Dive Into Lembeh

Dive resort · Indonesia · Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi · Official Website

The resort on the shore of the Lembeh Strait from the air

The black sand beach and the resort boats

Booking by Tour Leader Club

3 room types · More than 60 dive sites · house reef

Dive Into Lembeh sits in Kasawari Bay on the mainland side of the Lembeh Strait — at its northern end, out of sight of Bitung harbour, looking across at Lembeh island.

Its strongest card is the location. The resort straddles two famous dive sites: Hairball and Aw Shucks. Both are part of the house reef, you walk in off the beach, and for guests on a package they are free between 8am and 6pm. The house reef is also the biggest coral reef inside the Lembeh Strait — unusual for a place known for black volcanic sand.

Accommodation is nine bungalows, one suite and three longhouse rooms. Every bungalow stands on its own and faces the strait, and each veranda has a Japanese-style onsen — an open-air hot tub. This is the only resort in Lembeh where every bungalow has one. All the materials and all the labour for building them were sourced locally, so the money stays in the community.

Diving runs up to three dives a day from twin-engine fibreglass boats, with more than 60 sites in the strait. The boat returns to the resort after every dive, so the surface interval is spent by the pool or over your camera rather than bobbing on the water.

The camera room is the largest in Lembeh, with a dedicated well-lit workstation for every guest and camera rinse tanks kept separate from the gear tanks. The dive guides are trained in camera handling, and the resort’s photo pro and marine biologist give regular presentations on the big screen in the restaurant.

On site there is an 18 by 6 metre freshwater pool with a sun deck and an open-air restaurant with a fully stocked bar looking out over the strait. There are no plastic bottles or straws: every guest is given a refillable tumbler at check-in and keeps it.

No markup

You pay exactly the rate the resort publishes. On top of that, only the actual bank costs of currency conversion and the international transfer — no commission of ours.

We run the deal

Correspondence with the resort, holding the room, the contract, booking confirmation and all paperwork are on our side. There is nothing for you to arrange yourself.

Card payment

We accept payment by card through Stripe and issue an invoice. The transfer to the resort is our job — you do not have to find a way to pay abroad.

Support all the way

We help you choose the room and dates, work out the dive package, answer questions about flights and gear, and stay in touch until you are home.

The exact amount is confirmed when we hold your booking: it includes the resort's rate at the day's exchange rate plus the actual transfer costs. No hidden fees.

About the resort

Country: Indonesia
Location: Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi
Nearest airport: Manado (MDC) — about a 60-minute drive
Transfer: $40 per person round trip
House reef: Yes — Hairball and Aw Shucks straight off the beach, free from 8am to 6pm for guests on a package of 3 nights and 2 diving days or more
Dive sites: More than 60
Dive centre: In-house dive centre with Lembeh's largest camera room and twin-engine fibreglass boats
Nitrox: Available at $7 per tank, capped at $20 a day
Rooms: 13 rooms, 3 types
Internet: Free, included in the rate

At the resort

Hairball and Aw Shucks house reef off the beach

Lembeh's largest camera room

A dedicated well-lit workstation for every guest

Camera rinse tanks separate from the gear tanks

18 × 6 metre freshwater pool with a sun deck

Open-air restaurant overlooking the strait

Fully stocked bar

Photo pro and marine biologist presentations on the big screen

Locker room with individual lockers and showers

Japanese onsen on every bungalow veranda

Air conditioning, fan, minibar and safe in the room

Satellite TV in the bungalows

Hot and cold drinking water dispenser, tea and coffee

A refillable tumbler to keep, given at check-in

Diving

Up to 3 boat dives a day

More than 60 dive sites in the strait

Hairball and Aw Shucks house reef free of charge

The biggest coral reef inside the strait

Twin-engine fibreglass dive boats

The boat returns to the resort after every dive

Night boat dives available daily

EANx32 nitrox

Guides trained in camera handling

Oxygen and first aid at the dive centre and on every boat

There are more than sixty sites in the strait, and the boat comes back to the resort after each dive — the surface interval is spent by the pool or setting up a camera rather than out on the swell. There are coral sites nearby too: Angels Window and California Dreaming are a short boat ride away, and the house reef itself counts as the biggest coral reef inside the strait. A night boat dive goes any day there are at least two takers. The house reef is Hairball (three sections) and Aw Shucks: for guests on a package of three nights and two diving days or more, entry is free from 8am to 6pm and those dives do not count against the package. Solo diving is prohibited under Indonesian law. Unused dives are non-refundable and non-transferable. Among the rarities at the doorstep are Melibe colemani and Pontoh's pygmy seahorse, and the resort's logo is drawn from the Lembeh pygmy pipedragon, Kyonemichthys rumengani, first found in the strait in 2006.

