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The Lembeh Resort dive team have extensive experience diving in the strait and their infectious enthusiasm will result in the best possible dives
day after day. Our focus on personal attention means that we will do our utmost to ensure that our guests fulfil their dreams and see most if not
all the critters on their wish lists. Unlimited diving is offered to resort guests, with the majority of the 40+ sites within the strait only
minutes away by boat. So guests can rest assured that they can accomplish as much diving as they desire.
The spacious camera room and equipment washing/drying facilities are only steps from the boat. Once a guest has made his or her first dive our dive team will
see that the equipment is carried, washed and stored and then be on the boat assembled and ready for further dives. Special consideration will be given to photographers,
whose delicate equipment often seems the center of their universe. Our boat crews will treat camera gear with the respect it deserves. The friendly and cheerful people
of North Sulawesi are as much a selling point as the diving. Our professional, courteous and attentive service will be as memorable as the critters.
NITROX will be available to qualified Lembeh Resort divers - the first time this desirable mixed gas has been made available in the strait. NITROX is simply an
increased oxygen percentage in a diver's tank. Rather than the usual 21% oxygen, divers can enjoy up to 40% oxygen in their tank, though 32% is the standard mix.
It is not for deep diving, but is preferred for longer mid-range or shallow dives - perfect for the style of diving called for in the strait. The user benefits of
NITROX include increased allowable bottom time, shorter surface intervals, reduction of post-dive fatigue, and best of all, increased safety margins. For those who
have yet to experience the benefits of NITROX, 2-day ANDI courses will be available to guests to initiate them to the world of NITROX. As well, a full range of PADI
courses will be available, from Introductory to Divemaster, for those who wish to increase their diving knowledge and skills.
Lembeh Strait has already been established as the mecca of what is known as muck or critter diving. Professional photographers and film crews are
regular visitors to the strait, shooting award-winning images of the extraordinary inhabitants that mesmerize divers dive after dive. Pygmy seahorses,
mimic octopus, flamboyant cuttlefish, mandarinfish, hairy frogfish, ghost pipefish, rhinopias, pegasus seamoths, banggai cardinalfish, stargazers,
bobbit worms, harlequin shrimp, candy crabs, bobtail squid, devilfish, snake eels, etc. The list seems endless, with every dive an opportunity to
discover a species new to science. The array of nudibranchs and crustaceans is astounding. The number of cephalopod species on display amazing.
The assortment of eels and venomous fish species limitless. "Going macro" will open an entire new world to divers who follow the maxim
"go slow and look down". Different months offer a variety of highlights, so repeat guests can always look forward to something new and
exciting on subsequent visits.
But there is more. Though it is the black sand inhabitants that have made the area famous, there are sites that showcase the biodiversity that North
Sulawesi is renowned for. With approximately 300 types of coral and 3000 species of fish to be found along the coasts of the region, there are plenty
of sites which offer divers a more traditional diving experience with hard and soft coral gardens hosting schooling fish in abundance, sea snakes,
turtles, as well as passing pelagics such as barracuda, trevally and mackerel species. Mantas and whales also make seasonal appearances in the strait.
There are walls, slopes, sand flats with bommies, boulder-strewn areas and even pinnacles to provide a variety of underwater landscapes. To round
out the superlative adventure there are even 5 wrecks to dive, 2 of which were sunk during WWII action.
Diving Lembeh Strait can be accomplished year-round owing to the sheltering influence of Lembeh Island. No matter what inclement weather system may be passing, or how strong the currents may be, there will be numerous sites with calm conditions suitable for easy for diving. The water temperature varies, but is usually 26-29 degrees Celcius. This is a usually a bit cooler than Bunaken, so a 5 mm full wetsuit is recommended. Visibility also varies, between sites as well as time of the year. It fluctuates between 5-30 meters, lower at the muck sites compared to the more open northern sites, but usually rests in the 12-15 meter range at most of the more popular central sites.
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