Diving Lembeh Strait & South Lembeh

Diving Lembeh Strait & South Lembeh

At Divers Lodge Lembeh, we have 24 years of experience in diving around Lembeh Island, an area famous worldwide for macro photography and muck diving. With our unique private boat only service, unlimited dive-time, customizable schedules and a 2-1 diver to guide ratio, you can explore the diverse marine life at your own pace, focusing particularly on the smaller, rare species that make diving at Lembeh unique. We do not offer dive courses at the resort.

Lembeh Island: With Bitung City, Lembeh Strait and the Southern side of Lembeh

Below you can find:

1. Diving Lembeh Strait
2. Diving The Southern side of Lembeh
3. Dive site diversity of Lembeh
4. Map of Dives Sites
5. Experienced Dive Guides
6. The House Reef and Mandarinfish
7. Private Dive Boat, Always
8. Dive Requirements & Rules
9. Dives Rates
10. Rental Diving Equipment 

Diving Lembeh Strait

Lembeh Strait is famous and referred to as the Critter Capital of the World, for its abundance of unique macro critters. This includes an extraordinary range of macro life, such as a vast variety of octopuses, nudibranchs, cuttlefish, seahorses, crustaceans and much more. These underwater critters provide an exceptional experience for divers, especially those interested in macro photography.

Thirty-minute film by Achim Farr for a detailed impression of what you can find in Lembeh Strait

Most of the dive-sites at Lembeh Strait are quite shallow, with some sites having an average dive depth of 8-15 meters. With the deeper sites at Lembeh Strait being between 25-30 meters. Combined with Nitrox, larger dive-tanks and our unlimited dive-time, you’ll be able to extend your dive time for a very significant amount of time.

Quite often the critters of Lembeh Strait move between dive-sites, as such every year the activity underwater shifts, former busy dive-sites become quiet, with other sites suddenly becoming exceptionally dense with underwater life. Our dive-guides are best informed with the changes taking place underwater, and we’ll bring you to the best sites depending on anything specific you’d like to find.

Photos by Thomas Gerlinger

You can see more underwater photos taken from Lembeh Strait in our Underwater Gallery page, and for videos in our Underwater Video Gallery. Many thanks to our guests who contributed to the gallery!

Diving South Lembeh

Aerial Photos of the Reefs of the dive-sites at South Lembeh – Jiko, Coral Kobong, and Pulau Dua

While most diving in Lembeh focuses on the Strait’s famous muck diving sites, the southern side of Lembeh Island (accessible from November to April) offers a different experience entirely – with extensive coral walls, gardens, and large schools of fish. The diving conditions here are comparable to those found in Bangka and Bunaken, with excellent visibility and rich coral diversity.

The dive sites at the south of Lembeh Island highlights a massive contrast compared to Lembeh Strait’s reputation of muck-diving and at times poor visibility. The dive-sites at the South features incredible underwater visibility of 30-40 meters. Schools of fish, large and healthy corals. Sharks, dolphins, turtles, and eagle rays can also be found here.

Sites such as Pulau Dua (Two Islands) at South-Lembeh island faces the open-ocean, with reefs encircling the island, and 4km further from the reef in the direction of the Moluccan sea the depth drops to 1.3km deep. Quite recently too, Pulau Dua was declared a no-fishing zone designated for tourism by the Ministry of Sea & Fishery. Then there are also the many other sites such as Tanjung Kuning (Yellow Coast), Jiko, Koral Kobong (Coral Garden), Pulau Susulina (Susulina’s Island), and Batu Bunyan (Bunyan’s Rock).

Dive site diversity of Lembeh

The dives sites in Lembeh ranges from volcanic sandy bottoms to coral gardens, walls, and shipwrecks. There is no additional surcharge for dives at any of the dive sites. With your own boat and schedule, you can decide where to dive, and exactly what you prefer to see underwater.

Map of Dives Sites

Quite often critters move between dive sites and as such the underwater life of the dive site changes. Our dive guides are best informed and will know which dive site is the best depending on what you’d like to find and your preferences. We can dive in all the dives sites below.

We also have an interactive dive map available on our Map of Lembeh Dive Sites page!

For Scale: Lembeh Strait is 22 kilometers / 13.6 miles long. It takes 15-30 minutes to reach the most famous dive sites at the center and Northwest tip of Lembeh.

Experienced Dive Guides

Every diver at Divers Lodge Lembeh, whether solo or in a buddy team of two, is provided with a guide at no additional cost. We have a 2-1 diver to guide ratio. Furthermore, every guide has made at least 500 dives and gained extensive experience working with underwater photographers. For extra assistance, divers can opt for an additional guide at a surcharge of €14 per dive.

