REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, MANADO – Diving in Lembeh Strait and find thousand of marine creatures! You will be astonished with their species, as many of those little animals are rare. One example is Lembeh Sea Dragon. Discovered by William Tan, it has close connection to Sea Dragon in cool water South Australia. You may be afraid to see the "ugly looking fish", called Frogfish. They have ‘legs’ in their head functioned as worm bait to attract their prey.
This strait is also home to colorful sea snail known as Nudibranch. Similar to the land snail, they walk really slowly. But that is the advantage for us who want to see their charming figure. Nudibranch consumes the most poisonous thing in the sea, yet the crature itself is not hazardous to human.
The brightest fish in Lembeh Strait is Paddle Scorpion Fish. Do not lure your hand to this attractive fish or you will get sting. Many divers became the victims of the fish. Paddle Scorpion Fish has small needles in their back. It contains poison that could kill human! Be careful then.
The diving site of this strait does not have coral reef. Sadly, the surface of the strait is only black sand and sloping area full with cans and plastics thrown by human. Ouch...! Those beautiful fish live in this garbage. Some of the fish and shrimp use the cans to hide from their predators. The strait also has a number of wrecks dating from World War II in which the fish use as their home.
Located near the port town of Bitung, North Sulawesi, Lembeh Strait hosts the best muck diving in the world. Diversity is the best word that fit for the diving experience. Lembeh Strait split the mainland of Sulawesi with Lembeh Island. Apart from the beauty of the species under the sea, Lembeh Island has panoramic nature. Built by limestone rocks, the island is wrapped with coconut trees. Guess it is not overrated if we call this land an island of thousand palms.
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