Lembeh Strait
Region: North Sulawesi, Indonesia Type: Volcanic sand strait (~18 km long, ~2 km wide) Significance: World capital of muck diving; macro photography mecca First Wetpixel coverage: 2005
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” ([1], [2]).
The strait hosts approximately 50 dive sites, ranging from gorgonian-encrusted reefs in the north to classic black sand slopes in the south. It has been called “the world’s strangest square mile” — murky water, litter-strewn seabed where beer bottles serve as homes for blennies and gobies, and coconut octopuses make homes in discarded clamshells ([3]).
The concept of muck diving itself was pioneered by Bob Halstead in Papua New Guinea in the mid-1990s, and Larry Smith (who died before 2008) is credited as the pioneer of critter diving at KBR Lembeh.
Notable Marine Life
Species documented across Wetpixel coverage ([4], [5]):
Cephalopods: Coconut octopus, blue-ringed octopus, flamboyant cuttlefish, mimic octopus, wonderpus, hairy octopus. Frogfish: Hairy, painted, giant, warty/clown varieties. Seahorses/Pipefish: Pygmy seahorse (H. bargibanti, H. denise), ornate ghost pipefish, Lembeh seadragon (Kyonemichthys rumengani — named after the locale). Scorpionfish: Rhinopias (R. eschmeyeri, R. frondosa), Ambon scorpionfish. Crustaceans: Coleman shrimp, emperor shrimp, tiger shrimp, harlequin shrimp, zebra crab. Other: Bobbit worm, Banggai cardinalfish, mandarin fish (dusk dives), stargazers, blue ribbon eel, tongue-eating isopod.
Wetpixel/Alex Mustard Macro Workshops
The recurring Wetpixel/Mustard macro workshops at Lembeh Resort became the site’s flagship expedition series, consistently selling out:
- 2013 (first): Oct 12–23. Led by Alex Mustard with Adam Hanlon and Sascha Janson. 30 photographers, 10 days. Described as “outstanding success” ([6], [7]).
- 2016 (second): Two one-week sessions (Sep 30–Oct 14). 28 participants. “Images from the last workshop are still winning major photo contests” ([8]).
- 2018 (third): Oct 5–15, two sessions. Topics: one-strobe challenge, cross-strobes, backlighting, snoot lighting, wide-angle macro. Alex noted smaller MFT systems had “significant advantages” for wide-angle macro. Lembeh Resort collected 18.5 million IDR for Palu earthquake relief during the workshop ([9]).
- 2023 (rescheduled from 2020): Mar 8–27 (two sessions), after COVID disruption ([10]).
Other Notable Expeditions
- 2007-03: Tony Wu free informal workshop on Archipelago Adventurer I ([11])
- 2009-03: Eric Cheng Wetpixel Lembeh trip at Black Sand Resort, ~8 people ([12])
- 2010-02: First-ever Night Safari Lembeh at Kasawari Resort with Tony Wu and Eric Cheng — entire resort converted to a night schedule ([13])
- 2012-03: Howard Hall filmed “Creatures of the Lembeh Strait” at Lembeh Resort ([14])
Dive Resorts
Lembeh Resort — Dominant resort in Wetpixel coverage. Founded 2002. In-house dive operation Critters@Lembeh. Photo Center became first Backscatter Authorized Photo Center. Resident photo pros included Sascha Janson (credited as inspiration for Tobias Friedrich’s bubble bokeh technique). ADEX Dive Operator of the Year 2019 ([15]).
NAD-Lembeh Resort — Small, family-style resort. Mike Veitch and Simon Buxton took over management December 2008; Buxton took sole ownership June 2011 when Veitch moved to Damai liveaboard ([16], [17]).
Kasawari Lembeh Resort — Hosted the 2010 Night Safari ([18]).
Lembeh-Gulen Critter Shootout
See: Lembeh-Gulen Critter Shootout
Announced January 2014 by Alex Mustard, Lembeh Resort, and Gulen Dive Resort (Norway) — “Warm water against cold, north against south, critter against critter.” The inaugural 2016 event saw Team Lembeh win overall (captained by Tobias Friedrich). Alex Mustard captained Team Lembeh in the 2018 edition ([19], [20]).
A Lembeh vs Anilao variant was announced for December 2020 but likely cancelled due to COVID ([21]).
