BSDR IS OPEN AGAIN!!

BSDR IS OPEN AGAIN!!

BSDR IS OPEN AGAIN!!

FINALLY! After two years and three months of being closed due to The Pandemic, BSDR has opened again. We were waiting for quarantine on entry restrictions to be lifted. Now that it is easier to enter Indonesia and Visa on Arrival (VOA) is available again, the divers will return.

Scoot Airlines has taken over the Singapore-Manado route, but is only flying twice weekly – on Wednesday & Saturday. We are assured that more flights will follow as Scoot pledged to fulfill the frequency of flights that Silk Air had in the past, but demand for tickets will be the deciding factor.

Tripadvisor Reviews:

What Every Dive Resort Should Strive to Be

"This was a phenomenal dive trip and we will be back here on our next visit to Lembeh. Thanks again to Bruce, Fung, and all of the wonderful staff who made our vacation a fantastic one!"

Scallywag81 on TripAdvisor

Three times is not enough...

"In the 20+ years that we've been diving, in about the same number of different countries, there was only one other place where we went back a second time. But Black Sand? Oh we just couldn't stay away!"

Katrien V on TripAdvisor

Idyllic Resort Set in Middle of Lembeh’s Best Diving

"Bruce was often present at meal time, and he is a wealth of knowledge about all things diving, especially Lembeh and critter identification. We really enjoyed our discussions with him. The dive staff was outstanding."

Doug F on TripAdvisor

Missing it Already and Can't Wait to Return!

"We visited Black Sand for the second time because we could not have imagined having better hosts than Bruce and Fung as well the number and variety of great dive sites."

Brown C on TripAdvisor

Address:

Black Sand Dive Retreat

Kel. Kasawari, Bitung
Lembeh Strait
North Sulawesi, Indonesia
Tel:
+62 (0)821-9969-5992
info@blacksanddive.com

BSDR Update: May 2021

BSDR Update: May 2021

BSDR Update: May 2021

We are 14 months into our shutdown, so we wanted to post a general update.

The big question on everyone’s lips is “When will Indonesia open up to foreign visitors?” The answer is (still) that we do not yet know.

The Indonesian President Mr. Joko Widodo has stated in a video release that there’s a possibility of Bali tourism reopening for international visitors around June – July 2021 should the conditions and handling of the Covid-19 pandemic continue to show favorable progress.

The Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno has gone on the record stating that travel bubbles will be offered to countries that are able to contain the spread of the virus, have high vaccination rates, and could offer reciprocal benefits to the country.

The reopening of Bali as a test case will begin with a trial run, allowing foreign tourists to visit three designated “green areas”: Ubud, Sanur and Nusa Dua. Although the President put forth the tentative dates of June/July, it may not happen until August. If that goes well, we can expect our area to open soon afterwards.

The idea of segregating visitors in certain areas seems difficult for Sanur and Ubud since there are so many entry and exit points. Keeping guests isolated in resort properties would be much easier in Lembeh and our area (for divers). But Bali has such a large tourism industry that it is natural that they will be the ones allowed to re-open first.

The lack of solid news at this time must be because of worry caused by the Indian Strain of Covid-19. The government is probably waiting to see how its spread will affect this part of the world. We know of two identified cases in Indonesia so far, but since there is a lack of testing, numbers that are published do not tell the true story.

But Indonesia has been one of the best countries at effectively vaccinating the population, so that is helpful. Our staff (except for three) have received their first Asta Zeneca jab.

We may be closed, but we keep the resort maintained, harvesting coconuts and mangos to sell, growing vegetables for our staff, cutting the grass, trimming the trees and bushes, periodically running the boat engines and keeping the buildings cleaned for the day we can re-open.

As I type the village behind our resort has blocked access roads for the 4-day Idul Fitri holiday weekend in order to prevent “outsiders” to flood into the area as would normally happen. Many other villages around Bitung have done the same. Fear of the Indian Variant is the stated reason.

In Jakarta, the central government has tried to block the annual city-to-the-countryside migration to celebrate the end of Ramadan. It remains to be seen how effective the efforts will be. A year ago they gave up right when they should have been clamping down. Hopefully lessons will have been learned and this time will not see a surge in Covid cases follow. What happens immediately after Idul Fitri will determine when/if the Bali plan to partly re-open in July goes ahead.

Fingers crossed.

Tripadvisor Reviews:

What Every Dive Resort Should Strive to Be

"This was a phenomenal dive trip and we will be back here on our next visit to Lembeh. Thanks again to Bruce, Fung, and all of the wonderful staff who made our vacation a fantastic one!"

