Written by Elizabeth (14)
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| The wonderful Wunderpus |
In the muck and mud of the Lembeh Straight live some of the weirdest underwater creatures of Indonesia. The strait is located on the east side of Sulawesi and houses unique frogfish, deadly scorpionfish, vibrant nudibranchs, and much more. People from all over the world come here for the world class diving. Lembeh Strait offers divers the privilege to see strange, alien-like sea creatures that hide on its silty sea floor.
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| Ornate Ghostpipefish hanging and hiding |
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| Orangutan Crab |
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| Giant Seahorse |
The creatures living here are so evolved that you need specialized dive guides to point them out. Crabs are bright red, which may make you wonder how they camouflage, but their thin shape helps them imitate twigs covered in red algae. Frogfish are shaped like blobs of spongy material. They use lures (like the anglerfish) to attract fish into their reach and then gobble them up. Flamboyant cuttlefish look like stones, until they are threatened. They then shift their pigments to deep red, vibrant yellow, and a pulsing white and black. Nudibranchs use their small size, warning colors, and toxins to fend off predators. Dive guides don’t only have to point out the beautiful animals to divers, but also the dangerous sea life, too.
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| Painted Frog Fish |
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| Flamboyant Cuttlefish in full defensive display |
These poisonous and life-threatening species are the hardest to find. Venomous scorpionfish use their color-changing scales and tassels to blend into corals and stones as they wait for prey. Under almost every other rock ledge, a lion fish with its toxin-filled spines, stays out of your sight, but not your reach. A simple wave of your hand near a hole could cause the fish to get startled and angry. At night, large, 3-foot bobbit worms keep their fanged mouths just below the sand, ready to strike passing fish. A single bite can cause a bad wound that could get infected.
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| Burr Fish showing off |
When one considers the unique creatures of Lembeh, both beautiful and dangerous, it is clear that divers will undoubtedly observe underwater life rarely found anywhere else. I think that this place should be on any diver’s bucket list to visit. Where else could you find frogfish, Flamboyant cuttlefish, and bobbit worms on a single dive?
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| Peacock Mantis Shrimp guarding his den |
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