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.

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.

El Galleon Resort is centrally located in Small La Laguna beach. It is a basic resort with simple rooms and a decent restaurant. Hospitality is simple but honest and warm. People start to know your name after a day or two. Prices for both accommodation and food are very reasonable. Overall, a good pleasant place to park yourself for a diving vacation, and great value.

El Galleon is affiliated with Asia Divers (on the property) for recreational diving and Tech Asia (5 min walk) for technical diving. I have not dove with Asia Divers before but reviews I have heard are generally very positive. I have been diving with Tech Asia since 2005 and they run an excellent operation and are great people too.

The bar at El Galleon is called The Point. It's a nice and relaxing place to watch the sunset, have a few drinks, and hang out after a great day of diving.

I would characterize the diving as 7/10 for recreational diving and 9/10 for technical diving. Recreational diving is definitely very good, with healthy critters and flora, BUT Anilao is just 1 hour away by boat and Anilao is a 10/10 for recreational diving. Technical diving, on the other hand, is excellent, especially with Tech Asia. The underwater topography is such that great depths can be reached just minutes off shore. The deep reefs get much fewer visitors and are pristine. Rent a scooter and get a guide from Tech Asia and they'll take you to some spectacular sites.

I generally prefer staying at Small La Laguna beach rather than in Sabang beach because it is a quieter and more secluded. Sabang is a big party town so don't expect much peace and quiet there. The walk is only 5-10 min, so El Galleon has the best of both worlds, in my view.

If you are in the area, make a point to stop by Capt'n Gregg's in Sabang town for a hearty meal.

Crystal Blue is a great resort and I would highly recommend it.

Accommodations are local style and comfortable. One thing to note is the property is on a slope, so the rooms are located at various levels of elevation. If you do not like steps, request one of the rooms closer to the restaurant.

The dive center is right by the water, so diving logistics are very simple. Crystal Blue is very well located in the strait, so boat rides generally take less than 10 minutes. The guides are knowledgeable and keen. Marine life in Anilao is fantastic. Expect loads of nudibranchs and macro critters of all shapes and sizes. Most of the photography in Anilao is focused on macro, but you can find excellent wide angle opportunities at Twin Rocks and Beatrice.

Food is plentiful and the staff try hard, but I found the food a little bland.