Scallywag81 on TripAdvisor

Three times is not enough...

"In the 20+ years that we've been diving, in about the same number of different countries, there was only one other place where we went back a second time. But Black Sand? Oh we just couldn't stay away!"

Katrien V on TripAdvisor

Idyllic Resort Set in Middle of Lembeh’s Best Diving

"Bruce was often present at meal time, and he is a wealth of knowledge about all things diving, especially Lembeh and critter identification. We really enjoyed our discussions with him. The dive staff was outstanding."

Doug F on TripAdvisor

Missing it Already and Can't Wait to Return!

"We visited Black Sand for the second time because we could not have imagined having better hosts than Bruce and Fung as well the number and variety of great dive sites."

Brown C on TripAdvisor

Address:

Black Sand Dive Retreat

Kel. Kasawari, Bitung
Lembeh Strait
North Sulawesi, Indonesia
Tel:
+62 (0)821-9969-5992
info@blacksanddive.com

BSDR-Lumbalumba Lembeh-Bunaken Combo Package!

BSDR-Lumbalumba Lembeh-Bunaken Combo Package!

BSDR-Lumbalumba Lembeh-Bunaken Combo Package!

Do you want maximum variety on your dive trip to North Sulawesi? Do you want to stay at two resorts but not miss any diving days while transferring? Do you want a hassle-free combination package to experience both the walls, schooling fish, sharks & turtles of Bunaken as an add-on to your stay with us in Lembeh Strait? We are pleased to announce that we are working with our good friends over at Lumbalumba Diving to offer combo packages which will make it easier to dive both the walls of Bunaken National Park and the black sand of Lembeh on the same trip. Roel & Juud have been taking divers to Bunaken for ~25 years and have a lovely resort that mirrors ours in size and philosophy. They have arguably the best boats diving Bunaken and also have great reefs along the coast in front of their resort. As a bonus, they see many more dolphins and whales than resorts that are located on the islands. Check out their web site and contact us to arrange however many nights with them as you wish: https://lumbalumbadiving.com/

Tripadvisor Reviews:

What Every Dive Resort Should Strive to Be

"This was a phenomenal dive trip and we will be back here on our next visit to Lembeh. Thanks again to Bruce, Fung, and all of the wonderful staff who made our vacation a fantastic one!"

Scallywag81 on TripAdvisor

Three times is not enough...

"In the 20+ years that we've been diving, in about the same number of different countries, there was only one other place where we went back a second time. But Black Sand? Oh we just couldn't stay away!"

Katrien V on TripAdvisor

Idyllic Resort Set in Middle of Lembeh’s Best Diving

"Bruce was often present at meal time, and he is a wealth of knowledge about all things diving, especially Lembeh and critter identification. We really enjoyed our discussions with him. The dive staff was outstanding."

Doug F on TripAdvisor

Missing it Already and Can't Wait to Return!

"We visited Black Sand for the second time because we could not have imagined having better hosts than Bruce and Fung as well the number and variety of great dive sites."

Brown C on TripAdvisor

Address:

Black Sand Dive Retreat

Kel. Kasawari, Bitung
Lembeh Strait
North Sulawesi, Indonesia
Tel:
+62 (0)821-9969-5992
info@blacksanddive.com

Black Sand Covid-19 Update

Black Sand Covid-19 Update

Black Sand Covid-19 Update

NEWS!! As we all continue to Stay Home & Stay Safe, we wanted to give you all an update on how things are at BSDR and in Indonesia. We also wanted to give an update on the progress of Scoot flights to Manado from Singapore.

At Black Sand, we have been shut down since mid-March, with just a skeleton crew of staff maintaining the resort. Our primary responsibility at this time is simply survival; making sure that our staff have food to eat while our operations have been suspended. The village of Kasawari beside us has even closed itself off to outsiders. The area has been divided into secure zones, with the road between Manado and Bitung blocked as well. The number of Covid-19 cases in North Sulawesi is now at 40, with 3 deaths and many more under observation at this time.

It is curious to note that the fear of Chinese tourists bringing infection to Bali and North Sulawesi never seemed to have happened. The Manado-China charter flights were all halted by the first week of February. True, this area had no testing facilities at that time, but a rise in deaths would have been duly noted on social media since many people here were afraid and vigilant. It is only over the past month that cases in our province began to show up, brought by locals returning overseas. The first case was someone returning from a religious visit to Saudi Arabia, then the next few cases were locals returning from Europe and last week brought cases brought up from a religious gathering in South Sulawesi (back in March). Of course these carriers infected others, but overall, it seems that the spread is much slower than in other countries we read about in the news.

