Lembeh Strait

Region: North Sulawesi, Indonesia
Type: Volcanic sand strait (~18 km long, ~2 km wide)
Nearest city: Bitung (mainland side); Manado airport ~1.5 hours by road
Significance: World capital of muck diving; macro photography mecca
First Wetpixel coverage: 2003 (forum trip reports); first dedicated article 2005
Dive sites: Approximately 50, ranging from gorgonian-encrusted reefs (north) to classic black sand slopes (south)
Approximate depth range: 5-30 m for most muck sites

Overview

The Lembeh Strait separates mainland North Sulawesi from Lembeh Island near Bitung, Indonesia, in the heart of the Coral Triangle. Universally described in Wetpixel coverage as the “world capital of muck diving” and a “mecca for underwater macro photographers,” the strait has been the single most discussed dive destination on Wetpixel from the site’s earliest days through to its most recent coverage (^[1], ^[2]).

Nicholas More described it as “the world’s strangest square mile” — murky water, litter-strewn seabed where beer bottles serve as homes for blennies and gobies, and coconut octopuses making homes in discarded clamshells and Coca-Cola cans. Yet despite the unglamorous setting, the biodiversity is extraordinary: “Diving Lembeh Strait is even better than it sounds” (^[3], ^[4]).

The topography changes from gorgonian-encrusted reefs in the north to classic black sand slopes further south, with each environment hosting individually specialized organisms. Dive sites include Angel’s Window (coral and wall dives), Hairball 1-3 (dedicated muck diving), Jahir, Nudi Falls, TK3, Sarena Besar, Pintu Colada, and Police Pier, among many others (^[5], ^[6]).

Origins of Muck Diving

The concept of muck diving was pioneered by Bob Halstead in Papua New Guinea in the mid-1990s. In the Lembeh context, Larry Smith is credited as the pioneer of critter diving, training the first generation of local dive guides at what became Kungkungan Bay Resort (KBR). Before KBR established itself as Lembeh’s first purpose-built dive resort, visiting the strait meant staying at hotels in Bitung and bringing your own compressor from Manado (^[7]). By the early 2000s, Lembeh had transformed from an obscure destination visited only by experienced underwater photographers into an internationally recognized macro hotspot.

Crowding and Conservation Tensions

As early as 2005, Wetpixel forum discussions documented growing concerns about overcrowding. Drew Wong lamented the loss of the Lembeh he had known 12 years prior, when it was “so special I went twice a year.” Forum members debated the impact of liveaboards adding 50+ divers to the area’s approximately 30 dive sites, with guides “harassing marine life” by tapping on holes, flushing out mimic octopuses, and stressing pygmy seahorses with strobes until they fell off their gorgonians. Whale sharks that once passed through the strait were “fished out of existence” — the last sighting mentioned was 1994. Pollution was already affecting nudibranch populations by 2005, with rarer species declining or moving deeper (^[8]).

Notable Marine Life

Species documented across Wetpixel coverage span an extraordinary range of taxa (^[9], ^[10], ^[11]):

Cephalopods: Coconut octopus (Amphioctopus marginatus), blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena maculosa), flamboyant cuttlefish (Metasepia pfefferi), mimic octopus, wonderpus, hairy octopus. Flamboyant cuttlefish have been extensively photographed hunting, eating, laying eggs, and hatching (^[12]).

Frogfish: Hairy frogfish (Antennarius striatus), painted frogfish (Antennarius pictus), giant frogfish (Antennarius commerson), warty/clown frogfish (Antennarius maculatus). Frogfish feeding behavior has been captured on film by Howard Hall (^[13]).

Seahorses and pipefish: Pygmy seahorse (H. bargibanti, H. denise), ornate ghost pipefish (Solenostomus paradoxus), common seahorse (Hippocampus taeniopterus), Lembeh seadragon (Kyonemichthys rumengani — named after the locale).

Scorpionfish: Rhinopias (R. eschmeyeri, R. frondosa), Ambon scorpionfish, leaf scorpionfish (Taenianotus triacanthus), devil scorpionfish (Scorpaenopsis diabolus).

