Who knew there was beautiful reef diving in Lembeh? Often overlooked because of all the world-class muck diving sites, there are also some amazing reef dives in Lembeh. Angel’s Window is a regularly requested site amongst return guests because of all the incredible animals encountered there. Bargibanti Pygmy Seahorses are easily located at a few sites, but the Denise Pygmy Seahorse is a rare sight in Lembeh Strait these days. The Denise is differentiated from the Bargibanti by its smoother look: while the Bagibanti has many tubercles to match its host Gorgonean fan, the Denise has fewer tubercles, giving it a smoother appearance. And while the Bargibanti Pygmy Seahorse is usually found living on pinkish colored fans, the Denise is assumed to more often reside on orange fans (though not always).
Another popular reef dive in Lembeh is Makawide. Zenia soft corals are abundant here, so much so that the whole reef sways back and forth as you drop down. This is a popular sight to see the more commonly encountered Bargibanti Pygmy Seahorse, which can currently be seen living on more than four different Gorgonean fans! Due to the high amount of soft corals this is also a fantastic place to find unusual nudibranch. Is your dive guide checking closely in the Zenia coral? He might be on the hunt for the very seldom seen Melibe Colemani that lives in one variety of this beautiful, soft coral.
But our most popular reef dive is by far Nudi Falls. A fine mix of rubble and reef, this interesting dive site is on every repeat guest’s list of requested dives. At places the wall is 15m high and they are thick with small Nudibranches, Pygmy Seahorses, Lembeh Seadragons and a variety of unusual crustaceans. As your group cruises along looking for Nudibranches, someone’s exhaled bubbles inevitably knock a few off the wall above, making it quite apparent where this popular dive site got it’s playful name…
Photo Credit: Robyn Smith – Photography Instructor, Two Fish Divers Lembeh
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