Kategorie: News
Visit to the K2 Lembeh Resort
There is a place at the end of the earth where a very special group of people meet. They are generally considered to be part of the diver family, but their highly peculiar behaviour makes them stand out as a species of their own. They remain almost motionless in the same place for minutes at a time, except for the occasional shaking of the head. With their large cameras, they sometimes perform strange dances. In the past, it was thought that this was a mating ritual, but it turned out that it was all just for a different reason...
Report by Jan Finsterbusch
Meanwhile, research has shown that this strange behaviour always occurs when the smallest snails, shrimps and other mini-creatures ‘come in front of the lens’. Of course, we wanted to explore this strange cult and, in a way, become part of it. So we paid a visit to the K2 Lembeh Resort to see the whole thing for ourselves.
Admittedly, the journey is complicated if you can't get a flight via Singapore and have to fly via Jakarta. But time passes and so we arrive at the resort at 11 o'clock in the morning and use the first day to assemble the camera and to acclimatise. We also get to know the people at the dive centre and discuss the goals for the coming days in detail.
And so the next day, we try to fulfil our first wish: Pygmy Seahorse. What can we say? The task was probably too easy and ten minutes later we found Hippocampus Bargibanti and created a beautiful portrait.
So we decide to increase the difficulty level (for the guides for now) and wish for a Harlequin Shrimp (Hymenocera Picta). We find it on the second dive of the day. Surprisingly, it is only a single one and not a pair as is usually the case. Since we come across a Blue-Ringed Octopus while searching for it, another item on our wish list is ticked off.
So we turn to the frogfish. Here, too, the selection is diverse, ranging from mini (half a centimetre) to three to five centimetres to fully grown specimens. It's incredible what can be found in the small waterway between Lembeh and the mainland of North Sulawesi.
We are gradually getting into the typical rhythm of a diving holiday: sleep, eat, dive and start all over again. K2 Lembeh Resort offers a double dive in the morning and another one in the afternoon if you wish. Night or twilight dives, for example with the mandarin fish, are also possible.
Macro wonderland: a paradise for critters
Time flies and after getting used to the handling of the new OMD 90 mm Zuiko Makro, we are ready to increase our level of difficulty. Accordingly, we ask for really tiny things. It can be anything from ‘Shaun the Sheep’ and smaller. And so it wasn't long before Man, our guide, marked a tiny ‘pimple’ on a small piece of seaweed with his stick. Yes, definitely a different league. The ‘spike’ is indeed Costasiella Kuroshimae, as the small nudibranch (five to 10 mm, even if our subject appears smaller) is scientifically called.
During the following dives, the subjects became smaller and smaller. Skeleton shrimps were just the beginning. We are also shown and, of course, photographed pygmy needlefish (Pygmy Pipefish / Micrognathus Pygmaeus), pygmy squid or a juvenile dragonet (from the family of lyrefish, but we will come to them later). Baby lionfish? This tiny creature also comes before our lens...
The resort
K2 Lembeh was taken over by Asher and Sharon Ang in 2020. The name K2, by the way, goes back to a coconut tree that split into two trunks but is no longer there. Sharon and Asher make a point of fulfilling all wishes in the resort and of having no visible boundary between guests and staff. Everyone should feel like one big family and every wish should be fulfilled as far as possible. So it was a matter of course to drive to Bitung to register the phone card. Other wishes are also always and immediately fulfilled. The tasty Indonesian food is served at the desired time, and you are asked what you like and don't like and what you are intolerant to.
The bungalows are spacious and offer plenty of room. We are talking about a diving resort and not about 5-star luxury, but every wish is still anticipated. What is not available is a pool, sandy beach or spa area, but a good massage can be organised as a matter of course. The service also leaves nothing to be desired. This also applies to the payment options, which can be flexibly arranged via a European account.
But now back to the diving
Coconut octopus? Bobtail squid? Mimic octopus? All no problem. Then there was the twilight dive with the mandarin fish. What more could you want? Almost every wish was fulfilled. Why almost? There was just one wish that remained unfulfilled. We wanted to see a flamboyant cuttlefish, but it could not be found during our time there. It's actually reassuring that not everything is a sure thing here and that some wishes just remain unfulfilled. Definitely a reason to come back again!
What do we take away from this visit? Lots of photos of small, macabre creatures. And we understand the species of macro lovers and macro photographers much better, yes, we can identify with the fascination and feel like we belong after this trip. This visit was a complete success that still puts a smile on our faces even as we write this report.
Further information:
Website K2 Lembeh
K2 Lembeh on Taucher.Net