Surprising
Lembeh
Lembeh is off the scale for magical, macro muck
diving. But you may not know that the area of
Minahasa, North Sulawesi also has many topside
attractions to offer
Text by GILL MCDONALD AND CASSANDRA DRAGON
Images by GILL MCDONALD
01
NESTLING QUIETLY BETWEEN a serene island
and the tip of an exotic nation, the Lembeh Strait
awaits those who seek magic and wonder. There
are dragons and harlequins, walking fish, tiny
bumble bees, octopus that mimic other creatures,
cuttlefish dressed finer than any regent, flambuoyant
and radiant – colour and life gone off the scale, all
dwelling in a tiny patch of sea.
Lembeh is gently secretive about the many
treasures it contains. At first sight, the water
appears murky, dark and uninviting, but this is just
a clever disguise. As the tropical jungle strolls down
to the shore and lends its colour to the surface,
the deceptively tranquil scene belies a universe of
breathtaking life beneath, for this is one of the
most remarkable epicentres of marine biodiversity
on Earth.
Active volcanos still bubble and froth in this area,
and mineral-rich, reef-supporting black volcanic
lava and ash have created the foundations of the
Lembeh Strait. It also forms a bottleneck in the
surrounding sea, which results in a funnelling of
plankton-generating nutrients. The sand is black and
mysterious, and the conditions are extreme
and force animals to adapt or perish. This partly
explains the incredible variety of weird and
wonderful creatures which create a menagerie of
life beyond imagination.
It would be a mistake to think of Lembeh as only a
macro destination as it is most famous for. There are
many coral areas with all the “usual” reef creatures,
some interesting walls such as “Nudi Falls” and “Nudi
Retreat”, and plenty of wideangle opportunities especially
An ornate ghost
on some of the current-washed 01
pipefish is backlit
sites in the north.
against the black sand