We are told that the number of cases will peak at the end of May. The government has been quite active and the newest decree from the President came into effect yesterday, which is a total shutdown of domestic flights, trains and even ferries and buses in most of Java, chunks of Sumatra and Kalimantan and in South Sulawesi. This will last until the beginning of June. It is needed to stop the mass migration of people (called Mudik), which lasts for a month. This is like the Chinese New Year migration, but Indo-style. The main regions of Java wanted to seal their borders, but they feared that folks would still try to “pulang kampung” (go home), so stronger measures were enacted.

We hope that after Idul Fitri (the holiday marking the end of Ramadan), the country will be able to move out of the present state of lockdown.

We look forward to welcoming guests again as soon as safely possible. At this time, no visas for tourists are being issued for Indonesia. Most of the countries around us are in lockdown, with international flights out from Indonesia only going to Doha, Amsterdam, Seoul and Tokyo.

Before Corona reared its ugly head, there was stress and frustration here because of the slow transition from Silk Air to Scoot Airlines covering the route from/to Singapore. Silk Air was to cease operations on May 4th, but they have already stopped, back in March. Scoot did start selling tickets online starting March 10 (but only for flights from May through to the end of October), but everything is now on hold. When Singapore is open and Indonesia is open, they undoubtedly will immediately begin their service, flying the same schedule as Silk Air did: Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday.

That will be a very happy day!

Until then: stay healthy. These are challenging times, but we will get past it. We will all dive again, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Tripadvisor Reviews:

What Every Dive Resort Should Strive to Be

"This was a phenomenal dive trip and we will be back here on our next visit to Lembeh. Thanks again to Bruce, Fung, and all of the wonderful staff who made our vacation a fantastic one!"

Scallywag81 on TripAdvisor

Three times is not enough...

"In the 20+ years that we've been diving, in about the same number of different countries, there was only one other place where we went back a second time. But Black Sand? Oh we just couldn't stay away!"

Katrien V on TripAdvisor

Idyllic Resort Set in Middle of Lembeh’s Best Diving

"Bruce was often present at meal time, and he is a wealth of knowledge about all things diving, especially Lembeh and critter identification. We really enjoyed our discussions with him. The dive staff was outstanding."

Doug F on TripAdvisor

Missing it Already and Can't Wait to Return!

"We visited Black Sand for the second time because we could not have imagined having better hosts than Bruce and Fung as well the number and variety of great dive sites."

Brown C on TripAdvisor

Address:

Black Sand Dive Retreat

Kel. Kasawari, Bitung
Lembeh Strait
North Sulawesi, Indonesia
Tel:
+62 (0)821-9969-5992
info@blacksanddive.com

The Amazing Coconut Octopus

The Amazing Coconut Octopus

The Amazing Coconut Octopus

The most common octopus species to be found on the black sand sites of Lembeh Strait also happens to be one of the most interesting critters anywhere. The veined octopus, which is more commonly called the coconut octopus, is a firm crowd favourite. It is much larger than the bluering or hairy octopus and less shy than the mimic and wonderpus. Not poisonous, this octopus has developed remarkable building skills which help it to survive, creating portable fortifications that can be opened and closed using their powerful arms and suckers.

They are often found using discarded coconut shells as a home base, but will use whatever is at hand, including shells and bottles along with bits of plastic or wood. The home can be buried in the sand or sitting right out in the open. Once large enough, this clever species will even carry their mobile home with them as they move in order to find acceptable hunting grounds, with crabs being the preferred prey.

Like all octopus, the coconut octopus is curious and aggressive. They normally leave their home to hunt, often as far away as twenty meters, retreating to shelter if threatened. They can dig into the sand if necessary and often seek shelter on the prowl, so are not always found in a protective structure. I sometimes offer shells and watch as this intelligent critter tries out the new shelter, often leaving their existing home, or parts of it, for the upgrade.

Also like any octopus, the veined octopus can change colour and texture as well as mimic other creatures. The best bit of mimicry I have ever witnessed happened to be by one of this species, rather than the mimic octopus, which seems to have a better publicist. I came across one doing an excellent impression of a hermit crab, walking on arm tips, with the body copying an off-center shell of the type often used by bona fide hermit crabs. Once I was less than a meter away and still approaching with interest, it decided that the mimicry wasn’t working and abandoned that shape for the shapeless lump that this species often uses when out in the open; not offering any extending bit that may be bitten off by a passing opportunistic predator.

