Diving in Lembeh Strait
Bizarre Wonderland
Mention Lembeh diving in Manado to any serious underwater photographer and their eyes come over all misty and distant. Few places on the planet are as varied and give you the chance to see more shy critters such as the mimic octopus, flamboyant cuttlefish, harlequin shrimps, skeleton shrimps and innumerable nudibranchs.
The fish also include the usual tropical reef suspects but also the more bizarre: Ambon scorpionfish, snake eels, stonefish, sea robins, stargazers, devil fish and even the weedy scorpionfish. There are also beautiful seahorses including pygmies, pegasus,
mandarinfish, ghost pipefish and the endemic Banggai cardinalfish. Lembeh Strait dive resorts and liveaboards have a higher than average rate of return customers as enthused first-timers return year upon year, never tiring of the wonders of this undersea paradise.
There are many diving places which claim to be the best and very few get close but it is difficult to imagine a better place in the world for critter hunting, or muck diving, than Lembeh. No more than a few breaths go by between one bizarre and exhilarating sight and the next. If you've tired of night dives, then try one in Lembeh - they are simply fantastic. We don't know of a better place for after dark encounters with extraordinary marine life.
Including the wrecks and more traditional reefs, there are over 30 sites to choose from, all within 6 or 7 kilometres of the dive resorts, or just a few minutes boat ride across these calm, lake-like waters. It's easy to understand why scuba diving in the Lembeh Strait has a reputation that's hard to beat among discerning divers that want easy and convenient access to exceptional diving opportunities with bizarre marine life that you simply can not see in other destinations.
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.
Nudi Falls: As you might imagine in a muck diving paradise, there is an impressive array of nudibranchs here. This dive site is one of the best in the Lembeh Strait for nudi hunters and you can expect many varieties in this one small area alone, whether on the black sandy floor, or feeding on ascidians or hydroids on the wall. However, there are more macro wonders here too including ribbon eels, pygmy seahorses, frogfish and mantis shrimps.
Angel's Window: Representing a break from the black sand dives that typify Lembeh, Angel's Window is a reef dive around a submerged pinnacle. You can expect to encounter red octopus, batfish and schools of angelfish as you work your way around the pinnacle. The eponymous window is a swim-through at around 25m which is covered in crinoids and featherstars.
Jahir: An excellent day dive, Jahir is one of the most spectacular night dives in the strait. The black sandy floor is host to a succession of crazy critters. Tiny frogfish, hairy frogfish, mimic octopus and long-horn cowfish are among the sights you can see here. Also look out for the submerged facial features of the fascinating stargazer scowling up at you from the sea-bed.
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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 dive resorts are excellent. Otherwise you can enjoy the Lembeh Strait diving sites, Bangka Island and beyond by liveaboard boat.
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/Bunaken. This way you get to see the full picture of what this splendid area has to offer.
A dive permit has been introduced to combat the problem of floating rubbish in the strait from the nearby villages and port town of Bitung. The small fee is a once-off fee per annum and payable on arrival.
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Diving Season
You can go scuba diving 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.
Liveaboard season in the Lembeh Strait area runs year round.
Reef Summary
Good for: Small animals, night diving, underwater photography and advanced divers
Not so good 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: ~55
Distance: ~45 km east of Manado (1½ hours)
Access: Lembeh liveaboards and resorts
Recommended length of stay: 5 - 10 days
Dive Site Descriptions
For more on the detailed Lembeh Strait dive sites:
• Manado tourist information
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• Sulawesi - Indonesia
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