Food

Full board, three meals a day

Open-air restaurant overlooking the strait

Local and international dishes

Bread baked fresh daily

Fully stocked bar

Unlimited tea, local coffee and drinking water

Welcome drink on arrival

Dietary requirements accommodated with notice

All meals are served in the open-air restaurant, where the cooks work through a range of local and international dishes and bake fresh bread every day. In the evening the bar becomes the place to swap stories with the other guests and the staff, and the resort's photo pro and marine biologist give presentations on the big screen from time to time. There are no plastic bottles or straws on the property — every guest is handed a personal refillable tumbler at check-in and keeps it as a souvenir.

Beyond diving

18 × 6 metre pool with a sun deck

Tangkoko National Park

Minahasa Highlands

Marine life presentations

The Tangkoko trip leaves straight after lunch, so you can still dive in the morning and be back for dinner around 19:00. The park is home to the spectral tarsier, the smallest nocturnal primate on the planet and endemic to Sulawesi, about fifteen centimetres from head to tail. With luck you also come across black crested macaques, cuscus and large hornbills. The resort advises long trousers, socks and closed shoes — the route goes into rainforest. The Minahasa Highlands trip is a full day leaving around 07:00: the ancient Sawangan cemetery with its decorated graves, the food market in Tomohon, the village of Woloan where traditional Minahasan houses are built knock-down for shipping, lunch at Lake Tondano and a stop at the three-coloured Lake Linau, whose colours come from sulphur and volcanic gas. The Tomohon market sells local "delicacies", and you can ask the guide to skip the meat section.

Rooms

Standalone bungalow

$135

View: Lembeh Strait

Nine standalone bungalows, all facing the strait. Air conditioning and a ceiling fan, satellite TV, minibar, safe and an ensuite western-style bathroom with a walk-in shower. Drinking water comes from a hot-and-cold dispenser, with tea and coffee in the room. The distinguishing feature: every bungalow veranda has a Japanese-style onsen, an open-air hot tub. Six bungalows look onto the garden and the sea, three sit by the pool.

Japanese onsen on the veranda View over the Lembeh Strait Air conditioning and a ceiling fan Satellite TV Minibar and safe Ensuite bathroom with a walk-in shower Hot and cold water dispenser Tea and coffee in the room Free WiFi

Suite

$165

View: Lembeh Strait

One suite, suited to a couple: a bedroom with a king-size bed and a separate lounge with a large TV and comfortable relax chairs. The bathroom is big, semi-open, with a rain shower. Two air-conditioning units, ceiling fans, minibar, safe, a hot-and-cold water dispenser, tea and coffee. The large balcony has a Japanese onsen.

Bedroom with a king-size bed Separate lounge with a large TV Big semi-open bathroom with a rain shower Japanese onsen on the large balcony Two air-conditioning units and ceiling fans Minibar and safe Hot and cold water dispenser Tea and coffee in the room Free WiFi

Longhouse room

$90

View: Resort grounds

Three rooms under one roof — the budget option for guests who want a comfortable room without the luxury of the bungalows. Standard comfortable beds, air conditioning, minibar, safe, an ensuite bathroom with a shower and a balcony.

Air conditioning Minibar and safe Ensuite bathroom with a shower Balcony Free WiFi

Rates

All-inclusive package, 2 boat dives a day

Longhouse Room	Bungalow, garden and sea	Bungalow, poolfront	Bungalow Suite
3 nights, 2 days, 4 dives	$470	$605	$620	$695
4 nights, 3 days, 6 dives	$660	$840	$860	$960
5 nights, 4 days, 8 dives	$850	$1,075	$1,100	$1,225
6 nights, 5 days, 10 dives	$1,040	$1,310	$1,340	$1,490
7 nights, 6 days, 12 dives	$1,230	$1,545	$1,580	$1,755
8 nights, 7 days, 14 dives	$1,420	$1,780	$1,820	$2,020
9 nights, 8 days, 16 dives	$1,610	$2,015	$2,060	$2,285
10 nights, 9 days, 18 dives	$1,800	$2,250	$2,300	$2,550
11 nights, 10 days, 20 dives	$1,990	$2,485	$2,540	$2,815
12 nights, 11 days, 22 dives	$2,180	$2,720	$2,780	$3,080
13 nights, 12 days, 24 dives	$2,370	$2,955	$3,020	$3,345
14 nights, 13 days, 26 dives	$2,560	$3,190	$3,260	$3,610

