Hairball, Lembeh Strait

Verified2026-09-11 checkedMuckMacro

Black sand in the strait that made muck diving a category of its own.

Depth: 5–22 m16–72 ft
Difficulty: Beginner
Entry: Boat
Typical current: Light
Coordinates: 1°25.998′N 125°13.002′E
Activities: Scuba

Lembeh is a narrow strait between Sulawesi and Lembeh island, and Hairball is one of its best-known black sand slopes. There is no reef and no structure — the animals are the site. Mimic and blue-ringed octopus, hairy frogfish, flamboyant cuttlefish and pygmy seahorses live on what looks like empty sand and rubbish. It is a photographer's site above all, and a guide is not optional: almost nothing here is findable without one.

Fly to Manado, then about 90 minutes by road to Bitung and a short boat ride.

Best season

ExcellentMar–Jun
ExcellentOct–Nov
GoodJul–Sep
GoodFeb
GoodDec
FairJan

Conditions

Water temperature: 27.8°C82°F
Wave height: 0.4 m1 ft
Air temperature: 23.7°C75°F
Wind speed: 2.8 km/h1.7 mph

Updated 2026-10-07 16:15 UTC · Source: Open-Meteo

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0)

Conditions are reported for information only. Assess the site yourself and follow your guide and your training.

No live conditions for this site yet.

We only show numbers we can attribute to a source.

Sea state and tide

On a date

Tide · 10/8

High03:191.03 m
Low09:40-0.02 m
High15:530.99 m
Low21:500.05 m

Forecast heights against mean sea level. Real tides in a bay, a harbour or over a flat can differ — check an official tide table before you get in.

Pick a day to see its tide

Only wave height and wind are scored, because those are what close a boat ramp or a shore entry. Water temperature is reported and never scored: 12°C is an ordinary dive in a drysuit and punishing in a 3 mm, and a number that cannot see your suit has no business marking it down. Stars do not decide whether you get in — you and your guide do, on the day.

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0)

Marine life you may see

Broadclub cuttlefishSepia latimanusCommon
Leaf scorpionfishTaenianotus triacanthusCommon
Ribbon eelRhinomuraena quaesitaCommon
Flamboyant cuttlefishMetasepia pfefferiRare
Porcelain anemone crabNeopetrolisthes maculatusCommon
Mimic octopusThaumoctopus mimicusSeasonal
Blue-ringed octopusHapalochlaena spp.Seasonal
FrogfishAntennarius spp.Common
Harlequin shrimpHymenocera pictaSeasonal
NudibranchNudibranchiaCommon
FlatwormPseudoceros spp.Common
Decorator crabCamposcia retusaCommon
Shrimp gobyAmblyeleotris spp.Common
Reef stonefishSynanceia verrucosaCommon
Common seahorseHippocampus kudaCommon
Ringed pipefishDoryrhamphus dactyliophorusCommon
RazorfishAeoliscus strigatusCommon
Whitemargin stargazerUranoscopus sulphureusCommon
Peacock mantis shrimpOdontodactylus scyllarusCommon
Coconut octopusAmphioctopus marginatusCommon
Feather starCrinoideaCommon
Geography coneConus geographusRare

From divers

What people who were in the water reported. Not a forecast, and not a judgement about whether the site is safe to dive.

No recent reports from divers. If you dived here in the last two weeks, you can say how it was.

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