Crustaceans: Coleman shrimp (Periclimenes colemani), emperor shrimp, tiger shrimp (Phyllognathia ceratophthalmus), harlequin shrimp (Hymenocera picta), zebra crab, commensal shrimp (Periclimenes tosaensis), red spotted porcelain crab (Neopetrolisthes maculatus).

Nudibranchs: Hypselodoris apolegma, Cuthona yamasui, Ceratosoma tenure, Risbecia tryoni, Marionia pustulosa, among hundreds of others. Nudibranchs are prominent enough to constitute their own competition category in the Lembeh-Gulen Critter Shootout (^[14]).

Other notable species: Bobbit worm, Banggai cardinalfish, mandarin fish (dusk dives at specific rubble sites), stargazers (Uranoscopus sp.), blue ribbon eel (Rhinomuraena quaesita), tongue-eating isopod (parasitic on Clark’s anemonefish), yellow pygmy goby (Lubricogobius exiguus/ornatus), juvenile star pufferfish (Arothron stellatus), black-finned snake eel, cockatoo waspfish, and the “orang utan” crab (^[15], ^[16], ^[17]).

Wetpixel/Alex Mustard Macro Workshops

The recurring Wetpixel/Mustard macro workshops at Lembeh Resort became Wetpixel’s flagship expedition series, consistently selling out (the 2016 edition sold out in 24 hours):

• 2013 (first workshop): Oct 12-23. Led by Alex Mustard with Adam Hanlon and Sascha Janson. 30-31 photographers from around the world, 10 days of tuition with four dives per day. Described as an “outstanding success.” Participants’ images continued winning major photo contests for years afterward. The workshop featured daily talks by Alex on techniques, followed by in-water practice and nightly image review sessions (^[18], ^[19], ^[20]).

• 2016 (second workshop): Two one-week sessions (Sep 30-Oct 14). 27 participants split across three boats with a 2:1 client-to-guide ratio. Alex’s talks covered subject selection, emphasizing that Lembeh’s abundance of critters could actually distract from creating strong images. “Images from the last workshop are still winning major photo contests” (^[21], ^[22]).

• 2018 (third workshop): Oct 5-24, two back-to-back sessions. Topics included the one-strobe challenge, cross-strobes, backlighting, snoot lighting, and wide-angle macro. Alex noted smaller MFT systems had “significant advantages” for wide-angle macro work. During the workshop, Lembeh Resort collected 18.5 million IDR for Palu earthquake and tsunami relief, purchasing tents, water, clothes, baby supplies, and medicine sent via Indonesian Air Force (^[23], ^[24]).

• 2023 (fourth workshop, rescheduled from 2020): Mar 8-27, two sessions. Originally planned for 2020 but postponed due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Indonesia’s reopening to foreign travelers enabled the rescheduling (^[25]).

Other Notable Expeditions and Trips

• 2003: Early Wetpixel forum members posting Lembeh galleries, establishing the destination’s reputation in the community (^[26]).
• 2007-03: Tony Wu free informal workshop aboard the Archipelago Adventurer I liveaboard in the Lembeh Strait, offering hands-on advice to fellow passengers (^[27]).
• 2009-03: Eric Cheng Wetpixel Lembeh trip at Black Sand Resort, ~8 people, before the Ultimate Indonesia expedition. Trip booked full quickly (^[28]).
• 2010-02/03: First-ever Night Safari Lembeh at Kasawari Lembeh Resort with Tony Wu and Eric Cheng, organized by Scubacam (Singapore) and FiNS (Bangkok). The entire resort converted to a night schedule, allowing photographers to dive well into the night and sleep late. Night diving revealed octopuses, bobbit worms, stargazers, and bobtail squid hunting and reproducing (^[29]).
• 2010-06: Eric Cheng tested the INON Underwater Micro Semi-Fisheye Relay Lens (“bug eye” / endoscope) with a Canon 7D in a Nauticam housing at Lembeh, producing video showing the macro world from a critter’s perspective (^[30]).
• 2012-03: Howard Hall and Michele Hall filmed “Creatures of the Lembeh Strait” at Lembeh Resort, capturing flamboyant cuttlefish lifecycle behavior, hairy frogfish feeding, and hairy octopus footage (^[31]).
• 2012-12: Underwater.kr organized a Lembeh underwater shootout competition hosted by NAD-Lembeh, with a $35,000+ prize purse including cash, diving gear, and photography equipment (^[32]).
• 2013-06: Alvin Ho Full Frame feature showcasing his annual Lembeh macro photography, documenting species including hairy frogfish, flamboyant cuttlefish, pygmy seahorses, and tongue-eating isopods (^[33]).
• 2013-09: EunJae Im produced a film featuring Lembeh macro life, shot with Canon 5D Mark III and 100mm lens in a Nauticam housing, diving with NAD Lembeh Resort (^[34]).

