One of the great things about mine and Sharon’s job is that we get to check out new and interesting dive locations and resorts. On this trip we are joined by our good friend Steve Dubin.  Just when we think we’ve seen the best, we run into another location which again redefines “awesome”. Such is the case with Kasawari Resort in Lembeh. This is our new favorite resort. We are on a 3 week trip to check out 3 resorts and areas in Indonesia; Tasik Ria Resort one hour outside Manado in North Sulewesi, Kasawari Resort in Lembeh Strait, and Papua Paradise Resort in Raja Ampat. While Tasik Ria was a nice resort with an attentive staff, Kasawari Resort set’s a new standard for us in the areas of  diving,  service, and  food.

From the time we arrived at Kasawari, nestled on a hillside overlooking the water in dense, lush jungle, we knew we were someplace very special. The staff met us with cold towels and a refreshing fruit drink to help relax us after our 3 hour ride from Tasik Ria Resort. They immediately took our lunch order and from that point we need do nothing but eat, dive and sleep. My kind of vacation.

 Steve Dubin, Sharon and Tim Corcoran

The dive operation is exceptional. They have a spacious gear area with large rinse tanks for everything. The staff wash and rinse our gear and wetsuits and make sure it’s on the boat for the next dive.  They bring hot wet scented towels to give us to warm ourselves immediately after coming out of the water, and a fresh dry towel, fresh fruit, and plenty of water is on the boat. They serve hot chocolate after night dives and each guide takes no more than four divers.  For the first evening, they took us out on a night dive right in front of the resort. We experienced an incredible collection of critters including frog fish, coconut octopus, Wonderpuss octopus and much more. The guides are experts at finding just about anything you can imagine. They asked us to make a wish list and are trying their best to locate everything. Our list of critters identified after just 9 dives includes:

Coconut octopus              Mantis Shrimp                   Painted Frogfish

Mandarin Fish                 Wonderpuss                      Pygmy Sea Horse

Pygmy Cuttlefish              Juvenile Frogfish              Boxer Crab

Cuttlefish eggs                 Flag tail pipefish               Juvenile Frogfish

Cuttlefish                          Decorator Crab                 Devil Fish

Longarm Octopus            Tiger Shrimp                      assorted Nudibranches

Orangutan Crab                Popcorn Shrimp               Peterson Shrimp

Crinoid Shrimp                  Whip Shrimp                    Whip Gobis

Winged pipefish                Scorpionfish                     Squid

The Mandarin Fish dive was the best we’ve ever encountered. For those not familiar with these dives, Mandarin Fish come out mainly at dusk to mate. You need to be very patient and wait for the male and female to do their mating ritual, which is mainly ignoring each other until they are ready to do the deed, which last for about 3 seconds.  I felt a little voyeuristic waiting for them but it was worth it. They rose up in the water column above the coral and mated right before our eyes. Normally these fish are very small and a little skittish around divers. The Mandarin in Lembeh are 5-6 inches and are not bothered by divers or lights. One came up less than a foot from my mask offering me the opportunity to really see up close how beautiful this fish is.

We are still looking earnestly for the infamous Blue Ring Octopus………………stay tuned for updates……………

Tim and Sharon Corcoran