Cocotinos Lembeh, Lembeh Strait

The allure of muck diving lies in finding rare, camouflaged, and surprisingly beautiful critters in the strangest of places - and the sand and rubble slopes of Lembeh are perfect for those who get their ‘fix’ from spotting these unusual species. The Lembeh Strait’s abundance of unique critters means pretty much every dive is capable of throwing up a surprise or two - be it a new species to tick off from your ‘hit list’ or witnessing some unusual behaviour. Lembeh is one of those places where the exceptional seems to become the norm and dives here can be both intriguing and downright weird, all at once. For devotees muck diving means developing an appreciation of all things cryptic and bizarre - of which the Lembeh Strait has plenty!

Lembeh Strait’s top species

A complete list of the critters and macro-life found in the Lembeh Strait will probably never be complete, but a simple list of iconic species reveals just how good Lembeh is. Everything from flamboyant cuttlefish, wonderpus, mimic octopus, hairy octopus, coconut octopus and blue-ringed octopus, to Ambon scorpionfish, Rhinopias, Inimicus scorpionfish, pegasus sea moths, pygmy seahorses, seahorses and nudibranchs can all be found. Add in the eight species of frogfish, hairy shrimps and boxer crabs, stargazers, big mantis shrimps, electric clams, ghostpipefish, Bobbit worms, cardinalfish, and ribbon eels and you start to realise how many species can be found! And as well as simply ticking off a species from your ‘hit list’, divers also have a really good chance of being witness to plenty of behaviour - mating, laying eggs, feeding and fighting are very obvious parts of life in the Lembeh Straits!

The best sites in the Lembeh Strait

Some of the Lembeh Strait’s famous sites include Nudi Falls and Nudi Retreat, Aer Prang, Aer Bajo, Angel’s Window, Critter Hunt, Hairball, Jahir, Makawide, the Mawali Wreck, Police Pier, Pante Parigi, Retak Larry and TK. These sites offer barren sand slopes, reefs, walls, wrecks, jetty dives, plains of seagrass - and everything in between. Animals come and go and certain sites will have more critters than others so it is best to ask the guides at your resort if you would like to see anything in particular. They are the ones with up-to-date information and are experts at finding those rarities!

Lembeh diving is suitable for all levels of experience although beginners should be careful of their buoyancy and ensure the seabed is not disturbed. Water temperature is around 28 - 29C from October to March and drops slightly in April, May, June and September to 26 - 27C. The coldest months are July and August, with average water temperatures of about 25-26C. ZuBlu recommends wearing either a 3mm or 5mm full-length wetsuit depending on your sensitivity to cold and when you will be diving.