Lembeh-Gulen Critter Shootout

See: Lembeh-Gulen Critter Shootout

Announced January 2014 by Alex Mustard, Lembeh Resort, and Gulen Dive Resort (Norway) as the world’s first dual underwater photography shootout: “Warm water against cold, north against south, critter against critter.” Two teams of photographers competed simultaneously at opposite ends of the globe, with results decided by public vote (^[35]).

• 2016 (inaugural): May 20-28. Three categories: Nudibranchs, Fish, and Invertebrates. Team Gulen won the nudibranch round, but Team Lembeh (captained by Tobias Friedrich) won both invertebrate and fish categories and was the overall winner. 32 contestants participated across both locations (^[36], ^[37]).

• 2018 (second edition): Jun 15-23. Three categories: Nudibranchs, Fish and Invertebrates, and Wide Angle (new). Alex Mustard captained Team Lembeh; Keri Wilk captained Team Gulen. 25 participants. Team Lembeh won overall by just 66 votes out of 4,000+ cast. Individual winner was Galice Hoarau (Gulen), with Nick More (Lembeh) second and Kellda Centeno third. Wetpixel provided live coverage from both locations, with Adam Hanlon in Norway and Abi Smigel Mullens in Lembeh (^[38], ^[39]).

• Lembeh vs Anilao (planned): A variant pitting Lembeh against Anilao (Philippines) was announced for December 2020 but was likely cancelled due to COVID-19 (^[40]).

Films and Media

Lembeh has been the subject of numerous underwater films and video productions documented on Wetpixel:

• “Creatures of the Lembeh Strait” by Howard and Michele Hall (2012): Short film posted on Vimeo capturing flamboyant cuttlefish hunting, eating, laying eggs, and hatching; hairy frogfish feeding; and hairy octopus behavior (^[41]).
• “Mucky Secrets” by Nick Hope (2013-2015): 90-minute documentary about Lembeh marine life. Shot with a Sony HVR-Z1P HDV camera with Century Optics +3.5 diopter in a Light & Motion Bluefin HD housing. Initially released as episodes on Nick’s Bubble Vision YouTube channel, then as a complete film and later on DVD. The production demonstrated that exceptional footage was achievable without top-tier equipment (^[42], ^[43], ^[44]).
• “Muck Madness” by Critters@Lembeh (2011): Environmental education film on responsible muck diving practices, produced by Steve Fish and the Critters@Lembeh team. The companion “Muck Diving Tips and Techniques” video addressed diver impact, photographic etiquette, and excessive strobe use on subjects. Both were used by dive centers in the area to promote responsible practices (^[45], ^[46]).
• “Lembeh Straits — A Macro Symphony” by Kay Burn Lim (2015): Stunning macro footage shot with Sony a7S in Nauticam housing with Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro IS L lens and Nauticam SMC diopter. Creatures ranged from grain-of-rice size to 2 inches, including an “orang utan” crab residing in a Coca-Cola bottle cap and a 4mm hairy shrimp. Manual focus was achieved using a prototype Nauticam gear and port (^[47]).
• “Stars of Muck” by Sascha Janson (2019): Video featuring Lembeh critters shot with Sony A7R2/Nauticam and Canon 7D/7D2/Subal rigs. Awarded second place in the World Shootout’s Video Clips of the World 2018 contest (^[48]).
• “Lembeh Tips and Techniques” by NAD Lembeh (2017): Short film listing do’s and don’ts for muck diving, filmed by Sonja Geier, translated into Indonesian for local dive guides (^[49]).
• Wetpixel Live episodes (2021): Multiple episodes dedicated to Lembeh, including “Muck Photography Primer” and “Underwater Imaging in Lembeh” with Alex Mustard and Adam Hanlon, plus a separate episode on Lembeh reference books for underwater image-makers (^[50], ^[51], ^[52]).

