Lembeh Strait, N Sulawesi, Indonesia

The Lembeh Strait in North Sulawesi, Indonesia is world famous for its 'muck' diving. There are not many pretty coral reefs there and volcanic black sand makes up the majority of what is an often featureless underwater landscape. It may not be pretty, but this place is mind blowing.



From the moment you enter the water you are almost guaranteed to see critters and creatures that you've only dreamed of in your imagination. Pygmy Seahorses, Mimic Octopus', Wonderpuss, Frogfish, Hairy Frogfish, Flying Gurnards, Mantis Shrimps, Dragonets, Sea Moths, every conceivable type of Scorpionfish and all types, shapes, sizes and colours of Nudibranch and Crustaceans. There is little coral cover and therefore not many places for these critters to hide which makes spotting them and perhaps more importantly photographing and filming them an absolute delight.



We've spent the last 4 weeks in Lembeh diving, filming and photographing our way up and down the dive sites. I've never had a more productive trip for the quality and quantity of images captured. There were only a few dives in the whole time we were there that were not incredibly special. It was rare if you didn't at least once on a dive spit your regulator out in amazement at what your guide had found hiding away and sometimes you had a never ending procession of willing models just lining up for your attention.



Despite all the incredible moments one does stand out more than the others. I'd never seen a Flamboyant Cuttlefish before this trip and they were top of my list of targets to film. I'd never in my wildest imagination expected to find their eggs hatching and the tiny juvenile cuttlefish starting to hunt only moments after birth. I got to spend maybe 20-30 mins watching and filming this incredible spectacle. The miracle of life happening right there before our eyes. It was one of those special moments that happen while diving that will live in our thoughts forever and we feel so privileged to have witnessed it.



It is certainly going to take a lot to beat our time in Lembeh. We're spending a week more or less off diving in the Philippines right now but our next destination just may be one of the only places in the world that could be a step up.

The Republic of Palau.

One things for certain and that's that we are going to have a hell of a time finding out!!

Cheers, Simon