Films and Media
- “Mucky Secrets” by Nick Hope (2013–2015): 92-minute documentary about Lembeh marine life, released on YouTube and DVD ([22], [23])
- “Muck Madness” by Critters@Lembeh (2011): Environmental education film on diver impact ([24])
- “Lembeh Straits — A Macro Symphony” by Kay Burn Lim (2015): Shot with Sony a7S in Nauticam housing ([25])
Conservation
- 2006: Gold mine cyanide disposal threat — PT Meares Soputan Mining planned to dump 6–8 million tons of waste near the strait. Drew Wong rallied community response ([26]).
- 2010: Bitung government introduced 50,000 IDR diving entrance fee ([27]).
- 2015: Mining on nearby Bangka island threatened Lembeh area reefs; activists took legal action ([28]).
- 2018: Maarten de Brauwer published research showing DSLR photographers spent ~3 minutes with critters vs ~30 seconds for non-camera divers, touching bottom 5x more often — citing Lembeh as a heavily impacted site ([29]).
- 2019: Helen Pananggung of Lembeh Foundation won ADEX Blue Green Personality of the Year for sustainability work in Pintu Kota village ([30]).
References
Sources
- Wetpixel article, Oct 10, 2013: Trip Thread For Wetpixel Lembeh Macro Workshop ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jun 8, 2017: Nicholas More Lembeh Strait ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jun 8, 2017: Nicholas More Lembeh Strait ↩
- Wetpixel article, Dec 17, 2013: Wetpixel Lembeh Workshop 2013 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jun 8, 2017: Nicholas More Lembeh Strait ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 10, 2013: Trip Thread For Wetpixel Lembeh Macro Workshop ↩
- Wetpixel article, Dec 17, 2013: Wetpixel Lembeh Workshop 2013 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 7, 2016: Live Reports Wetpixel Macro Workshop 2016 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 6, 2018: Live Reports Wetpixel Mustard Macro Workshop 2018 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Apr 25, 2022: Spaces Available Wetpixel Alex Mustard Lembeh Workshops ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 4, 2007: Tony Wus Free Informal Workshop In Lembeh ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 24, 2008: Dive With Wetpixel In Lembeh Indonesia Mar 1 6 2009 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 10, 2010: The Night Safari Lembeh Feb 27 Mar 6 2010 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Mar 26, 2012: Howard Hall Films The Creatures Of The Lembeh Strait ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 11, 2022: Job Opportunity Photo Manager At Lembeh Resort ↩
- Wetpixel article, Dec 17, 2008: Wetpixel Members New Management Of Nad Lembeh ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jun 6, 2011: Change Of Ownership At Nad Lembeh ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 10, 2010: The Night Safari Lembeh Feb 27 Mar 6 2010 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 30, 2014: Shootout Lembeh Vs Gulen Dive Resorts ↩
- Wetpixel article, May 30, 2016: Lembeh Vs Gulen Critter Shootout 2016 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 25, 2020: Major Announcement Lembeh Vs Anilao Shootout In December 2020 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 10, 2013: Video Mucky Secrets By Nick Hope ↩
- Wetpixel article, Sep 1, 2014: Video Mucky Secrets By Nick Hope1 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jun 8, 2011: Trailer For Muck Madness Film On Youtube ↩
- Wetpixel article, Apr 5, 2015: Video Lembeh Straits A Macro Symphony By Kay Burn Lim ↩
- Wetpixel article, May 19, 2006: Gold Mine Threatens Lembeh Strait North Sulawesi ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jan 25, 2010: New Lembeh Strait Diving Entrance Fee ↩
- Wetpixel article, Apr 3, 2015: Activists Take Legal Action To Prevent Mining On Bangka ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 4, 2018: Maarten De Brauer Time To Stop Mucking Around ↩
- Wetpixel article, May 16, 2019: Helen Pananggung Of Lembeh Foundation Blue Green Personality Of The Year ↩
- Gold mine threatens Lembeh Strait (2006) (article) ↩
- Wetpixel Lembeh trip — Eric Cheng (2009) (article) ↩
- Night Safari Lembeh (2010) (article) ↩
- Howard Hall films Lembeh (2012) (article) ↩
- First Wetpixel/Mustard macro workshop (2013) (article) ↩
- Nicholas More — Lembeh Strait (2017) (article) ↩
- Wetpixel macro workshop 2018 (article) ↩
- Diver impact research (2018) (article) ↩
- Lembeh Foundation awards (2019) (article) ↩