This fascinating cephalopod can be found throughout the year, day and night, but certain times seem to bring higher densities, where we not only see them every muck dive, but can find ten or more on a single jump at certain sites. When is the best time to see the coconut octo? It can vary, but October is always a good month for sightings and in 2020 they were seen in high numbers in early February, which was a bit odd.

So that’s the coconut octopus. When next critter-hunting on black sand, keep your eyes open for a pair of eyes watching you from the neck of a bottle or a structure partially buried in the sand. You may get lucky and meet one of our favourite and most interactive critters: the veined (coconut) octopus.

Tripadvisor Reviews:

What Every Dive Resort Should Strive to Be

"This was a phenomenal dive trip and we will be back here on our next visit to Lembeh. Thanks again to Bruce, Fung, and all of the wonderful staff who made our vacation a fantastic one!"

Scallywag81 on TripAdvisor

Three times is not enough...

"In the 20+ years that we've been diving, in about the same number of different countries, there was only one other place where we went back a second time. But Black Sand? Oh we just couldn't stay away!"

Katrien V on TripAdvisor

Idyllic Resort Set in Middle of Lembeh’s Best Diving

"Bruce was often present at meal time, and he is a wealth of knowledge about all things diving, especially Lembeh and critter identification. We really enjoyed our discussions with him. The dive staff was outstanding."

Doug F on TripAdvisor

Missing it Already and Can't Wait to Return!

"We visited Black Sand for the second time because we could not have imagined having better hosts than Bruce and Fung as well the number and variety of great dive sites."

Brown C on TripAdvisor

Address:

Black Sand Dive Retreat

Kel. Kasawari, Bitung
Lembeh Strait
North Sulawesi, Indonesia
Tel:
+62 (0)821-9969-5992
info@blacksanddive.com

The “New” Lembeh Frogfish

The “New” Lembeh Frogfish

The “New” Lembeh Frogfish

It is no secret the Lembeh Strait is the Frogfish Capital of Planet Earth. We really love our frogfish. Correctly identifying the numerous species we encounter can be challenging since some species look very alike, causing confusion. Antennatus nummifer  (Spotfin Frogfish) and A. coccineus (Scarlet Frogfish) are the worst offenders. But just a name can cause consternation, which brings me to the Lembeh Frogfish.

Last year I received word that the Ocellated Frogfish has been officially described. The new name is Lembeh Frogfish / Nudiantennarius subteres. But we already had what we called (unofficially) the Lembeh Frogfish, otherwise known as the Shaggy Frogfish. Some confusion is understandable.

In fairness, Teresa Zubi has always called the Ocellated frogfish the Lembeh Frogfish on her expansive and comprehensive web site www.frogfish.ch , which is very recommended to check out if you are into frogfish. So perhaps she had some influence with the name.

It is a very small frogfish and the main identifying feature is the orange / yellow / pale “O” eyespot (Ocellus) on the dorsal fin. Sometimes there is two on one side and only one on the other! Even three ocelli have been seen. I thought that we were finding them only in black until tan-coloured ones were seen from time to time. In the new description it seems that another identifying feature is the long “toes” and a prominent “fishing rod” (second dorsal spine). Using this description, I have attached the name to two rather different-looking specimens (below). Another feature (sometimes) is the presence of white skin shreds along the edge of the tail (look closely on the far bottom snapshot).

So now we must endeavor to apply this new name of Nudiantennarius subteres / Lembeh Frogfish and hopefully it will lead to more accurate identification of the myriad and messy variations within the numerous frogfish species we find in the strait.

Tripadvisor Reviews:

What Every Dive Resort Should Strive to Be

"This was a phenomenal dive trip and we will be back here on our next visit to Lembeh. Thanks again to Bruce, Fung, and all of the wonderful staff who made our vacation a fantastic one!"

Scallywag81 on TripAdvisor

Three times is not enough...

"In the 20+ years that we've been diving, in about the same number of different countries, there was only one other place where we went back a second time. But Black Sand? Oh we just couldn't stay away!"

Katrien V on TripAdvisor

Idyllic Resort Set in Middle of Lembeh’s Best Diving

"Bruce was often present at meal time, and he is a wealth of knowledge about all things diving, especially Lembeh and critter identification. We really enjoyed our discussions with him. The dive staff was outstanding."

Doug F on TripAdvisor

Missing it Already and Can't Wait to Return!

"We visited Black Sand for the second time because we could not have imagined having better hosts than Bruce and Fung as well the number and variety of great dive sites."

Brown C on TripAdvisor

Address:

Black Sand Dive Retreat

Kel. Kasawari, Bitung
Lembeh Strait
North Sulawesi, Indonesia
Tel:
+62 (0)821-9969-5992
info@blacksanddive.com