Guest Testimonials

Diana Green, September 2009

I did want you to know how much I enjoyed the resort and diving with your operation. Everything about the entire stay was first class. Your dive guides were fanstastic and so enthusiastic when they found something or when we found something. Thank you for making our stay such fun.

Glen Cowans, Underwater Photographer Western Australia, posted September 2009

You have to think small subjects but I have never seen so many wondrous and bizarre creatures in my life and I have never taken so many photographs on each dive before. Kungkungan is well worth a visit and if you have never muck dived before, think about trying it.

Leolin Grower, posted August 2009

You guys run a fantastic resort, and one that both Twill and myself are itching to get back to. The resort is fantastic, the rooms, the service the location all top notch, the dive side is seamless, the attention to detail was spot on, the guides were friendly and superb, with incredible spotting abilities. In all honesty it is possibly the finest dive resort i've had the pleasure of staying at.

Gail Pierangeli and Ron Lee, posted March 2009

Thank you wonderful staff for such a pleasant stay at KBR! We enjoyed the diving, the friendly atmosphere, the FOOD, the snacks after diving, the wonderful room service provided! You really made us feel welcome. It was especially thoughtful to sing upon our departure - thanks for the special touch! We wouldn't hesitate to recommend KBR to our friends! Wish we were back there! We were there from end of March (?28th) until approx. Apr 3, 2009! Thanks again!

 Warren Baverstock, posted December 2008

“I loved it so much that I cried when I left….” (how bad is that…). KBR has provided me with my best diving experience to date – without a doubt.
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Claude Covo, Italy (June 2008)

The best diving center of the world for the photographer and fantastic dive guides.

Martin Donelly, Jakarta (May 2008)

All Staff, not just the dive staff, are very good, friendly and helpful. Keep up the good work.

Gaby Kemmer, Germany (May 2008)

I do not know how you can do better. It was all wonderful.

Steve & Shirley Taylor, UK (January 2008)

Great to see the room improvements. The usual very high standards.

Kelly Rockwood (October 2007)

Hi Jim -
It was very nice to make your acquaintance, albeit briefly, on the flight from Manado to Singapore on October 5.I enjoyed my stay at both Tasik Ria and KBR. In particular, the diving operation and resort at KBR were a remarkable experience. The professionalism of the dive guides and the dive staff in organising and taking care of the diving guests was excellent. I found the customer service at KBR to be as good as any resort I have ever been, including the many live-a-boards I have experienced in my travels.

You could tell that Steve was well respected by the dive staff and Miranda had the resort management well under control.

Kudos to you and Cary for your good guidance and management. Having owned two dive shops for 10 years, I can appreciate how difficult an undertaking it is. The new furniture at KBR was very comfortable and fit the existing room decor well. Be sure to give Cary my regards.

I am looking forward to working with Tony White in the coming year to help fill his September 2008 Workshop so I have an excuse to spend time at KBR again.

If you are going to be at DEMA with Steve and Miranda, I look forward to chatting with you again. If not, perhaps I'll see you next September.

Regards,
Kelly Rockwood

Mr & Mrs Tisdale, UK (August 2007)

Everything far exceeded our expectations. A thoroughly enjoyable experience. Dining, staff, accommodation were all excellent. We only had the one dive guide called Ednan. He provided us with unfailing attention and guidance. Highly commendable!

Ant Collins, WestCliffe on Sea, England (June 2007)

Thank you so very much for a fantastic two weeks at Tasik Ria and KBR. My diving travels have taken me all over the world in the last 20 years and I think that you guys have ended up in a very special place indeed.

Certainly there are few dive operations I've ever visited that have been so efficient and well managed. The personal service we received from your guides in both operations was amazing. After the fabulous week we enjoyed at Tasik Ria, Ray, Sarah and I headed off to KBR thinking it would take something incredible to top our experience.

And then of course KBR just blew us away! There's something infectious about the place that seems to call you back - I understand why you have so many repeat visitors! Once again thank you so much for making us feel so welcome. You and your teams truly are the warm heart of Indonesia!

Sarah Corrigan & Ray Clark, UK (June 2007) - www.adventuredivers.co.uk

Well, we are back home in London again and just recovering from the jet lag. We just wanted to say a very big thank you for a fantastic week and for looking after us so well.

We all absolutely loved KBR. The staff made us feel like royalty, the food was superb and the diving was incredible. Please pass on our thanks to everyone who made our stay so comfortable and memorable and in particular to Iwan and Robbie who were just the most fantastic dive guides.

We are really going to miss waking up in our bungalows with that amazing view of the Lembeh Strait outside!

Thanks to both of you for making us so welcome and for your great company. Also to Steve for the sudafed and the help with the camera...I would have missed some seriously good shots without either of these!! I still owe you a beer..... I won't forget!

We have all agreed that it is the best dive trip any of us have ever been on and we will definitely all be back. Ant is already planning his next trip, to include his family, and Ray and I hope to bring a bigger group along next time. Once they see the photo's and the video footage I think they will find it hard to resist!

Thanks once again. We will really miss KBR.

Kei, USA (April 2007)

Hope you're doing well. I just wanted to email and let you know I had a fabulous time at KBR! Even my mom had a great time. Steve was a GREAT and very accommodating dive manager, and he did a Discover Scuba session with my mom. She might even be interested in getting certified.

All the dive masters were great and I LOVED Lembeh!

Anyway, thank you very much for helping me plan this trip. Look forward to working with you again in the future.

