Wreck Diving Lembeh Strait

Lembeh Strait offers you the opportunity to dive four interesting shipwrecks, overgrown with beautiful corals and resting at comfortable depths of 15 to 30 metres.

Mawali wreck Propeler of the Japanese cargo ship wreck from WW II

Barracuda (Photo by: Wouter Suyderhoud)

Mawali
The Mawali or Tanduk Rusa is the most commonly dived wreck in the Strait. This Japanese freighter from WWII is lying on its portside and has a length of 90 metres.

The melted glasses we found in the kitchen shows that the ship burned before she sunk. This may explain the huge hard corals that are growing on the wreck. The wreck is still complete with propeller, beams, bridge and engines. The cargo holds are safe to visit, but the machine room is unstable and should be avoided.

The wreck acts as a very nice artificial reef, so is attractive even for divers who are not particularly interested in wrecks. Its depth of 16-30 metres and the absence of strong currents make this a pleasant dive. It is marked by a buoy on the surface.

Hypselodoris bullockii (Photo by: Wouter Suyderhoud)

Part of the Mawali Wreck

Bimoli
The Bimoli wreck is lying on her starboard side, at a depth of 17-30 metres. The torpedo that hit this Japanese freighter caused a lot of damage but most of the ship is still easy to recognize and is accessible. In the hold you can find ammunition (don't touch!) and even the radio is still on board. Often there are a lot of fish, including schools of big barracuda.

Divers need to be careful when ascending as large ships pass very close to the wreck. Strong currents are not uncommon. The wreck lies at a depth of 17-30 metres. There is no buoy marking its position.

Indah
The Indah wreck stands straight on its keel. We are not sure if she dates from WWII or is younger. She is about 40 metres long and is home to a lot of sponges. Her depth is 18-29 metres. Usually there are no currents. There is no buoy marking her position.

Kapal Ikan
This 40 metre steel fishing vessel is seldom visited by divers. Although not an old wreck, it is already becoming overgrown with sponges and corals. She stands on her keel and is largely intact, providing a home to lots of fish and lobster. Her depth is 22-30 metres and sometimes strong currents make anchoring difficult. There is no buoy marking her position.

Click here to find a good map of the dive sites of Lembeh Strait. For an additional description of these sites click here

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