June 2011 Archives

Some of our critter encounters from 2nd half of June 2011:

Long Arm Octopus, Ambon Scorpionfish, Nudibranchs, Flamboyant Cuttlefish, Batfish, Fingered Dragonet, Pipefish, Robust Ghost Pipefish, Cleaner Shrimp, Jawfish, Banggai Cardinalfish, Coral Cat Shark, Harlequin Sweetlips, Anemone Shrimp, Harlequin Shrimp, Mimic Octopus, Ribbon Eel, Leaf Fish, Carry Crab, Devilfish, Seahorse, Pegasus Sea Moth, Yellow Pygmy Seahorse, Goby, Mantis Shrimp, Slipper Lobster, Stargazer


Critter Focus:  Robust Ghost Pipefish



Robust Ghost Pipefish (Solenostomus cyanopterus) have elongated bodies, long tubular snouts, long narrow dorsal fins and fan-like ventral & tail fins. They are usually solitary animals but can also be found in pairs as seen in this photo.




This photo was taken by Lou using our rental Canon S95 camera, which you can hire from 'The Digital Centre', whilst diving at either of our dive centres at Kima Bajo or at Lembeh Cottages.

Congratulations to Angela Evans-Jessop who celebrated her 50th Birthday diving with Eco Divers onboard Nautica.

After boarding the speedboats decorated with Happy Birthday banners Angela gets to Nautica, our day liveaboard on the Lembeh Straits, to find the whole of the saloon also decorated with Happy Birthday banners! Angela had a great day diving in the Straits seeing a whole host of crazy critters and rounded off the great day with a lovley bottle of bubbly back at the Cottages!

Here is a photo of Angela with her Eco Divers birthday card along with all the guests and guides onboard Nautica before tucking into an amazing birthday cake prepared by our chefs at Lembeh Cottages.

Congratulations again Angela and we hope to see you again at Eco Divers very soon.

Congratulations to Stephanie who has completed her PADI Open Water course with us at Eco Divers Lembeh Cottages. Stephanie is a Veterinarian from France who has given both her time and skills to Tasikoki Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre here in North Sulawesi.

After hearing Richard Carman (a Tasikoki Volunteer who completed his PADI Open Water course with us a couple of weeks ago) talk so much about the crazy critters he was seeing, Stephanie decided to do the course herself so she could see what all the fuss was about! On her very first Open Water dive she saw a Frogfish sitting in the shallows!! Throughout the 4 Open Water dives she saw a whole host of amazing creatures including Porcelain Crabs, Cleaner Shrimp, Snake Eels, Ribbon Eels, Sea Snakes and baby Banggai Cardinalfish.

Also thanks goes to Paul Gillingham who is currently doing his Divemaster course with us at Eco Divers Lembeh Cottages. He very ably assisted Lou (Stephanie's instructor), during Stephanie's Confined and Open Water dives and he is now a little closer to getting his professional qualification.

Here's a great photo taken by our Photo Pro, Christian Loader, of Paul Gillingham, Stephanie and Louise Kraechter straight after Stephanie's final Open Water qualifying dive. Congratulations again!!



Tasikoki Wildlife Rescue Centre is one of the several wildlife rescue centres and wildlife transfer stations originally set up by the Gibbon Foundation to care for the ever increasing influx of confiscated, illegally kept and traded wildlife within Indonesia. The Tasikoki centre has been established in a strategic location to tackle the cross-border trade from Indonesia towards the Philippines and onwards to China, Taiwan and Japan. Guests staying at Eco Divers Lembeh Cottages can take a morning tour to Tasikoki Wildlife Rescue Centre as it is located just 20 minutes drive from the Cottages. For more information about Tasikoki or to give a donation please visit www.tasikoki.org.

Some of our critter encounters from 1st half of June 2011:

Cuttlefish, Aaron Crab, Leaf Fish, Cowry, Mandarin Fish, Ghost Pipefish, Hairy Squat Lobster, Carry Crab, Tiger Mantis Shrimp, Blenny, Juvenile Boxfish, Ribbon Eel, Pinnate Batfish, Winged Pipefish, Jawfish, Pegasus Sea Moth, Stargazer, Coconut Octopus, Tozeuma Shrimp, Mimic Octopus, Electric Clam, Frogfish, Zebra Crab, Fingered Dragonet, Ambon Scorpionfish


Critter Focus:  Coconut Octopus


Coconut Octopus (Amphioctopus marginatus) can grow so their arms are up 30cm in length. They tend to be quite active during the day but are also very often found buried beneath the sand. The adults generally protect their bodies by hiding in shells or coconut halves hence where they get their common name from.



