Manado is a great diving place to dive. The area has healthy reefs of both hard and soft corals and a great diversity of marine life. It is typical on most dives to see reef fish such as clownfish, lionfish, parrtofish, wrasses, butterflyfish, angelfish, etc. and schools of snapper, grunts, barracuda, jacks, etc. It is also quite common to see some of the stranger critters such as candy crabs, squat lobster, frogfish, ghost pipefish, whip coral gobies and shrimps, octopi and cuttlefish, etc. Life is very abundant and you'll be constantly moving from attraction to attraction. Large animal and pelagic sightings are possible but rare. For some of the best muck diving in the world, head over to the nearby Lembeh Strait. Do both Manado and Lembeh on the same trip if you have the time and want to experience two great but very different types of diving.

Most dives follow similar profiles: start deep (usually 20-30m) and gradually head shallower, ending the dive on top of the reef in 5-6m of water. This usually means that dives can be quite long, limited only by your gas reserves. Conditions are generally very favorable with sunny skies, calm waters, and little current or surge. Diving in Manado is nice and easy.

There are both wide angle and macro photo ops in Manado, so you can't go wrong either way.

You will be spoiled for choice with respect to accommodations as there are numerous resorts catering to all price points, ranging from luxury to budget. In general, the level of service in Manado is high, with guides being well trained and staff carrying your gear and changing your tanks for you.

Lembeh Resort is a beautiful, high-end resort for divers. It is designed with respect for nature in mind and the rooms are built around the trees and vegetation. The practices are eco-friendly, with no plastic bottles on the premises and minimal waste. Rooms are comfortable and clean. The staff is very friendly and well trained. The food is plentiful but I thought it was so so.

The dive operation, Critters@Lembeh, is professionally run and is a high quality operation. The dive guides are truly excellent – they are very knowledgeable about the local species, try hard to find good subjects, and are passionate about what they do. The boats all run smoothly and you don’t have to worry about carrying anything yourself or setting up your own gear as they do that all for you. The camera room is great, with individual table space for each photographer. There is plenty of room for gear, accessories, and battery charging. Between the dive operation and camera room, Lembeh Resort takes care of all of a serious underwater photographer’s needs. But perhaps the most differentiated aspect of the resort for photographers is the fact that they have a photo pro, Sascha Janson, based there full-time. I found him invaluable for his advice, local knowledge, and resourcefulness in dealing with camera issues.

Marine life in the Lembeh strait is legendary. There is an incredible abundance and diversity of critters living among the lush reefs and black sands. This includes all types of reef fish, cephalopods, crustaceans, sea slugs, etc. It is a good place to search for rare critters such as the blue ring octopus, rhinopias, stargazer, frogfish, etc. Most of the marine life in Lembeh is small. It is rare to see large fish or pelagics.

Anilao is one of my favorite places to dive in Asia. The marine life is incredibly diverse and abundant. Most of the life is small and best suited to macro photography, for example reef fish, sea slugs, crustaceans, cephalopods, and the like. What is so amazing about Anilao is that it is not uncommon to see very special and rare creatures, such as mimic octopi, wunderpus, coconut octopi, ghost pipefish, seahorses, stargazers, bobbit worms, and the list goes on. Some people call Anilao the "nudibranch capital of the world" and it kind of makes sense when you consider that it is possible to see 100 different species of sea slugs in a weeks' diving!

Secret Bay and Anilao Pier (best done as a night dive) are my 2 favorite sites for macro life, and Twin Rocks and Beatrice are my favorite wide-angle sites, but there are many many other great sites too and it is hard to go wrong. All the dive sites are located within a 15 minute boat ride of one another, so travel time between dive sites is limited. Conditions are usually good so the diving is easy and relaxed. Water temperatures can get chilly from November to April, with a low water temperature of around 24 degrees C, so bring a 5mm suit if you are planning to visit during those times. Typhoon season is around the middle of the year, when winds can be strong and there is a small risk of typhoons. This is low season and a great time to visit if you don't mind the winds. The water is also warmest in the middle of the year.

Topside activities are limited as each resort tends to be self-contained and self-sufficient. There are limited options for nightlife in the area it is really geared towards diving.

Lembeh is one of the world's muck diving havens. Lembeh's volcanic sands are home to an amazing variety of strange macro creatures. This includes all kinds of small fish, seahorses, cephalopods, sea slugs, crustaceans, etc. It is a great place for macro photography, where you can observe marine life and animal behavior up close.

The dive sites generally have either black sandy bottoms or coral reefs. Because the dive sites are all within a sheltered strait, the surface conditions are very easy and travel time to get to the sites is short. This makes the diving very easy and not strenuous. Most sites are relatively shallow, allowing you plenty of bottom time.

Overcrowding has become an issue in recent years. The dive operators have done quite a good job of self-regulation, with a maximum of 3 boats allowed at any one dive site (if you are the 4th boat to arrive, you have to head elsewhere). Also, the mandarinfish dives are highly regulated with a maximum number of divers allowed at any one site.

There are plenty of resorts in Lembeh to suit all tastes and budgets, from high end villa/spa resorts to family friendly and budget offerings.

What Lembeh is not so good for:
- Large animal life. Most of the marine life in Lembeh is quite small and best suited to macro photography.
- Topside activities. There is not a lot to do for non-divers.
- While the area is quite picturesque, the waters are filled with litter such as plastic bags, snack wrappers, plastic bottles, metal cans, etc.