Diving in Lembeh Strait
Bizarre Wonderland
Mention Lembeh to anyone who has been and their eyes go all misty. Diving here is like nowhere else on earth. An hour from Manado airport lies the strait of water that separates the mainland from Lembeh Island.
Under the calm surface, there is more going on than even the wildest imagination could envisage. On a floor of dark sand scuttle a mind-boggling array of unusual and rare critters - mandarinfish, hairy frogfish, mimic octopus, Ambon scorpionfish, stargazers, pegasus, flamboyant cuttlefish, dragonets to name just a few.
A photographers' dream and a total eye-opener for anyone with even a passing interest in the smaller things in the ocean. There are also wrecks and more traditional reefs to explore which only adds to Lembeh's claim to be a unique and special diving destination.
Highlights
Hairball: It is difficult to accurately convey just how many weird and wonderful creatures a dive here can reveal both by day and by night. How many sites can promise so many seahorses and frogfish that by the end of the dive you are thinking 'Yeah yeah' - another one? It doesn't end there. This site's usual line-up includes some the oddest and most fascinating creatures of the sea. Even the most water-weary divers emerge at the surface here to excited chatter about what they have just witnessed.
• Send your diving holidays enquiry
How to Dive Lembeh
If it is only Lembeh you are interested in then we suggest you stay on the island itself where the sites are only a short ride away and the resort is excellent.
Lembeh Resort , Lembeh Island. High quality resort with hillside seaview bungalows looking over the strait itself.
NAD Resort & Dive Center - Amazing low prices! - a brand new resort in the Lembeh Strait with unbelievabe soft opening rates.
Otherwise you can enjoy the dive sites of the Lembeh Strait and beyond by liveaboard boat.
North Sulawesi Aggressor - Explore Lembeh and Bangka Island from this service-driven liveaboard, planned with the passions and requirements of photographers in mind.
If you want to see more than the Lembeh Strait alone and would rather book a resort stay than a liveaboard then you should consider combining your resort package with a few days in Manado. This way you get to see the full picture of what this splendid area has to offer.
Diving Season
You can dive in Lembeh all year but the conditions do vary. The lowest visibility coincides with the greatest number of critters - around August. Fine but variable conditions prevail during the months of January and June but this is the time when there are fewer divers around.
Reef Summary
Great for: Small animals, underwater photography and advanced divers
Not so great for: Large animals, wall diving, drift dives and non-diving activities
Depth: 5 - 30m
Visibility: 10 - 25m
Currents: Gentle
Surface Conditions: Calm
Water Temperature: 26 - 29°C
Experience Level: Beginner - advanced
Number of dive sites: >30
Diving Season: All year round
Access: Manado and Lembeh diving resorts and liveaboards
Recommended length of stay: 5 - 10 days
Dive Site Descriptions
For more on the detailed Lembeh dive sites:
• Manado tourist information
View a map of:
• Sulawesi - Indonesia
• Scuba diving vacation enquiries
Back to diving in Indonesia index
|
