Lembeh Strait
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Why dive in Lembeh Strait?
BEST SEASON
Featured Animals 9
- Unlikely
- Likely
- Very likely
Diurnal Frequent sightingsDenise's pygmy seahorse
Hippocampus denise
Denise's pygmy seahorse is a diminutive species, rarely exceeding 2.4 cm in length, renowned for its exceptional camouflage within gorgonian corals. Its body coloration, typically yellow or orange with subtle patterns, and textured skin allow it to perfectly mimic its host seafan's polyps and stems. These seahorses are specialized predators, feeding on tiny crustaceans and zooplankton, and are often found alone or in pairs clinging to their coral hosts.
BEST SEASON
Diurnal Frequent sightingsFlamboyant Cuttlefish
Metasepia pfefferi
This small cephalopod is known as the Flamboyant Cuttlefish due to its striking and rapid color changes. It primarily "walks" along the seafloor using its arms and fins rather than swimming, owing to a small internal cuttlebone. Metasepia pfefferi is also one of the few known venomous cephalopods, displaying its vibrant colors as a warning to predators.
BEST SEASON
Diurnal Frequent sightingsMimic Octopus
Thaumoctopus mimicus
The Mimic Octopus (Thaumoctopus mimicus) is an extraordinary cephalopod renowned for its ability to impersonate a variety of other marine animals, including lionfish, sea snakes, and flatfish, to deter predators and ambush prey. It inhabits shallow, muddy, or sandy seafloors, particularly in river mouths and estuaries across the Indo-Pacific. This highly intelligent octopus can reach up to 60 cm in length and exhibits a base coloration of brown with white stripes, which it rapidly alters using chromatophores.
BEST SEASON
Diurnal Frequent sightingsPeacock Mantis Shrimp
Odontodactylus scyllarus
The Peacock Mantis Shrimp is a striking marine crustacean known for its vibrant colors and one of the fastest attacks in the animal kingdom. It uses its club-shaped raptorial appendages to deliver incredibly powerful blows, smashing the shells of mollusks and crustaceans.
BEST SEASON
Frequent sightingsPygmy Seahorse
Hippocampus bargibanti
The Pygmy Seahorse (Hippocampus bargibanti), is one of the smallest seahorse species, rarely exceeding 2.8 cm in length. It is a master of camouflage, perfectly mimicking the color and texture of the Muricella gorgonian corals it exclusively inhabits, making it incredibly difficult to spot. These seahorses feed on tiny planktonic organisms using their elongated snout.
BEST SEASON
Diurnal Frequent sightingsSaddleback Clownfish
Amphiprion polymnus
The Saddleback Clownfish (Amphiprion polymnus) is a distinctive anemonefish characterized by its dark body with a broad white head bar and a prominent saddle-shaped white patch on its back. It forms a symbiotic relationship with sea anemones, utilizing their stinging tentacles for protection. This species is a protandrous hermaphrodite, meaning individuals develop as males first and the dominant male can change to female if the breeding female dies. They are known to be territorial, especially around their host anemone.
BEST SEASON
Diurnal Frequent sightingsWarty Frogfish
Antennarius maculatus
The Warty Frogfish (Antennarius maculatus) is a small, camouflaged ambush predator found in Indo-Pacific coral and rocky reefs. Its skin is covered in wart-like protuberances, allowing it to blend seamlessly with its environment of sponges, corals, and algae. It uses a modified dorsal spine, called an illicium, with a fleshy lure to attract small fish and crustaceans, which it engulfs with remarkable speed.
BEST SEASON
Nocturnal Frequent sightingsWeedy Scorpionfish
Rhinopias frondosa
The Weedy Scorpionfish (Rhinopias frondosa) is a marine ray-finned fish known for its exceptional camouflage, with a highly compressed body covered in weed-like tentacles and skin flaps that vary in color. It is an ambush predator, primarily nocturnal, feeding on fish and small invertebrates. This species rarely swims, preferring to crawl along the seabed using its fins, often swaying to mimic algae or debris.
BEST SEASON
Crepuscular Frequent sightingsWunderpus Octopus
Wunderpus photogenicus
The Wunderpus octopus (Wunderpus photogenicus) is a small, striking cephalopod known for its distinct white and rusty-brown coloration with unique patterns across its body. It possesses long, slender arms and eyes set on elongated stalks, often mimicking venomous sea snakes or lionfish to deter predators. This species primarily inhabits shallow, soft-sediment environments in the Indo-Malayan Archipelago, emerging at dusk and dawn to hunt small fish and crustaceans.
BEST SEASON
More marine life 67
Bigeye TrevallyCaranx sexfasciatus
Blue-Ringed OctopusHapalochlaena spp.
