Dive sites Muck Diving

Pulau Putus Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Inside a bay is a beautiful Coral and sponge garden in sheltered conditions. It offers a steep reef with good visibility. Nice corals, rare critters, and also some cleaning stations. The scenery itself is the highlight, though larger Rays (Devil and Eagle Rays) are seen from time to time, together…

Pulau Tiga Ambon Bay, Indonesia

Pulau Tiga (Three Islands) are 3 small islands close to Ambon.The sites are covered with mostly healthy coral and there is a lot of fish to be seen. There are red tooth trigger fish whereever you look and if there is some current there is also big fish.

Ray Point Pulau Mabul, Malaysia

Viz around 5m. Bigger fish than on the northern side. Some gorgonians, groupers, lionfish and of course Bluespotted ribbontail rays :)

Sepok Wall Anilao and Batangas, Philippines

The rim of thedrop-off due west of Sepok Point and running southwest is a very good divesite with a wide variety of marine life. A great number of small reef fish dart in and out of the numerous corals along its vertical wall.

Serena Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Serena didn't look very promising at first, but we were able to observe a blue ring octopus for quite a while and spotted some frog fish, cuttle fish and robust ghost pipe fish too.

Shipwreck Ambon Bay, Indonesia

This fairly big wreck lies in the bay of Ambon. The dive starts on the bow on about 35m and follows to main deck up to 8m-10m depth.The wreck has a nice coral cover and is home to many moray eels, frog fish, nudbrach and other small critters.The name of the wreck is not (yet) known. Maluku divers…

Stingray City Pulau Kapalai, Malaysia

Tanduk Russa Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Tanduk Russa is a typical Lembeh Strait dive site, where you dive on black sand and search for strange critters.

Tanjung Hukurila Ambon Bay, Indonesia

The Tanjung Hukurila is located on the south coast of Ambon.On the deeper part of the dive you swim aorund a ridge where you can spot pigymy seahorses (Bargibanti), Turtles and if you are lucky also some bigger animals. Second part of the dive is a beautiful wall with rich coral growth and nice…

House Wreck Bali, Indonesia

We waddled into the water in search of the small wreck, embedded in an area of white sand under about 20’ (7m) of water. The wreck is well marked with a buoy, and after a short while of paddling , and having located the dark blot on the seabed, we dived right in. The wreck is of an old Vietnamese…

Challenging caves Anilao and Batangas, Philippines

Challenging caves accessed by tunnels await you to explore at a depth ranging of 125 feet (38 meters). You can enjoy other small caves along the way down the vertical walls at a depth ranging from 42 to 88 feet (13 to 27 meters) in Twin Islands. There are beautiful soft and hard coral formations and…

The Blue Holes Anilao and Batangas, Philippines

The Blue Holes is a dive site that consists of 3 large holes in the coral that lead to an open topped cavern. It's a very unusual and interesting underwater structure and you can observe white-tip reef sharks. The crystal clear water here guarantees good visibility.

AW Shucks Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Next to a pearl farm, this site has a verdant mix of Coral and sponge growth in the shallows with a sand slope below along with a large section of weed/rubble. The shallows offer such finds as Leaf Scorpionfishes, Cuttlefishes and a good Nudibranch selection, with the sand slope often hosting…

Hairball 1 Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

This is the most famous of the muck sites and deservedly so. The (only) sand slope here can be exceptionally productive. The position on a point means that the mix of currents brings more nutrients than on most other nearby sites.In the cooler summer season, the shallows can be covered with cotton…

Hairball 2 Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Right around the corner but usually not as rich as Hairball 1, this is very popular as an alternative when Hairball 1 is overcrowded. This is another sand slope, good for Octopuses, Seahorses and the like. A few Coral bommies in the shallows often harbour Frogfishes.

Teluk Kembahu 1 (or TK1) Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Named after the village in the bay is another gentle black sand slope with a great chance of seeing many different critters in shallow, easy conditions. There are low Coral patches below 12 metres and small bommies in the shallows separated by the sand slope. There are usually giant Frogfishes in…

Teluk Kembahu 2 (or TK2) Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

This is a continuation of the same terrain and critters as TK1. Some of the dive sites in Lembeh can be hot one month and seem empty the next, but on these two sites there is always happy hunting with plenty to see. This is prime Weedy Scorpionfish (Rhinopias frondosa) territory as well, with…

Teluk Kembahu 3 (or TK3) Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

This is a featureless gradual sand slope that is probably the best location in the strait for the sought-after Mimic Octopus as well hosting a wide variety of other Octopus species including the fabled Blueringed Octopus. This is also the best site for the rare Ambon Scorpionfish, which is the…

Retak Larry (Larry's Crack) Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Another sand site, but with a small stand of healthy Coral in the shallows. This popular site along with Hairball 1 and the TK 1/2 area has good variety and number of different species like Frogfish, Ambon Scorpionfish, cockatoo Flounder, Seahorse and the filamented ghost Pipefish (in season). It is…

Slow Poke Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

A seldom-dived site between the more popular Retak Larry and Magic Crack, this gentle sand slope has some rubble, which can be productive and a single bommie that at times boasts numerous Ornate Ghost Pipefishes. For those who move slowly and are observant, Seahorses, Devilfishes, Mimic Octopuses…