Dive Resorts

Kungkungan Bay Resort (KBR)

The first purpose-built dive resort in Lembeh, KBR was the original operator to make Lembeh accessible to visiting photographers. Larry Smith trained the first generation of local dive guides here. By 2005, KBR was facing competition from newer resorts and had lowered prices and improved services, including finally offering Enriched Air Nitrox after 9 years of promises. KBR retained the most local guides, though it was losing experienced ones (Ali, Nusch, Wilson, Hanqi) to competing operations. Steve at KBR was credited with lobbying for conservation and retraining guides to minimize marine life harassment (^[53]).

Lembeh Resort

The dominant resort in Wetpixel coverage, founded in 2002. Its in-house dive operation, Critters@Lembeh, is staffed with highly trained local dive guides who are renowned for their spotting abilities, maintaining 2:1 guest-to-guide ratios. The resort’s Photo Center (branded Cameras@LembehResort) opened in 2010 under Steve Fish, the first full-time dedicated Photo Pro. Sascha Janson succeeded Fish, bringing mechanical, electrical, and computer skills along with accomplished underwater photography. The Photo Center became the first Backscatter Authorized Photo Center (^[54]).

Lembeh Resort hosted all Wetpixel/Mustard macro workshops and both editions of the Lembeh-Gulen Critter Shootout. The resort was rated by TripAdvisor as the top small resort in Indonesia. ADEX Dive Operator of the Year 2019. Its annual calendar competition features images shot exclusively by local Lembeh dive guides (Fandy Sangi, Julia Sangi, Jhoe Joho Wongkar, Opo Kecil, Opo Sedang, Sandro Maabuat, and others) (^[55], ^[56], ^[57]).

Sascha Janson, as resident photo pro, was credited as the inspiration for Tobias Friedrich’s bubble bokeh technique and produced the award-winning “Stars of Muck” video (^[58]).

NAD-Lembeh Resort

Small, family-style resort in the Lembeh Strait. Mike Veitch (Wetpixel moderator) and Simon Buxton (“Scuba Si,” regular forum contributor) — both underwater photographers — took over management in December 2008. Buxton took sole ownership in June 2011 when Veitch moved to the Damai liveaboard (though Veitch was “often found propping up the bar at NAD during his time off”). Improvements included new generator sets and boats. The resort was recommended by multiple Wetpixel forum members for its excellent service, first-class camera room, and good value (^[59], ^[60], ^[61]).

Other Resorts and Operators

Black Sand Resort — Hosted the 2009 Wetpixel Lembeh trip before the Ultimate Indonesia expedition (^[62]).

Kasawari Lembeh Resort — Hosted the 2010 Night Safari and subsequent Eric Cheng visits (^[63], ^[64]).

YOS Dive Lembeh — Hosted Kay Burn Lim during filming of “A Macro Symphony” (^[65]).

Divers Lodge Lembeh — Recommended by forum members for private boat/guide arrangements and hosting professional film crews (^[66]).

TwoFish Divers — Budget-friendly option recommended for intensive macro photography diving (^[67]).

Liveaboards: By 2005, at least three liveaboards operated in the strait (Aqua One, Panunee, Ocean Rover), adding approximately 50 divers at full capacity. Their presence was controversial due to crowding concerns and the difficulty of coordinating dive site usage with land-based resorts (^[68]).

