||Black Sand has just seven spacious bungalows with semi-outdoor bathrooms/showers, a lovely dining/lounge area and a perfectly designed dive center. Black Sand was designed and built by long-time dive guide Bruce Moore and his wife, Fung. It was built from an experienced diver’s perspective, and that is reflected in every aspect of the resort. They operate small boats carrying no more than four divers, and frequently no more than two. Most dive sites are within 10-12 minutes of the resort, with some just two minutes away. Because dive sites are so close, they return to the resort after every dive, giving divers much flexibility on how often and when they want to dive each day.||The dive guides at Black Sand are highly trained, know the area extremely well and give a level of service we have never seen anywhere else. They transport all cameras to and from the boats, care for them like their own and collect them from divers at the end of the dive to return them to the boat. Even more important, they are able to locate and show divers the vast array of critters to be found. They are patient with photographers, helping them to set up shots in the best possible way and from the best angle. They check constantly on the comfort of their divers and their happiness with what they are seeing.||Food at Black sand is varied, healthy and good. The menu varies. The land staff are friendly, happy and helpful.||Black Sand is reached via either Singapore and Jakarta with an onward flight to Manado. Black Sand picks you up at the Manado airport.||About the only real issue at Black Sand is the internet, which is not in any way the fault of Black Sand. Internet infrastructure and connectivity outside major cities in Indonesia is undependable and often absent.||Final Tip: Do not miss the opportunity to do a night dive or two in Lembeh. The octopuses come out to hunt, and a whole new cast of characters emerges...