Bitung/Lembeh

Bitung/Lembeh is a year round destination. Average air temperature  stays around 29-32C/95-104F all year-round. Scuba diving in Lembeh Strait is also available throughout the year but the conditions do vary. Water temperatures hit a peak of 28-29°C/82-84F between October and March. Then they fall to their lowest at 25-26°C/77-76F in July and August, which coincides with the greatest number of critters. October to December has the best visibility. January and February has the lowest visibility, when the water temperature is at its warmest.  Lembeh Strait is protected by Lembeh Island, which means there is almost no current.

Lembeh Island lies directly opposite the port city of Bitung off the northern tip of Sulawesi, Indonesia. There is the Lembeh Strait Between Bitung and Lembeh Island, that is a world- famous for its amazing muck diving conditions. Divers from all over the world come here to discover the diverse underwater marine life. Lembeh Strait offers a variety of diving, including some coral reefs and wrecks; however it is best known for the small and difficult to find creatures that inhabit the world of muck. Muck diving is all about spotting tiny underwater critters, to be on the lookout for numerous weird but amazing looking species such as the Lion Fish, Giant Frog Fish, Hairy Frog Fish, Mimic Octopus, Blue Ringged Octopus, Banded Sea Snake, Banded Eel, Mandarin Fish, Orangutan Crabs, Manta Shrimps and many other species. Considered as the diving Mecca for critters and macro marine life this area has rapidly gained popularity amongst macro photographers in search of the unusual and unseen. With over 60 dive sites to choose from it is no surprise that the Lembeh Strait is a world class dive destination. It is often referred to as a muck divers paradise as most of the sites are either sandy areas or small reefs,  however it is possible to find here  beautiful coral gardens while dive the sites  Angels Window and California Dreaming and even a World War II wreck can be found here as well. There are a lot of dive centers in the area, so it is possible to buy a dive tour there or rent equipment. It is also possible to do in advance by using Divebooker.com a new online booking system. The dive sites off Lembesh Strait are for different levels of experience. Among the most popular dive sites are Angel's Window, Hairball, Jahir, Mawali Wreck, Nudi Falls, Nudi Retreat, Teluk Kambahu (TK 1) .