Photography Techniques and Equipment

Lembeh has been a testing ground and proving ground for macro photography techniques and equipment documented on Wetpixel:

• Macro lenses: The 105mm (Nikon) and 100mm (Canon) macro lenses are standard. On crop-factor bodies, 60mm is popular. Fabian Schorp’s 2015 article detailed lessons learned transitioning from MFT to full-frame (Nikon D750) for Lembeh macro, noting the tradeoffs of shallower depth of field vs. superior low-light performance (^[69]).
• Super macro: Nauticam SMC, SubSee +5/+10, and INON UCL-165 diopters used extensively. The INON “bug eye” / endoscope relay lens was tested by Eric Cheng in 2010 (^[70]).
• Snoot lighting: Used to isolate subjects like snake eels against dark backgrounds (^[71]).
• One-strobe challenge: Alex Mustard’s signature workshop technique, using a single strobe for precise light control and shadow manipulation to obscure unattractive muck backgrounds (^[72]).
• Wide-angle macro: Explored in the 2018 workshop, where Alex noted MFT systems had “significant advantages” (^[73]).
• Video: Kay Burn Lim demonstrated the Sony a7S’s capabilities for low-light macro video; Sascha Janson shot with multiple camera/housing combinations (Sony A7R2/Nauticam, Canon 7D/Subal) (^[74], ^[75]).
• Private guides: Forum consensus strongly recommends hiring a private dive guide (1:1 ratio) and providing a wish list of target critters. Standard guide ratios are 1:2, never exceeding 1:4 (^[76]).

Conservation and Environmental Issues

Mining Threats

• 2006: PT Meares Soputan Mining (British-based) planned to dump an estimated 6-8 million tons of cyanide waste from a gold mine at Rinondoran Bay into the sea, just north of Lembeh Strait. Drew Wong rallied the Wetpixel community to write to Indonesia’s Minister of Environment. Some 10,000 local residents had already organized opposition, citing the Buyat Bay/Newmont pollution precedent (^[77]).
• 2015: Mining on nearby Bangka island (bordering the marine park containing Bunaken and Lembeh) threatened area reefs. Under Indonesian law, mining of an island that size was illegal, yet activists captured footage of excavation underway. Legal action was taken to prevent further extraction (^[78]).

Diver Impact Research

• 2015: Maarten De Brauwer of Curtin University launched a collaborative research project with Hasanuddin University to investigate the economic value of muck dive critters, arguing that quantifying tourism value could justify conservation over destructive industries like palm oil and fishing. He noted shark diving in Palau was worth $18 million/year vs. $11,000 if sharks were harvested for fishing (^[79]).
• 2018: De Brauwer published research showing DSLR photographers spent approximately 3 minutes with individual critters vs. ~30 seconds for non-camera divers, touching the bottom up to 5 times more often. Worst documented behaviors included breaking brittle star arms to photograph commensal shrimp, harassing egg-carrying animals, breaking coral to see mandarin fish, and repeatedly slapping a Rhinopias to daze it for a better background. He cited Lembeh and Anilao as heavily impacted sites (^[80]).

Local Conservation Efforts

• 2010: Bitung government introduced a 50,000 IDR (~$5 USD) diving entrance fee, effective February 1, good for the duration of stay (^[81]).
• 2011: Mount Lokon, an active volcano on northern Sulawesi, erupted. Wetpixel monitored the situation; the Manado airport remained open and no dive centers were affected, though widespread evacuations occurred within 3.5 km of the volcano (^[82]).
• 2011: Critters@Lembeh and Lembeh Resort produced the “Muck Madness” environmental education film and dive etiquette training video, proactively addressing diver impact issues (^[83], ^[84]).
• 2017: NAD-Lembeh produced its own muck diving tips and techniques video, filmed by Sonja Geier and translated into Indonesian for local guides (^[85]).
• 2019: Helen Pananggung of the Lembeh Foundation (founded by Lembeh Resort) won ADEX 360 Blue Green Personality of the Year. She transformed the village of Pintu Kota Kecil through the Green Library and Trash Bank programs, teaching children about endemic species, organizing beach cleanups, upcycling plastics into saleable items, and changing generational attitudes toward the environment. She had worked at Lembeh Resort since 2003, rising from cook’s assistant to restaurant supervisor. Lembeh Resort also won ADEX Dive Operator of the Year in the same ceremony (^[86]).

