Lembeh Strait is undoubtedly a special place in terms of diving. What is considered rare elsewhere is relatively common here, including critters such as hairy frogfish, mimic octopus, devilfish, flamboyant cuttlefish, ghost pipefish, pygmy seahorses and much much more….

There is a tremendous variety of marine life, with every dive offering an opportunity to find a species new to science. There’s something here for everyone, even the most jaded of divers.

Being sheltered, Lembeh can be dived year-round, though some critters are seasonal, meaning that there are different things to see depending on the time of the year.

The average water temperature is 28˚C (82˚F). We recommend wearing full wetsuits to conserve body heat on the multiple dives done daily, which are usually shallow, meaning long. We do get thermoclines moving in from time to time, which is beneficial as cold upwellings spur mating cycles in nudibranchs, pipefish and other species.

The visibility is also less than many dive destinations on average, owing to the nutrients in the water that are the reason for the wealth of biodiversity. Visibility averages 10-15 meters, though it can be a bit less or as good as 30 meters. In general, the water clarity increases as one heads north from mid-island into more open waters. But low visibility does not lessen the experience as the attractions can be viewed from close quarters.

Lembeh Strait is auspiciously located in the famed “Coral Triangle”, which boasts the greatest marine biodiversity on the planet. As one moves away from this area, the numbers of marine species decrease dramatically.

Why are these waters so rich? It most probably is no coincidence that the largest water movement on the planet, known as the Indonesian Throughflow, splits past the northern tip of Sulawesi. To the north of Sulawesi, a string of volcanic islands form a chain all the way to the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. Below the water this chain forms the Sarangani Sill, which divides deepwater basins to the east and west.

To the west of Sulawesi is the Sulawesi Basin, while to the east there is the Philippine Sea and the West Caroline Basin. The movement of water westwards from this basin begins the Indonesian Throughflow. Hitting the Sarangani Sill, the shallow portions of this water flow over this barrier and continue westward and down the west coast of Sulawesi. The deeper waters hit the barrier and are diverted southward down the eastern side of Sulawesi and through the Moluccan Islands. Most of North Sulawesi lacks a continental shelf, which means that abyssal depths exist directly offshore and these deeper, nutrient-rich waters are forced upwards and churned with surface waters as they are flushed through the narrow confines of the strait.

Though currents are strong in the main channel, there are numerous small bays out of the current stream suitable for easy diving in which the nutrients settle to foster the rich biodiversity that our region is renowned for.