2026 rates, valid from 1 January 2026 to 1 January 2027. Prices are per person on double occupancy, in US dollars, and include the 21% government tax, tanks, weights and weight belt. The package covers full board, unlimited tea, local coffee and water, guided boat dives and house reef access from 8am to 6pm. No dives are scheduled on arrival day unless agreed in advance. Unused dives are non-refundable and non-transferable. Single occupancy adds $60 a night for bungalows and $45 a night for longhouse rooms. Children under 6 sharing existing bedding are free, 6 to 12 are $40 a day. A group of 8 gets one person free of charge, a group of 20 gets three.

All-inclusive package, 3 boat dives a day

Longhouse Room	Bungalow, garden and sea	Bungalow, poolfront	Bungalow Suite
3 nights, 2 days, 6 dives	$570	$705	$720	$795
4 nights, 3 days, 9 dives	$810	$990	$1,010	$1,110
5 nights, 4 days, 12 dives	$1,050	$1,275	$1,300	$1,425
6 nights, 5 days, 15 dives	$1,290	$1,560	$1,590	$1,740
7 nights, 6 days, 18 dives	$1,530	$1,845	$1,880	$2,055
8 nights, 7 days, 21 dives	$1,770	$2,130	$2,170	$2,370
9 nights, 8 days, 24 dives	$2,010	$2,415	$2,460	$2,685
10 nights, 9 days, 27 dives	$2,250	$2,700	$2,750	$3,000
11 nights, 10 days, 30 dives	$2,490	$2,985	$3,040	$3,315
12 nights, 11 days, 33 dives	$2,730	$3,270	$3,330	$3,630
13 nights, 12 days, 36 dives	$2,970	$3,555	$3,620	$3,945
14 nights, 13 days	$3,210	$3,840	$3,910	$4,260

The same conditions, with three guided dives a day instead of two.

Stay without diving — per person per night

Per night
Longhouse Room	$90
Bungalow, garden and sea	$135
Bungalow, poolfront	$140
Bungalow Suite	$165

Full board with unlimited tea, local coffee and drinking water, no diving.

Rates and availability can change. Message us — we will confirm current dates and prices.

When to go

Best time: Year-round; the rainy season runs roughly from November to March
Air temperature: 25–28 °C year-round

Lembeh dives well all year. North Sulawesi has an equatorial climate with two seasons, wet and dry, and the rain falls roughly from November to March. Temperatures at sea level barely vary either across the region or through the year, staying between 25 and 28 °C. The time zone is GMT+8, the same as Singapore.

Getting there

The gateway to North Sulawesi is Sam Ratulangi (MDC) in Manado, about a 60-minute drive from the resort. The round trip transfer is $40 per person; pick-ups away from the airport carry a surcharge depending on the location.

MDC has direct flights from Singapore, Jakarta, Bali, Makassar and Sorong, the last being the gateway to Raja Ampat. The resort recommends Singapore Airlines and its regional arm Scoot: on the schedule the site quotes, Scoot flies to Manado on Wednesdays and Fridays, with a Monday added from April 2023. Flights from Europe and the USA reach Singapore early enough to connect. The other reliable route is via Jakarta, served by almost every major international airline, with several direct Garuda and Batik flights a day onward to Manado.

Your passport must be valid for at least six months from the date of entry and carry at least two blank pages, and an onward or return ticket is compulsory. Airport tax is now included in the ticket and is no longer paid separately.

Mains voltage is 220 V with European two-round-pin sockets. On site they accept US dollars, euros, pounds sterling, Singapore dollars and rupiah; Mastercard and Visa carry a 2% surcharge, which is what the bank charges. There are ATMs at the airport. Malaria exists in Sulawesi but tends to be confined to rural areas; the resort suggests bringing repellent and consulting your doctor. The dive centre and every boat carry oxygen and a first aid kit; medical facilities in North Sulawesi are basic and serious cases are evacuated to Jakarta, Bali or Singapore, so dive insurance is mandatory in Indonesia.