Galen, Judy & Nick (December 2006)

A Dive Trip to Paradise at Kungkungan Bay Resort

I have just returned from Kungkungan Bay Resort (KBR) at Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. We spent (10) days doing (3) dives per day and I can’t say enough about how great the resort and the diving were. Indonesia is a country of thousands of islands and the North Sulawesi Province is far removed from the political unrest of Jakarta and Bali. This Province is about 85% Christian, 5-10% Buddhist, and 5-10% Muslim and the local population lives in harmony. Visitors should not be concerned about acts of hostility as North Sulawesi is very peaceful and the locals are friendly.

Flying there takes some time and we flew from Los Angeles International Airport to Narita Airport, Japan (11 hours). After a (2) hour layover, we flew to Changi International Airport, Singapore, (8 hours) and had a (12) hour layover so we got day rooms to get a shower and nap. We then had a (3) hour flight to the Airport in Manado, N. Sulawesi and a 1 ½ hour drive to KBR in Lembeh Strait. While the traveling requirements might seem somewhat difficult flying Northwest and Singapore Airlines was relatively simple and we checked our bags through from LAX to Manado. I suggest you confirm baggage weight requirements as coach and business/first class are different.

As for KBR, the resort is in a beautiful very well maintained setting about 4-5 miles from the Port of Bitung. Steve and Miranda Coverdale are the managers of KBR with Steve running the dive operations and Miranda operating the Resort. Both of them are extremely hospitable and spent time with us each morning prior to the first dive. The typical (3) dive daily routine was a thorough dive briefing five minutes before each dive. KBR has (4) 26’ dive boats that leave at 8:15 AM, 11:15 AM and 2:45 PM each day with each dive lasting about one hour. Night dives are also offered every day in place of the 2:45 PM dive, you need only a minimum of (2) dive guests for the boat to go out. Tank fills were to about 3,000 lbs. and Nitrox is also available. Each boat typically takes 2-3 dive guides and usually six divers. The dive guides know all 35 dive sites extremely well and can point out various indigenous creatures like: scorpion fish, wasp fish, frog fish, dragonets, devil fish, a variety of ghost pipe fish, pigmy sea horses, blue ring octopus, sea snakes, snake eels, cuttlefish and at times a wonder puss. There is also a huge variety of nudibranchs, bristle worms, and hard coral (check out any reference book on the Lembeh Strait, the variety is amazing). At the conclusion of each dive, the boat returned to the Resort (rides took about 5-10 minutes at the most). On the ride back, we were served fresh fruit and water. The main island offers “muck” diving at depths up to 100’ but most of the unusual and indigenous underwater life can be found from 15’-50’. The smaller islands across from the main island offer beautiful hard corals similar to diving in the Cayman Islands with much of the same sea life. Water temperature while we were diving Nov. 4-14 was a consistent 84 F but at times cold currents would show up so we used three mil wetsuits and were warm. Daytime weather was typically in the mid 80’s and most afternoons a rain shower would come through. Evenings would cool down to the mid 70’s.

Our deluxe cottages were air conditioned, had a king size bed with an overhead fan, refrigerator/bar, TV, full sized bathtub as well as a shower and plenty of hot water. One caution, don’t drink the tap water, drink the bottled water that is provided in each room and at each meal. Although I took malaria preventative while I was there I was told this area did not experience any cases malaria. Each Sunday afternoon, while divers are out, the Resort does spray under each cottage and around the common grounds as part of an insect abatement program, which I found to be very effective.

The Resort has a main dining area and the meals were very well prepared. A buffet was usually available as well as a full menu that contained not only local dishes but also offered dishes you would see in the southern states and Mexico. KBR also offered room service and would prepare a meal 24/7 for its guests and they would fulfill special meal requests as well.

KBR offered several day trips and I did visit the local markets one morning before the first dive. Beary, my market guide took me to the public fish market, then to a local open market, a Buddhist temple, and a visit to a high school. The next time I am there I am going to do the Highlands Tour.

In summary:
The dive guides are all exceptionally knowledgeable of the dive sites. My personal thanks to Ben, Liberty, Jeffrey, Robert, Ade and Johan for their friendly and accommodating nature; you made our diving incredible.
To the resort staff, especially Merlyn, Beary, Ita, Rusna, Grace, Patricia, and Hadriak, thank you, you were all so friendly and hospitable.

Michael

Just a quick word to say your arrangements for my stay in KBR was perfect - flights by Singapore airlines and Air France could not have been better.

KBR was of course just what I expected - the very best dive guides, superb organization &meals all run with great skill and kindness by Steve and Miranda.

Lou & Steve, Wales

Happy New Year! Just wanted to say a big thank you to you and all the staff at KBR who made sure we had an unforgettable trip. The diving was amazing and we saw so many weird and wonderful things thanks to Liberty and his x-ray eyes! We loved every minute and I'm sure we'll be coming back. Please do pass on our thanks to everyone there..

Andy Barlow & Susie Young, England (November 2006)

Hi Steve, Miranda & KBR staff
We came to stay with you for 5 days in October, and just wanted to say thanks.

As novice divers and it being our 1st diving holiday we were a bit nervous, and weren't sure whether we would hold everyone else up. From the moment we arrived we felt relaxed and welcome. The resort is stunning and the houses very comfortable.

As it was our first diving holiday we couldn't compare to anywhere else, but we were amazed by the things we saw. The dive team was brilliant; they looked after us, and were very patient. Please thank them for us, especially Jeff and Robbie who were great fun.

Thanks to you and the rest of the staff who made our stay so amazing. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend your resort to friends. We hope we can come back and spend some more time with you soon and enjoy some more brilliant diving.

Thanks again. Hope you all have a great Xmas and New Year.