Magic Crack Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

A continuance of the gentle sand slope, the highlight of this dive is a Coral and rubble patch stretching from 12-27 metres and is the best place in Lembeh to find Thorny Seahorses. There is a busy cleaning station, a strong Nudibranch representation, Ribbon Eels, Ghost Pipefish and also a good spot…

Magic Rock Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

This used to be merely a single bommie with exceptional critter numbers, keeping divers glued on this one rock for an entire dive. But El Niño caused water temperatures to rise which killed or drove off the life on that Coral head, which never recovered. Now divers head out over a sand plain,…

Makawide Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Excellent Coral growth in the shallows spilling down a wall towards the main channel of the strait. On the silty slope below the wall rise a few rocky pinnacles, from 26 up to 15 metres, covered in a rich array of life. This is an excellent site for Pygmy Seahorses and Nudibranchs with very good…

Jahir Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

The most popular muck site along with Hairball 1, this is just another sand and gravel slope with some rope sponge growth and a few Coral outcrops in the shallows. Highlights here are Frogfish species, especially the fabled Hairy Frogfish (Antennarius striatus), lots of purple heart Urchins, home to…

Police Pier 1 & 2 Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Like Nudi Falls, photographers keep complaining that the biggest danger on these sites is running out of film or disk space. This is a rubble slope with small Coral outcroppings, leveling out into a sand flat with Rope Sponge gardens. Banggai Cardinal fishes, Barramundis (Lates calcarifer), Thorny…

Pantai Kecil Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Next to the Police Pier site is a small beach, thus the name. This is a rubble/sand slope with many Coral bommies and is similar to Police Pier in critters found.

Rina Wreck Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

An upright fishing boat wreck only just over a decade underwater, it is not very overgrown yet, but offers an attractive dive. The drawbacks are that it is hard to find and being almost mid-channel, is subjected to strong currents.

Napo Bronsel Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

A broad seamound forming a shallow plateau just offshore of the village of Tanduk Rusa (Deer Antler), this site has damage and garbage owing to being in front of an inhabited stretch of coastline. Still, there is a vibrant cleaning station and some good critter-hunting to be done, with various…

Madidir Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

A southern muck site, this is a shallow (2-3m) sand flat leading to a slope down to 20 metres and more, all sand. A bit different from muck sites within the strait, it is hit-and-miss here, but there can be an exceptional variety of Fire and Lionfishes, Pipefishes and lots of juvenile species. If…

Goby A'Crab Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Another site offering excellent Coral growth in the shallows were you can find Mantis Shrimps and Crabeyed Gobys. Below is a sand slope with a variety of muck species. This is a site which always gets glowing reviews from divers.

Kapal Baru Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Recently sunk (the name Kapal Barumeans new boat) this is a fishing boat that caught fire and was towed away from the harbour into a shallow bay to sink when the flames could not be extinguished. Lying on its side in less than 15 metres of water, it often offers Ghost Pipefishes and other…

Kapal Indah Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Kapal Indah (beautiful boat) is an upright fishing boat of about 45 metres long that sits in a shallow (max. 26 metres) bay out of the main current stream. The wreck has been down for 40+ years so is covered in Coral life; a great spot for finding Black Coral Crabs on sea Whips and Crinoid critters.…

Pulau Abadi Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

A Coral slope with many giant sea Fans and an abundance of fish life. This site has surprisingly good Coral with amazing colours. It is an excellent spot for locating the beautiful Pygmy Seahorses, Xeno Crabs (Xenocarcinus conicus/tuberculatus), Crabeyed Gobys and Mantis Shrimps.

Critter Hunt Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

There's a rubble slope, some healthy Coral growth and a wall to dive here. No distinct highlights other than Banggai Cardinal fish, but like the name suggests, a wide variety of critters can be spotted; Pipefish, Eels, Cuttlefish, Crustaceans, Seahorses, Decorator Crabs, Devilfish and from time to…

Serena west Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Also seldom dived, but there are huge Barrel Sponges hosting Squat Lobster (Laureia siagiani) on this Coral and rubble slope as well as numerous Mandarin fish in the finger Corals in the shallows. There can be a decent variety of critters like Frogfishes, Pipefishes, Gobies, Crustaceans etc., but…

Serena North Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

There is superb Coral growth in this area, but a lower density of critters on show translates to few divers knowing about this site.

Pintu Kota or Seagrass Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

A degraded Coral/rubble slope with much Halimeda Algae. It isn't scenic and usually suffers from low visibility, but this site is good for the seldom-seen Halimeda Ghost Pipefish (Solenostomus halimeda). It is also notable for other Pipefish species, Nudibranchs and Frogfishes.

Pintu Colada Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

A ridgeline of healthy Coral that offers decent snorkeling and for divers a busy cleaning station and a variety of critters.

Tanjung Tebal Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

This stunning area offers huge boulders, creating canyons and shelves which stretch well out into the strait down past 50 metres in depth. Nudibranch (Nembrotha purpureolineata) by Jim LyleStrong currents are usually found here, demanding planning for slack tide, but the currents result in the fact…

Batu Sandar Pulau Lembeh, Indonesia

Or leaning rock in Malay is one of the very best snorkeling sites in the strait. This is a finger of Coral which extends out into the strait down to 20 metres on a sand slope. Sheltered shallows have superlative Coral and sponge growth and sand flats with large Coral bommies.

Muck Diving