Komentar :
Katrien Vandevelde (20/02/2018 06:29)
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 in the area!
Doug F. (18/02/2018 01:00)
My wife and stayed at BSDR for one week and completed 3-4 dives per day. Linda is the manager and is extremely helpful with all aspects of the resort. If you need anything, ask Linda. The resort is thoughtfully designed with each bungalow set apart from adjacent ones for privacy but maintaining wonderful views of the Lembeh strait through the all glass front wall and porch. About 30 second walk to resort dining area. All meals served by friendly and helpful staff. Multiple choices for each meal, including excellent local cuisine and some less Asian options. The traditional Indonesian coffee is the thickest strongest coffee I have ever tasted, but you have to ask for it! The owner 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. Our divemaster was Stefan frequently accompanied by Yubel. Both are gifted at finding critters. When we asked to see something in particular, they would find it that dive or the next just about every time. Limit of 4 divers per divemaster, and each dive boat went to different dive sites so no mass of people trying to take pictures. Camera room at dive center super convenient and nice. Don’t forget adaptors as standard US plugs will not work, but BSDR has plenty of adaptors if needed. Overall a magical week. We are already trying to determine when we can go back!
Gary Elsworth (15/08/2016 13:03)
Great service, great diving
Eileen Councill (21/03/2016 16:17)
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 Dive Resort.
Jessica Klein (21/03/2016 11:16)
My time at Black Sand Dive Retreat was nothing short of spectacular. I spent five days with them over the Balinese holiday of Nyepi this year. It felt like the entire staff went above and beyond to make my stay there really special. I was warmly welcomed by their operation manager, Rustam, upon arrival and shown to my bungalow that over looked their beautiful black sand beach. The property is quiet and well maintained with lots of trees and flowers. The room was large, clean with a very cozy vibe and a really nice outdoor bathroom and shower area. After I settled in, Ben, the dive shop manager took me down to the onsite dive center and introduced me to the dive guides. He helped me set up all the equipment I would need for the following day's dives. That evening I had the pleasure of meeting the owners, Bruce and Fung. They were absolutely lovely and really welcoming. I then proceeded to do 14 dives (including two night dives) with Black Sand's rockstar dive guides. The first day, I was the only guest and had the boat and the guide all to myself. I only had to mention what I was interested in seeing and Bobby, my guide, found me everything I asked for and more. Including but not limited to hairy frog fish, wonderpuss octos, mimic octos, sea horses, pygmy sea horses, ornate and robust ghost pipe fish, scorpion fish, flamboyant cuttlefish....The next day, 4 more quests arrived (3 of whom I had the pleasure of diving with) and we had two guides diving with us. Hengky, another veteran dive guide at Black Sand and Bobby put together...I just kept wondering how each day would top the last and I was not let down. On the final day...the boys found me 13 separate frog fish (which they knew by that point were my personal favorite) and mandarin fish. Every day they showed up to work with smiles on their faces and we always had a good laugh under water. I had the best time with them!! Bruce and Ben were always on hand to answer any of my questions about fish or critters I didn't recognize or just for a friendly chat. I am so happy to have had my first Lembeh experience with Black Sand. I will absolutely be back!!!
Thomas Walanda (13/10/2017 02:39)
Nice
Andi Baso Mappincara (16/06/2017 07:39)
Keren pokoknya!!
fandy harun (12/06/2017 02:48)
Tenang dan damai
Andry wong (19/01/2017 10:02)
Tempatnya masih alami,lautnya,terumbu karangnya bagus