Dive resort · Batukota, Lembeh Island
Dive Lembeh from your own doorstep.
White Sands Lembeh is a dive resort on Lembeh Island: twelve oceanfront cottages, a pool, a kitchen that cooks for hungry divers, and the Strait a short boat ride away. 
, the dive centre on site, takes you out.
05 m · Surface interval
Built for people who dive all day
Between dives you want a cold shower, a real meal and a bed. Every cottage has air conditioning and an ensuite bathroom, set a few metres from the beach.
There is a pool, a restaurant and bar, an Indonesian spa for tired shoulders and a front desk that is staffed around the clock. Rooms are available as single, twin, double or triple.
Chefs cook Indonesian and international dishes from fish bought at the market each morning. We use only sustainable species, on advice from Conservation International.
Cottages lined up along the beach
12 m · Muck diving
Small, strange and very close
Eco Divers is the dive centre at White Sands. Lembeh Strait is one of the best places on Earth to look closely at weird animals. You will spend an hour on one patch of sand with a guide who knows where each creature lives.
What you might meet
- Hairy frogfishLooks like a clump of weed until it lunges.
- Pygmy seahorseA couple of centimetres long, hiding on coral.
- OctopusHides in shells and rubble, and some carry a shell for cover.
- Tiny squidSmall enough to sit on a fingertip, and glittering.
- NudibranchsDozens of species, in every colour you can imagine.
Hairy frogfish
Photo: Jonathan Lin
The dive centre
Boats, a camera room with rinse tanks, and a compressor house that fills your tanks, all a short walk from your cottage.
The Eco Divers dive boat
20 m · Learn here
Certify. Specialise. Go deeper.
Eco Divers is a PADI 5 Star Dive Resort. PADI is the world's largest scuba training organisation, and its courses are known for their safety and standards.
Discover Scuba DivingNever dived? Try it first
Experience diving under the watch of a PADI instructor, with no certification needed. You usually spend a morning in the pool or in shallow water learning the basic skills and getting comfortable, then make a fun dive with your instructor on one of the reefs.
- 1 dive
- 2 dives
Includes dive equipment, the dives and your instructor. Prices are per person.
Please contact us for the price of this course.
- Minimum age10 years
- DurationHalf a day
- Dives1 or 2
- Maximum depth12 m
Scuba DiverA quick first certification
A pre-entry level certification for holidaymakers and anyone who only plans to dive a couple of times a year. It can be done in as little as two days. You can then dive under the direct supervision of a PADI Divemaster, Assistant Instructor or Instructor on your next trip.
- Minimum age10 years
- Duration2 days
- Dives2
- Maximum depth12 m
Open Water DiverThe first full certification
The first course that makes you a certified diver, and the starting point for all further PADI training. The card is recognised at dive centres around the world, and the Sulawesi Sea is your classroom.
You can do the theory online before you arrive (PADI eLearning), so more of your holiday is spent in the water.
- Course price
Includes dive equipment, the dives, the course manual, your instructor and the certification fee. Prices are per person.
Please contact us for the price of this course.
- Minimum age10 years
- Duration3 to 4 days
- Dives4
- Maximum depth18 m (12 m if under 15)
Advanced Open Water DiverAfter Open Water
A two-day course built around five supervised dives in different kinds of diving, such as deep and navigation dives. It builds your experience and confidence in a structured way. The theory can be done online first with PADI eLearning.
- Course price
Includes dive equipment, the dives, the course manual, your instructor and the certification fee. Prices are per person.
Please contact us for the price of this course.
- Minimum age12 years
- Duration2 days
- Dives5
- Maximum depth30 m (18 m if under 15)
Enriched Air (Nitrox) DiverPADI's most popular specialty
Breathing air with more oxygen and less nitrogen gives you more no-decompression time, especially on repeat dives. You learn how it works and what to consider with your equipment. The theory can be done online first with PADI eLearning.
- Course price
Prices are per person.
Please contact us for the price of this course.
- Minimum age12 years
- Duration1 day
Specialty coursesNight, deep and more
Specialty courses are a safe, supervised introduction to a particular kind of diving, with the techniques, planning and safety skills that go with it. Night diving and deep diving are two examples. Ask which ones suit the diving you want to do in Lembeh.
Emergency First ResponseDivers and non-divers
CPR and first aid skills to help in a life-threatening emergency. You do not need to be a diver to take it.