Blue-barred ParrotfishScarus ghobban
Bluecheek ButterflyfishChaetodon semilarvatus
Bluering AngelfishPomacanthus annularis
Bluespotted CornetfishFistularia commersonii
Bluestreak Cleaner WrasseLabroides dimidiatus
Blunt-head ParrotfishChlorurus microrhinos
Broadclub CuttlefishSepia latimanus
Brownbanded Bamboo SharkChiloscyllium punctatum
Bullethead ParrotfishChlorurus sordidus
Chambered NautilusNautilus pompilius
Clark's AnemonefishAmphiprion clarkii
Clown TriggerfishBalistoides conspicillum
Coconut OctopusAmphioctopus marginatus
Commerson's FrogfishAntennarius commerson
Delicate Ghost PipefishSolenostomus leptosoma
Disco ClamCtenoides ales
Dragon Moray EelEnchelycore pardalis
Dusky BatfishPlatax pinnatus
Ember ParrotfishScarus rubroviolaceus
Emperor AngelfishPomacanthus imperator
Eschmeyer's ScorpionfishRhinopias eschmeyeri
Garden EelHeterocongrinae
Giant MorayGymnothorax javanicus
Great BarracudaSphyraena barracuda
Greyface MorayGymnothorax thyrsoideus
Guineafowl PufferArothron meleagris
Halimeda Ghost PipefishSolenostomus halimeda
Harlequin ShrimpHymenocera picta
Jenkins' WhiprayPateobatis jenkinsii
Lacy ScorpionfishRhinopias aphanes
Leaf ScorpionfishTaenianotus triacanthus
LionfishPterois spp.
Longtail Butterfly RayGymnura poecilura
MandarinfishSynchiropus splendidus
Maroon ClownfishPremnas biaculeatus
Ocellaris ClownfishAmphiprion ocellaris
Orange-lined TriggerfishBalistapus undulatus
Orbicular BatfishPlatax orbicularis
Ornate Ghost PipefishSolenostomus paradoxus
Painted FrogfishAntennarius pictus
Pennant CoralfishHeniochus acuminatus
Prickly LeatherjacketChaetodermis penicilligerus
Purple Queen AnthiasPseudanthias tuka
Redtooth TriggerfishOdonus niger
Ribbon EelRhinomuraena quaesita
Robust Ghost PipefishSolenostomus cyanopterus
Snowflake MorayEchidna nebulosa
Spanish DancerHexabranchus sanguineus
Spot-fin PorcupinefishDiodon hystrix
Spotted SeahorseHippocampus kuda
Starry Flying GurnardDactyloptena peterseni
StonefishSynanceia verrucosa
Teira BatfishPlatax teira
Tentacled FlatheadPapilloculiceps longiceps
Thorny SeahorseHippocampus histrix
Threadfin ButterflyfishChaetodon auriga
Titan TriggerfishBalistoides viridescens
Tomato ClownfishAmphiprion frenatus
Valentin's Sharpnose PufferCanthigaster valentini
White-spotted PufferfishArothron hispidus
Yellow BoxfishOstracion cubicus
Yellow Longnose ButterflyfishForcipiger flavissimus
Yellow-lipped Sea KraitLaticauda colubrina
Yellowspot TrevallyCarangoides fulvoguttatus
Zebra Mantis ShrimpLysiosquillina maculata
Where is Lembeh Strait
Molucca Sea · Indonesia
Frequently asked questions about Lembeh Strait
When is the best time to dive in Lembeh Strait?
The best time to dive in Lembeh Strait is from March to May and from September to November. In those months the water is between 26°C and 30°C.
What marine life can you see diving in Lembeh Strait?
Divers can encounter 76 species in Lembeh Strait. Highlights include Denise's pygmy seahorse, Flamboyant Cuttlefish, Mimic Octopus, Peacock Mantis Shrimp, Pygmy Seahorse, and Saddleback Clownfish.
When can you see the Denise's pygmy seahorse in Lembeh Strait?
The Denise's pygmy seahorse is most often seen in Lembeh Strait from April to October.
When can you see the Pygmy Seahorse in Lembeh Strait?
The Pygmy Seahorse is most often seen in Lembeh Strait from April to October.
When can you see the Weedy Scorpionfish in Lembeh Strait?
The Weedy Scorpionfish is most often seen in Lembeh Strait from March to October.
What is the water temperature in Lembeh Strait?
Water temperature in Lembeh Strait ranges from 25°C in July to 30°C in January.
What wetsuit do I need to dive in Lembeh Strait?
Most divers wear a 3 mm wetsuit in July, when the water drops to 25°C, and a rash guard or a 1–3 mm shorty in January, when it reaches 30°C.
What is the visibility like when diving in Lembeh Strait?
Visibility in Lembeh Strait ranges from 5 m to 15 m. The water is clearest from March to June and from September to November.
What are the currents like in Lembeh Strait?
Divers in Lembeh Strait can expect light or moderate currents, depending on the month and the dive site.
What can you see on a night dive in Lembeh Strait?
After dark, Lembeh Strait reveals nocturnal species such as Weedy Scorpionfish, Brownbanded Bamboo Shark, Chambered Nautilus, Dragon Moray Eel, Giant Moray, and Greyface Moray.
Where is Lembeh Strait located?
Lembeh Strait is a dive destination in Indonesia, in the Molucca Sea.
Every answer is built from the conditions and sightings data we keep for Lembeh Strait. Spotted something that looks off?
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