Dive sites in Pulau Lembeh

Angel Window Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Angel Window is one of the most popular of the Lembeh island sites, this is a twin-peaked pinnacle that comes within a meter of the surface. A large cave offers a swim-through for divers on the deep end of the pinnacle, from 24 metres down to 32 metres in depth. One side is a Coral slope leveling…

Nudi Retreat Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

The most heavily-dived site in the strait, this is a lovely Coral amphitheater in the shallows. It turns into a sand slope with encrusted boulders down below and two walls stretching out to either side sporting healthy soft Coral growth right up to only 2 metres in depth. The prime attraction here…

Jari-Jari Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

A continuation of the more popular Jahir, this is a wide expanse of shallow sand littered with Sponges and small bommies. This site has a steep sand slope leading down to an excellent cleaning station occupying a single large rock down at 26 metres. Though not as crowded with critters in comparison…

Tanjung Kubur Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

A newer site also known as Cemetery Point, this is another sand slope with large healthy bommies to the South and excellent Coral gardens to the North. There have been Rhinopias, Pontohi Pygmy Seahorses and Halimeda Ghost Pipefish seen here.

Air Prang Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Air Prang is probably one of the most interesting sites at Lembeh Strait. The name literally means 'War Water', referring to the jetty offering fresh water from an uphill aquifer, exploited by the Japanese during WW2. This is an expansive shallow sand slope, more popular for night diving, especially…

Batu Kapal Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

These are a set of pinnacles off the Northern tip of Lembeh Island. This is the best big fish dive in North Sulawesi, but severe multi-directional currents prevent all but only the most experienced divers from venturing here. The density of schooling fish is staggering, with larger species such as…

Bimoli wreck Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

This is a Japanese WW2 wreck lying in front of what is now the Bimoli cooking oil factory. It was at anchor carrying munitions when it was blown up by torpedoes launched by an attacking US submarine (the USS Swordfish), causing the munitions to blow the aft end completely apart, which now is a pile…

California Dreaming Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

A stunning site. This is a seamount out from the island of Pulau Putus. Twin peaks with a rubble/sand flat in between, the shallows are good for giant Frogfish and Boxer Crabs and there is a busy cleaning station which offers much to see, including Leaf Scorpionfishes. The Coral slopes down on both…

Divers Loge Lembeh House Reef Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

The main attraction at the House Reef of Divers Lodge Lembeh is a area with a lot of coral debris in a depth of about 6m which is inhabited by a large number of Mandarin fish. They are most active during dawn.On the deeper parts of the reef there are also other interesting animals like ornate…

Mawali Wreck Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

This is the most popular wreck in the strait, this huge 70 metres long WW2 Japanese freighter lies on her side between 17-30 metres depth and offers a Coral-encrusted oasis.. It was scuttled and sank by USS aircraft in 1944. The Malawi now lies on its port side between 15 to 30 m deep.This is an…

Nudifalls Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Nudi Falls is one of the best known sites at Lembeh Strait. One of the three most-dived sites (along with Nudi Retreat & Hairball), a colourful sheer miniwall with a rock pile below, then a sand slope, leveling out into the main channel of rubble sprouting a forest of large soft Corals. Scenically…

Pantai Parigi Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Pantai Parigi is something different, this site has a healthy reef in the shallows, then a gentle white sand slope that is a good alternative to the predominantly black sand elsewhere along the strait. A superlative location for small Crustaceans, especially commensal species (commensalism is a…

Pulau Putus Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Inside a bay is a beautiful Coral and sponge garden in sheltered conditions. It offers a steep reef with good visibility. Nice corals, rare critters, and also some cleaning stations. The scenery itself is the highlight, though larger Rays (Devil and Eagle Rays) are seen from time to time, together…

Serena Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Serena didn't look very promising at first, but we were able to observe a blue ring octopus for quite a while and spotted some frog fish, cuttle fish and robust ghost pipe fish too.

Tanduk Russa Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Tanduk Russa is a typical Lembeh Strait dive site, where you dive on black sand and search for strange critters.

AW Shucks Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Next to a pearl farm, this site has a verdant mix of Coral and sponge growth in the shallows with a sand slope below along with a large section of weed/rubble. The shallows offer such finds as Leaf Scorpionfishes, Cuttlefishes and a good Nudibranch selection, with the sand slope often hosting…

Hairball 1 Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

This is the most famous of the muck sites and deservedly so. The (only) sand slope here can be exceptionally productive. The position on a point means that the mix of currents brings more nutrients than on most other nearby sites.In the cooler summer season, the shallows can be covered with cotton…

Hairball 2 Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Right around the corner but usually not as rich as Hairball 1, this is very popular as an alternative when Hairball 1 is overcrowded. This is another sand slope, good for Octopuses, Seahorses and the like. A few Coral bommies in the shallows often harbour Frogfishes.

Teluk Kembahu 1 (or TK1) Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Named after the village in the bay is another gentle black sand slope with a great chance of seeing many different critters in shallow, easy conditions. There are low Coral patches below 12 metres and small bommies in the shallows separated by the sand slope. There are usually giant Frogfishes in…

Teluk Kembahu 2 (or TK2) Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

This is a continuation of the same terrain and critters as TK1. Some of the dive sites in Lembeh can be hot one month and seem empty the next, but on these two sites there is always happy hunting with plenty to see. This is prime Weedy Scorpionfish (Rhinopias frondosa) territory as well, with…

Teluk Kembahu 3 (or TK3) Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

This is a featureless gradual sand slope that is probably the best location in the strait for the sought-after Mimic Octopus as well hosting a wide variety of other Octopus species including the fabled Blueringed Octopus. This is also the best site for the rare Ambon Scorpionfish, which is the…

Retak Larry (Larry's Crack) Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Another sand site, but with a small stand of healthy Coral in the shallows. This popular site along with Hairball 1 and the TK 1/2 area has good variety and number of different species like Frogfish, Ambon Scorpionfish, cockatoo Flounder, Seahorse and the filamented ghost Pipefish (in season). It is…

Slow Poke Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

A seldom-dived site between the more popular Retak Larry and Magic Crack, this gentle sand slope has some rubble, which can be productive and a single bommie that at times boasts numerous Ornate Ghost Pipefishes. For those who move slowly and are observant, Seahorses, Devilfishes, Mimic Octopuses…

Magic Crack Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

A continuance of the gentle sand slope, the highlight of this dive is a Coral and rubble patch stretching from 12-27 metres and is the best place in Lembeh to find Thorny Seahorses. There is a busy cleaning station, a strong Nudibranch representation, Ribbon Eels, Ghost Pipefish and also a good spot…

Magic Rock Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

This used to be merely a single bommie with exceptional critter numbers, keeping divers glued on this one rock for an entire dive. But El Niño caused water temperatures to rise which killed or drove off the life on that Coral head, which never recovered. Now divers head out over a sand plain,…

Makawide Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Excellent Coral growth in the shallows spilling down a wall towards the main channel of the strait. On the silty slope below the wall rise a few rocky pinnacles, from 26 up to 15 metres, covered in a rich array of life. This is an excellent site for Pygmy Seahorses and Nudibranchs with very good…

Jahir Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

The most popular muck site along with Hairball 1, this is just another sand and gravel slope with some rope sponge growth and a few Coral outcrops in the shallows. Highlights here are Frogfish species, especially the fabled Hairy Frogfish (Antennarius striatus), lots of purple heart Urchins, home to…

Police Pier 1 & 2 Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Like Nudi Falls, photographers keep complaining that the biggest danger on these sites is running out of film or disk space. This is a rubble slope with small Coral outcroppings, leveling out into a sand flat with Rope Sponge gardens. Banggai Cardinal fishes, Barramundis (Lates calcarifer), Thorny…

Pantai Kecil Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Next to the Police Pier site is a small beach, thus the name. This is a rubble/sand slope with many Coral bommies and is similar to Police Pier in critters found.

Rina Wreck Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

An upright fishing boat wreck only just over a decade underwater, it is not very overgrown yet, but offers an attractive dive. The drawbacks are that it is hard to find and being almost mid-channel, is subjected to strong currents.

Napo Bronsel Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

A broad seamound forming a shallow plateau just offshore of the village of Tanduk Rusa (Deer Antler), this site has damage and garbage owing to being in front of an inhabited stretch of coastline. Still, there is a vibrant cleaning station and some good critter-hunting to be done, with various…

Madidir Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

A southern muck site, this is a shallow (2-3m) sand flat leading to a slope down to 20 metres and more, all sand. A bit different from muck sites within the strait, it is hit-and-miss here, but there can be an exceptional variety of Fire and Lionfishes, Pipefishes and lots of juvenile species. If…

Goby A'Crab Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Another site offering excellent Coral growth in the shallows were you can find Mantis Shrimps and Crabeyed Gobys. Below is a sand slope with a variety of muck species. This is a site which always gets glowing reviews from divers.

Kapal Baru Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Recently sunk (the name Kapal Barumeans new boat) this is a fishing boat that caught fire and was towed away from the harbour into a shallow bay to sink when the flames could not be extinguished. Lying on its side in less than 15 metres of water, it often offers Ghost Pipefishes and other…

Kapal Indah Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Kapal Indah (beautiful boat) is an upright fishing boat of about 45 metres long that sits in a shallow (max. 26 metres) bay out of the main current stream. The wreck has been down for 40+ years so is covered in Coral life; a great spot for finding Black Coral Crabs on sea Whips and Crinoid critters.…

Pulau Abadi Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

A Coral slope with many giant sea Fans and an abundance of fish life. This site has surprisingly good Coral with amazing colours. It is an excellent spot for locating the beautiful Pygmy Seahorses, Xeno Crabs (Xenocarcinus conicus/tuberculatus), Crabeyed Gobys and Mantis Shrimps.

Critter Hunt Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

There's a rubble slope, some healthy Coral growth and a wall to dive here. No distinct highlights other than Banggai Cardinal fish, but like the name suggests, a wide variety of critters can be spotted; Pipefish, Eels, Cuttlefish, Crustaceans, Seahorses, Decorator Crabs, Devilfish and from time to…

Serena west Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Also seldom dived, but there are huge Barrel Sponges hosting Squat Lobster (Laureia siagiani) on this Coral and rubble slope as well as numerous Mandarin fish in the finger Corals in the shallows. There can be a decent variety of critters like Frogfishes, Pipefishes, Gobies, Crustaceans etc., but…

Serena North Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

There is superb Coral growth in this area, but a lower density of critters on show translates to few divers knowing about this site.

Pintu Kota or Seagrass Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

A degraded Coral/rubble slope with much Halimeda Algae. It isn't scenic and usually suffers from low visibility, but this site is good for the seldom-seen Halimeda Ghost Pipefish (Solenostomus halimeda). It is also notable for other Pipefish species, Nudibranchs and Frogfishes.

Pintu Colada Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

A ridgeline of healthy Coral that offers decent snorkeling and for divers a busy cleaning station and a variety of critters.

Tanjung Tebal Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

This stunning area offers huge boulders, creating canyons and shelves which stretch well out into the strait down past 50 metres in depth. Nudibranch (Nembrotha purpureolineata) by Jim LyleStrong currents are usually found here, demanding planning for slack tide, but the currents result in the fact…

Batu Sandar Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Or leaning rock in Malay is one of the very best snorkeling sites in the strait. This is a finger of Coral which extends out into the strait down to 20 metres on a sand slope. Sheltered shallows have superlative Coral and sponge growth and sand flats with large Coral bommies.

Batu Merah Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Or red rock in Malay is a site that offers two dives: a rich Coral slope or a steep sand slope with Coral bommies. A cleaning station at 24 metres is a focal point, but there is a wide array of Nudibranch, Pipefish, Crustacean and Cephalopod species.

Kainah's Treasure Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

This is a rocky, Coral slope; one of the best places for Nudibranchs in the strait!

Jiko Yansi Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

A scenic wall dive, filled with beautiful soft Corals, sea Fans and Sponges. This is a good spot for Pygmy Seahorses, Candy Crabs and other small finds.

Dante's Wall Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Starting on a sand/Coral slope, a massive sheer rock wall starts and as you drift along it the bottom gets deeper and deeper as you near the Northern tip of Lembeh Island. There are schooling reef fish and interesting finds to be discovered along this spectacular drop.

Batu Angus Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Is the site of an old lava flow, hence the name, which literally means burnt rock. This shallow site of around 10 metres deep and about 50 metres across is visited at sunset to see the colourful Mandarin fish mating! There are regular sightings of the Blue ringed Octopus at this beautiful tranquil…

Dive in Pulau Lembeh