- Duration1 day
Rescue DiverA big step up in skills
Many divers say this is the most rewarding course. You learn to prevent and manage problems underwater and at the surface, from a tired or panicked diver to an unconscious one, and practise first aid and emergency management. It includes classroom, confined water and beach sessions, then five open water sessions. The theory can be done online first with PADI eLearning.
- Minimum age12 years
- Duration2 to 4 days
- Dives4
Master Scuba DiverThe top recreational rating
The highest level in recreational diving. To reach it you complete Rescue Diver, Emergency First Response and five specialty courses.
- Minimum age12 years
DivemasterYour first professional level
Academic study, a rescue evaluation, underwater mapping, and practice in dive planning and leadership. You also work as an instructional assistant in confined and open water. Finishing it qualifies you to attend a PADI Instructor Development Course and become a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor.
- Minimum age18 years
24 m · Rates
Work out your trip
Loading rates…
Please contact us for current rates. Tell us when you would like to come, how many of you are diving and what you would like to do, and we will send you a quote in writing.
28 m · Two locations
Same team. Bigger blue.
As well as Lembeh, we run Dive Into Raja Ampat in West Papua: reefs, walls and big fish to go with Lembeh's macro life. Many divers combine the two on one trip, and we can plan both together. Please contact us for more details.
29 m · Before you travel
Questions divers ask
How do I get to Lembeh?
Fly to Manado (Sam Ratulangi airport) in North Sulawesi. For most divers from Europe, North America and Asia the easiest route is via Singapore, which is about 3 hours 20 minutes from Manado. You can also fly via Jakarta or Bali with Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air and other airlines.
Flights fill up in high season and groups can face extra charges, so book early. Tell us your arrival details when you enquire and we will help you plan the rest.
Do I need a visa for Indonesia?
Most visitors do. Many nationalities can apply online for a visitor e-visa before they travel, at the official site evisa.imigrasi.go.id. Your passport must be valid for at least six months from the day you arrive, and every traveller, including children, needs their own visa.
Rules and fees change, so always check the official site or your nearest Indonesian embassy before you travel.
When is the best time to visit?
You can dive Lembeh all year round. The sunniest months are April to October, but rain can come at any time, and it is warm rain.
What exposure protection do I need?
Not much. A 3 mm or 5 mm one-piece suit is plenty, or a dive skin if you do not get cold easily. Choose full arms and legs to protect you from stinging hydroids.
What should I wear and pack for on land?
Shorts and a T-shirt by day, even when it rains. In the evenings the dress code is casual, so light trousers or jeans and a shirt are plenty. You will not need a sweatshirt.
How do I pay?
In Indonesian rupiah (IDR) in cash, or by Visa or Mastercard, converted at the day's Bank Indonesia rate. We also accept US dollars and euros in cash, converted at the same rate. You can draw rupiah from ATMs at local banks.
What plugs and voltage are used?
Indonesia uses 220 to 240 V at 50 Hz. Our sockets take European two-pin plugs (Type C and Type F), and most other two-pin plugs fit too. Power cuts can happen in Indonesia, but we have a generator backup.
What else is there to do besides diving?
North Sulawesi has plenty of beautiful scenery. You can go white-water rafting, visit waterfalls or a craft centre, trek in the rainforest, see the paddy fields at Lake Tondano, or wander through the markets. We can arrange excursions that start from White Sands Lembeh. Just ask our reservations team.
Do I need malaria tablets? What about medical care?
North Sulawesi is officially non-malarial, but Lembeh is tropical, so follow your own doctor's advice about tablets, and use mosquito repellent on your arms and legs in the evening. Occasional cases of dengue fever are reported, mostly in villages.
There are chemists and dentists locally, and Manado, the regional capital, has a working recompression chamber.
What is Lembeh like?
Lembeh is an off-the-beaten-track dive destination, not a mainstream tourist resort, and that is part of its appeal. Facilities and service can be simple, but the people are friendly and helpful. There is little shopping and nobody pressing souvenirs on you, and you will not find crowds of tourists.
Another question? Ask us, we reply quickly on WhatsApp.
30 m · Contact
Tell us when you want to dive
Check room availability
Choose your dates to see rooms and prices. The booking page opens in a new tab on our booking partner's secure site.
Or send us an enquiry
The quickest way to reach the team is WhatsApp. Send your dates, how many divers, and whether you want to learn or just dive.
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White Sands Lembeh, Batukota, Lembeh Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia