The Lembeh Strait : Mecca for Macro Underwater Photography

Overview

The Lembeh Strait in North Sulawesi is world famous for its wonderful, photogenic underwater critters. 

In fact  the Strait is only a long and narrow strip that separates the mainland from the Lembeh island. But look closer and dive into its blue waters and discover a completely different world filled with fascinating and most colorful tropical underwater life that is loved for its wide range of small critters.

dministratively  part of the municipality of Bitung, the harbor town of Manado, capital of the province of North Sulawesi,  the Lembeh Strait stretches 16 km long and is only 1.2 kilometers wide, yet in these narrow waters no less than 88 diving spots have been discovered. Although Lembeh Strait is not as world renowned as the Bunaken National Park, one should in no way underestimate its outstanding beauty.

Dive sites here go to a depth of of between 15 to 25 meters. There are hardly any currents, and throughout the year the waters remain a warm 24 to 30 degrees Centigrades only. Its visibility is not too clear reaching between 4 meters to 20 meters only when one happens to be lucky, since its floor is sandy,and  there are few corals.   

Strangely enough this area is habitat to giant fish that are found almost nowhere else  on earth.   But among professional divers,  the Lembeh Strait is better known as the” Best muck-diving site in the world”.

Its unique eco-system has made this the home of nudibranch, flamboyant squid, mimic octopus to furry frog fish. Their exceptional beauty have made these creatures rare subjects for underwater photographers. For this reason marine photographers the Lembeh Strait is also known as ”the Mecca of Macro Photography”.

A side from this natural wonder, from its surface the Lembeh Strait remains used as a harbor for local transport, fishery, marine industry, tourism and as a natural laboratory.

On a hill by the coast of  the island of Lembeh stands the Trikora (Tri Komando Rakyat) monument and a DC3 aircraft of the Indonesian Air Force, in commemoration of battles held towards the end of the 1980’s in the fight to recover the territory of  the former Dutch East Indies’ Papua back into the fold of the Republic of Indonesia. The port of Bitung was the air base from which fighter planes made their sorties to Papua. From this location one can have a panoramic view on the Strait of Lembeh.

To Stay

Since the island of Lembeh is world renowned and a haven for professional divers, there are many hotels and resorts that make available complete diving equipment and professional divers possessing PADI certificates.

Below are a number of accommodation choices :

Eco Divers Lembeh
Desa Ranowangko, Dusun VII, Kec. Tombariri, Kab. Minahasa
Phone  +62 431 828340.
Website:www.eco-divers,com

Lembeh Resort
Phone : +62  438 5503139
Website: www.lembehresort.com 

Froggies Divers Resort
Jalan Kol. Sugiono no 31, Manado
Phone:  +62 811430800
Swebsite:  www.froggieslembeh.com

NAD Lembeh Resort
Teluk Rarandam Kecil, Pulau Lembeh, Kota Bitung
Phone :   +62 8124756661
Website : www.nad-lembeh.com

Two Fish Lembeh Resort
Pantai Pangulisang, Bunaken
Phone :   +62 811432805
Website : www.twofishdivers.com

If you are looking for a different atmosphere, the local population welcome guests to their homes. Most are from the Sangir ethnic group who in the evenings love to dance the Ampa Wayer.

Get There

From Manado, capital of the province of North Sulawesi there are public buses available to Bitung. The fare is Rp 7,500 for non airconditioned buses and Rp. 8,500 for airconditioned buses.

Among taxi companies that you can call are : Blue Bird  (+62431-86 1234), Trust Taxi ( +62 431-824000) and Celebrity Tax i(+62 431-851010).

You can also rent a car in Manado, charging for the trip to Bitung around Rp300,000 one way.  

Upon arrival at  Bitung, continue to  Ruko Pateten pier  in the subdistrict of Lembeh to cross by boat to the island of Lembeh,which will take around 15 minutes. The fare is around  Rp7,500 per passenger.The crossing is relatively safe with few currents since the Strait is protected by the island of  Lembeh.

En route you will see many different kinds of vessels  with various sizes, from  dugout canoes, traditional sailboats to large navy frigates and other warships. .

Get Arround

You can hire boats to sail around the island of Lembeh. This will cost around Rp. 300,000 for 3 to 4 hours.
Ask the boatsman to take you around the Strait. From here you will see Gunung Dua Sudara mountain, luxury resorts, ships at anchor and of course shoals of fish under the sea,

Most of the beaches are inside resort areas and can be enjoyed by their guests only. The only public beach here is  the Pasir Putih Langi.

Indonesia Travel