Full Frame Features and Photo Essays

Lembeh has been the subject of multiple Wetpixel Full Frame photo features:

• Alvin Ho (2013): Annual visitor since 2004, showcasing hairy frogfish, flamboyant cuttlefish, pygmy seahorses, stargazers, tiger shrimp, and tongue-eating isopods (^[87]).
• Wetpixel Workshop Gallery (2013): Images by 30 workshop participants including Aki Ihalainen (Rhinopias), Bruno Buzatto (ghost pipefish), Mieke van der Kruijs (blue-ringed octopus), Adam Hanlon (coconut octopus), Alex Mustard (painted frogfish), and many others (^[88]).
• Nicholas More (2017): Three visits to the strait, documenting coconut octopuses in clamshells, hairy frogfish, nudibranch portraits, snoot-lit snake eels, and pygmy gobies (^[89]).
• Lembeh-Gulen Shootout galleries (2016, 2018): Competition images from both editions (^[90], ^[91]).

Timeline

• 1990s: Muck diving pioneered in the strait; KBR establishes as first dedicated resort. Whale sharks still occasionally pass through (^[92]).
• 2002: Lembeh Resort founded, introducing competition to KBR’s monopoly (^[93]).
• 2003: Wetpixel forum members posting Lembeh trip reports and galleries (^[94]).
• 2005-07: Forum debate on crowding, liveaboard impact, and guide behavior (^[95]).
• 2006-05: Gold mine cyanide disposal threat rallies Wetpixel community (^[96]).
• 2007-03: Tony Wu free workshop on Archipelago Adventurer I liveaboard (^[97]).
• 2008-12: Mike Veitch and Simon Buxton take over NAD-Lembeh (^[98]).
• 2009-03: Eric Cheng Wetpixel trip at Black Sand Resort (^[99]).
• 2010-01: Diving entrance fee instituted (^[100]).
• 2010-02: First-ever Night Safari Lembeh at Kasawari (^[101]).
• 2010-06: Eric Cheng tests INON bug eye endoscope at Lembeh (^[102]).
• 2010: Cameras@LembehResort Photo Center opens with Steve Fish as first Photo Pro (^[103]).
• 2011-06: Simon Buxton takes sole ownership of NAD-Lembeh; Mike Veitch moves to Damai liveaboard (^[104]).
• 2011-06: “Muck Madness” and “Muck Diving Tips and Techniques” videos released (^[105], ^[106]).
• 2011-07: Mount Lokon eruption; dive centers unaffected (^[107]).
• 2012-03: Howard Hall films “Creatures of the Lembeh Strait” (^[108]).
• 2012-05: Wetpixel Lembeh macro workshop announced; Lembeh underwater shootout announced (^[109], ^[110]).
• 2013-10: First Wetpixel/Mustard macro workshop (^[111]).
• 2013-10: Nick Hope begins releasing “Mucky Secrets” documentary (^[112]).
• 2014-01: Lembeh-Gulen Critter Shootout announced (^[113]).
• 2015-02: Fabian Schorp Nikon D750 Lembeh macro field report (^[114]).
• 2015-04: “Lembeh Straits - A Macro Symphony” by Kay Burn Lim; mining on Bangka challenged legally (^[115], ^[116]).
• 2015-06: Maarten De Brauwer launches muck dive critter economic value research (^[117]).
• 2016-05: First Lembeh-Gulen Critter Shootout; Team Lembeh wins (^[118]).
• 2016-10: Second Wetpixel/Mustard macro workshop (^[119]).
• 2017: Photo Center seeks new Photo Pro after Sascha Janson’s departure (^[120]).
• 2018-06: Second Lembeh-Gulen Shootout; Team Lembeh wins by 66 votes (^[121]).
• 2018-10: Third Wetpixel/Mustard workshop; Palu earthquake relief collection; De Brauwer diver impact research published (^[122], ^[123]).
• 2019-05: Helen Pananggung wins ADEX Blue Green Personality of the Year; Lembeh Resort wins Dive Operator of the Year (^[124]).
• 2020-01: Lembeh vs Anilao shootout announced for Dec 2020; likely cancelled due to COVID (^[125]).
• 2021: Wetpixel Live episodes on Lembeh imaging and reference books (^[126], ^[127]).
• 2022: Lembeh Resort seeks new Photo Center Manager; Backscatter Authorized Photo Center partnership formalized (^[128]).
• 2023-03: Fourth Wetpixel/Mustard workshop (rescheduled from 2020) (^[129]).

References

Wetpixel Live