Critter Post # 8
Posted on Aug 17, 2009 by bruce_moore
... A Windy and Busy High Season ... Variable Vis ... Constant Improvement ... Fabulous Critters ... Happy Campers ...
As we head into the second half of August, we can say that at BSDR we are enjoying our best High Season ever as we continue to draw divers, both new and repeaters. As I type we have four repeat guests in the house, with two more arriving later this week. We continue to add furniture and staff and constantly add trees and plants as we shape our resort and continue down the endless trail towards the alluring but unattainable end result known as perfection.
Things have been busy besides the swelling numbers of guests we have been hosting. The builders have been busy since June on a number of projects, mostly related to support structures - the Staff House and bathrooms have finally been completed and now we're adding a hang-out & eating structure for the staff which will include a BBQ station for our Chefs. We're also reinforcing our back wall. In the rooms we have added long mirrors in the walk-in closets and some other small touches to improve the comfort level of our guests. With more furniture in both the Restaurant and Dive Center along with more pictures and decorative touches we are pleased at the positive feedback. Since we now have had 3 Chefs for a few months, the difference in our snacks and desserts is also noticeable, without taking anything away from our fine regular cuisine and presentation.
Our upgraded wi-fi provider has ironed out the consistency problems that were a bother in the past. In fact, our wi-fi is now so fast and dependable that the three higher-end resorts in Lembeh have started subscriptions with our provider. This familiar situation is a repeat of our CAT Nitrox blending system that has been installed in three other Lembeh resorts following our successful use of this quality product.
The weather in July-August seems to have reverted to traditional type - dry and windy, which we have not seen to this scale for a few years. June and early July provided rain, just like the past few years, but now it has dried up. The blasting winds that began in June and increased in July have thankfully slowed a bit in mid-August. Along with the winds slowing a bit a week ago, the visibility has coincidentally improved. It was variable: low to rather soupy in late July and early August, getting as low as 4 meters on some dives. And with the winds preventing any diving at Angel's Window and any sites further up the straight, we were limited in options. But the good news was that there was plenty to see, just up close. And now the visibility is probably the best I've encountered in any August, getting over 15 meters.
We are seeing a bit of almost everything, which makes it easy for the guests to depart satisfied, with their wish lists mostly fulfilled. There have been a few notable absences though, which translates as "you cannot see everything", which translates to future repeat visits for serious critterholics. We have not been finding bluering octopus, which have been seen regularly in July during years past. No harlequin shrimp. Very few hairy frogfish. Few wonderpus. But that is picking at straws. There is plenty to crow about.
We have been seeing a lot of cool nudibranch action. Thorny seahorses continue to be more common than common seahorses. There are still plenty of flamboyant cuttlefish about. Though 2009 has not (so far) been a stellar year for octopus, we are seeing a decent variety. On my last dive, at Joleha (Air Bajo 2 to some), I found a brown mimic, while Atu found a mimic and a veined octopus. Added to the juvenile broadclub cuttlefish he spotted and the flamboyant cuttlefish I spotted, the cephalopod count was more than respectable. Plenty of ambon scorpionfish continue to be encountered at a number of sites. There is a sprinkling of ornate ghost pipefish around, though few robust ghost pipefish, which is a change from a year ago when they were all over. With the summer algae starting to grow we hope to begin spotting hairy ghost pipefish soon as their arrival is traditionally an August event. Plenty of frogfish around, but in a great variety of species: giant, painted, clown and a few lembeh only. In short, it is just peachy.
And then there is our excellent Black Sand House Reef, which has been productive, to say the least. Last week saw no boat night dives as there were guests heading out from the beach nightly. There is a veritable plethora of monkeyfish. I am sure that there are five, possibly seven residents, making it easier than ever to find at least one.Each is a bit different in size and one has a droopy eye (see the picture at the top of the page).
We're seeing three common seahorses in the shallows along with numerous juvenile squid, two white-v octopus that come out at night, ornate and robust ghost pipefish and a few painted frogfish. Down the slope, the red velvety (smooth) ghost pipefish that I first found on a night dive are still around, 
though the two giant and orange painted frogfish have moved out of the neighborhood. One of the giant froggies was a challenge to photograph as every time I set myself up and started to wait for a yawn he would approach me and try to sit on my camera or on my arm. 
There is a very large C. trilobatum nudi, a few longfin waspfish, a bamboo shark another of my favorites - the cuddly stargazer is spotted from time to time. Always something to see.
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