Yos Amerta's Photographer-Friendly Resort, Yos Dive Lembeh

We first heard about Yos Dive Lembeh Eco Beach Resort through a good friend of ours, Clement Lee, who used to own the widely known Borneo Divers before retiring in 2013. A couple of years later, we finally met the owner, Yos Amerta, or more fondly known as Pak Yos. (Pak, short for Bapak, is a form of address in Indonesian similar to Mr. in English.)

Not long after, we made our way to Lembeh and spent some time at the resort, talking with Pak Yos.

Pak Yos is soft-spoken and unfailingly polite, but it doesn't take long to see a deep passion for diving and a strong commitment to preserving the environment underneath it.

Growing Up

Pak Yos is from Bali. He recalls spending weekends as a child at the island's beaches with his family, and traces his sense of connection to the sea back to those early years.

He was no stranger to the service industry either. While still in school, he took on part-time work as a waiter, receptionist, and whatever else exposed him to the industry, saying that serving people and making them happy gave him a sense of accomplishment. This was, to his parents' disapproval, since they wanted him focused on his studies. Being in a rebellious stage of adolescence, much like the rest of us at that age, he persevered anyway, much to their dismay.

From Architect to Dive Resort Owner

He went on to complete an architecture degree at a well-regarded German university, then spent the next fourteen years building his career there. Those years instilled a sense of social responsibility toward the community that he's carried into his work since.

The pull of the sea never quite let go, though, and Pak Yos eventually returned to Bali, where he worked as an architect while running a dive centre near Nusa Dua on the side.

Work later brought him to Manado, where over eighteen years he worked on some of the more architecturally distinctive dive resort designs in the area, and even in Ambon, Maluku. While in Manado, he also ran a dive centre of his own to stay close to diving and underwater photography.

Some years ago, he found the site in Makawidey village to build his own resort, not far from Bitung, North Sulawesi's second-largest city after Manado. An old but substantial house stood on the property, and Pak Yos wanted to preserve its character while making it work for divers and underwater photographers specifically. Using largely eco-friendly materials and keeping the impact on the surrounding environment to a minimum, he designed and extended the building into what is now Yos Dive Lembeh Eco Beach Resort, with rustic painted wood, open spaces, generous rooms, and notably large shower areas.

The resort sits along the strait, facing Lembeh Island.

After a week at the resort, it was clear Pak Yos stays closely involved in running it, working alongside his right-hand person, Fitri, and the rest of the team. He still does the market run for the kitchen himself.

It's also clear that Pak Yos takes eco-tourism seriously rather than as a marketing label. He's careful that whatever the resort does respects local culture, and the resort employs mostly locals, with around 90 per cent of staff and crew from Makawidey village itself.

A Keen Underwater Snoot Photographer

Whenever time allows, Pak Yos is underwater photographing his favourite small subjects, and he's a keen practitioner of snoot photography, regularly posting his portraits online. Worth following on Instagram for a look at his work, including this portrait and this one.

These days he no longer works full-time as an architect, though he'll still help with designs for friends. Mostly, he needs the time for diving and snoot photography while running the resort.

What to See in Lembeh

There are over 25 dive sites along the Lembeh Strait, an area often called the capital of the world for macro life. The variety here is remarkable, from barely visible camouflaged creatures to the brightly coloured kind that refuse to be ignored.

With mild currents and mostly slow-moving subjects, it's a good place for new underwater photographers to build their skills. Even seasoned photographers find it challenging in its own way, chasing the exact right moment with a subject that isn't going anywhere fast.

Gallery

A few more pictures from our stay.