Photo by Faycal Chabini at Immersedlens Photography

The House Reef and Mandarinfish

Our House Reef is a highlight, since the implementation of a strict no-fishing policy in 2007, the reef has become a home for a diverse range of species such as the Blue Ringed Octopus, Wonderpus, Hairy Squat Lobster, Tiger Shrimp, Hairy Octopus, and Ghost Pipefish, including the Mandarin fish. 

Four-minute video of the highlights of our House Reef by Ocean Storyteller

The dive depth of the reef varies between 2 and 30 meters, accommodating a range of diving experiences. The reef itself is a mix of coral formations and sandy slopes, interspersed with coral bommies and rubble. Patches of sea grass can be found in the shallower areas.

The reef begins at a shallow depth, suitable for snorkeling during calm weather. In certain areas, the reef extends to depths of 30-35 meters, where divers can observe schools of fish, including mackerel, triggerfish, and trevallies.

Private Dive Boat, Always

Each guest or group gets their own dive boat and guide for €95/$110.20/S$141.55 per day, per boat, in addition to the cost of dives/snorkeling. Our unique private boat service lets you:

• Set your own dive schedule and departure time
• Choose your dive sites
• Dive without time limits (within safety standards).

If other guests are available and agree to share a boat, the cost is split equally among all divers on that boat. However, we cannot guarantee that others will be available or willing to share. This fee applies to all persons, whether alone, with a buddy, or in a group. Our dive boats has a maximum capacity of 12 divers (8 Guests, 4 Guides).

Daily dives cost examples per-person, per-day: 

2 persons sharing the private boat, 3 daytime dives per day

8 persons sharing the private boat, 3 daytime dives per day

Our custom-built boats are spacious and have everything you need – towels, water, tea, coffee, snacks, and safety equipment. If you make more than two dives during the day, we highly recommend enjoying our convenient and delicious boat lunches, allowing you to maximize your diving time and experience the best of Lembeh’s underwater wonders without interruption.

We manage all aspects of your diving logistics. Our staff will transport your dive and camera equipment from your accommodation to our dive boats. This ensures a seamless and worry-free diving experience for you.

Dive Requirements & Rules

Diving is fun! And it is even more fun (and safer) if our guests oblige to the following dive rules.

• You have to be at least 16 years old and certified for scuba diving by a recognized organization.
• You will be asked to sign a “Standards of Safe Diving Statement” and a Medical Statement, before you start diving with us.
• You will need your dive certification and dive log. If you have any medical problems that may affect diving, you will need written confirmation from your doctor that you are able to dive.
• We offer unlimited dive times, but we ask that you do not exceed decompression limits. We do not allow decompression dives or dives deeper than 30 meters.
• You are expected to dive according to the buddy principle.
• You must dive with a dive computer, because it is likely you will be diving more than once a day and on consecutive days.
• Do not to touch anything underwater, not only for the protection of the underwater environment, but also for your safety as many poisonous creatures inhabit these waters. If you are going to rest any part of your body on the sand, first make sure that it is safe to do so. Beware of spiny poisonous creatures, such as the devil fish, hiding in the sand! Wearing gloves is not forbidden.
• Please do not ask the guides to manipulate the animals in any way. Observe the underwater environment from a reasonable distance and do not frighten the creatures.
• We have an agreement with other dive centers that there is a limit of 15 divers, including the dive guides, in the same dive site underwater.
• Take nothing but good memories. Leave nothing but bubbles.

Dives Rates

Below are the rates for diving, also available in our Rates and Booking page.

Please note: All our prices are based in Euros (EUR). The USD and IDR prices provided are approximate and may fluctuate with changes in exchange rates. 

For payments in USD or IDR, the final amount will be calculated based on the exchange rate at the time of payment.

Private boat service: €95 / $110.20 / IDR 1.954.500 per day, per boat, in addition to the cost of dives/snorkeling. If other guests are available and agree to share a boat, the cost is split equally among all persons on that boat. However we cannot guarantee that others will be available or willing to share. This fee applies to all divers, whether alone, with a buddy, or in a group.

All dives must be conducted between 07:30 and 20:00, with a maximum of 5 dives per day. Nitrox 28% – 35% is available. Dive without time limits, as long as it is within the safety standards of no decompression diving.

Rental Diving Equipment 

We provide top-quality rental equipment, including tanks with Int valves and a range of sizes, including Nitrox 32%. Divers using DIN regulators should bring their own adapters. The water temperature in Lembeh Strait is typically pleasant with temperature of 27°C-29°C, however we would recommend a 3mm or 5mm full-length wetsuit based on individual comfort and seasonal variations.

Page last updated June 6, 2026