This photo was taken by Christian using our rental Canon S95 camera, which you can hire from 'The Digital Centre', whilst diving at either of our dive centres at Kima Bajo or at Lembeh Cottages.

At no point when he decided to come to Indonesia did he ever think he would be leaving as a qualified PADI AOW diver, having seen a whole host of incredible critters including Pygmy Seahorses, huge cuttlefish and loads of Boxer Shrimp out for a stroll on the night dive!!

Here's what he had to say about his time with Eco Divers "Massive thank you to all the staff and crew on the Nautica for helping to teach me to dive. I had an amazing time and was pleased by the kindness and patience of everyone onboard. It was an experience I will treasure forever. Thanks again!!"

Well done again from us here at Eco Divers Lembeh Cottages and hope to welcome you back soon for some more crazy critter diving!!



Tasikoki Wildlife Rescue Centre is one of the several wildlife rescue centres and wildlife transfer stations originally set up by the Gibbon Foundation to care for the ever increasing influx of confiscated, illegally kept and traded wildlife within Indonesia. The Tasikoki centre has been established in a strategic location to tackle the cross-border trade from Indonesia towards the Philippines and onwards to China, Taiwan and Japan. Guests staying at Eco Divers Lembeh Cottages can take a morning tour to Tasikoki Wildlife Rescue Centre as it is located just 20 minutes drive from the Cottages. For more information about Tasikoki or to give a donation please visit www.tasikoki.org. 

Thanks to the popularity and high levels of service and diving at Eco Divers Lembeh Cottages, the team has consistently been awarded excellent ratings on the popular travel website, TripAdvisor. This has resulted in TripAdvisor recognising the Resort and awarding a Certificate of Excellence, 2011.
 
"We regularly receive 4.5 out of 5 and it's rewarding to know that so many guests have such a great time staying and diving here," explains Gary Ball, who managers Lembeh Cottages Resort & Spa along with Louise Kraechter. "The fact that we are the only dive centre in Indonesia to offer a unique experience of diving from a liveaboard by day followed by eating, relaxing and sleeping in a resort each night is where we really score well."
 
Lembeh Cottages is a boutique resort and spa offering personalised dive services, immaculate accommodation and exceptional cuisine. With a price of just US$90 per person per night, including all meals, tax & service, free wireless internet and airport transfers, Lembeh Cottages is also the best value for money in Lembeh.
 
All 12 rooms are en-suite, air-conditioned and comfortably furnished. There is an outside restaurant, bar and lounge, indoor 'quiet' lounges, professional Indonesian spa, full photo and video centre and camera rooms.
 
Visit Lembeh Cottages for the full picture on diving the warm waters of the Lembeh Strait or Bunaken Marine Park or email info@eco-divers.com 

 

Here are some of our critter encounters from 2nd half of May 2011:

Sea Snake, Jawfish, Banggai Cardinalfish, Barramundi, Goatfish, Anemone Shrimp, Porcelain Crab, Mandarin Fish, Goby, Rounded Porcupinefish, Mimic Octopus, Founder, Brown Seahorse, Goby, Free swimming Moray Eel, Pygmy Seahorse, Nudibranchs, Squid, Hermit Crab, Blenny, Bannerfish, Cowry


Rounded Porcupinefish (Cyclichthys orbicularis) is also known as Orbicular Burrfish. They are common in the Asia Pacific region but are also quite secretive. They are usually found hiding under coral heads or inside tin cans as seen in this photo. They are one of the smallest of their family only growing up to 15-20cm in length but have one of the biggest eyes in relation to their body size. 



This photo was taken by Christian using our rental Canon S95 camera, which you can hire from 'The Digital Centre', whilst diving at either of our dive centres at Kima Bajo or at Lembeh Cottages.