Hairball
Conditions & tides
Scored by DiveConnect's site-physics model
Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.
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About this site
Hairball is one of Lembeh Strait's most celebrated muck dive sites, located on the west bank of the strait and widely regarded as a classic example of black sand muck diving in the Lembeh style.
The terrain is a sloping black sand bottom with sporadic small outcroppings of halimeda algae, natural and unnatural debris, random small sponges, anemones, and soft corals. Dives here are typically conducted by descending the slope at a leisurely pace to maximum depth, then zigzagging back up to cover the full width of the site — a method designed to leave no patch of bottom uninspected.
The marine life at Hairball is the draw, and while the initial look of the site may seem barren, the sand hides an extraordinary range of critters. Regulars include flying gurnards, dwarf cuttlefish, pipefish, coconut octopus, blue-ring octopus, painted frogfish, hairy frogfish, Ambon scorpionfish, cockatoo waspfish, mimic octopus, and flamboyant cuttlefish on good days. Small debris piles and isolated structure act as focal points, with animals hiding beneath, behind, or simply relying on camouflage in open sand.
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The site suits photographers particularly well, and a macro lens is the standard choice for the critters found here, though the shallows under overhanging trees offer wide-angle opportunities with sunlight penetrating the surface.
Marine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
Tryon's HypselodorisHypselodoris tryoniReported here · unconfirmed
Anna's ChromodorisChromodoris annaeReported here · unconfirmed
Slender ceratosoma nudibranchCeratosoma gracillimumReported here · unconfirmed
Blue DragonPteraeolidia semperiReported here · unconfirmed
Batangas HalgerdaHalgerda batangasReported here · unconfirmed
Ocellate PhyllidiaPhyllidia ocellataReported here · unconfirmed
Coconut OctopusAmphioctopus marginatusReported here · unconfirmed
Many-lobed CeratosomaCeratosoma tenueReported here · unconfirmed
Painted FrogfishAntennarius pictusReported here · unconfirmed
Desirable FlabellinaCoryphellina exoptataReported here · unconfirmed
OctopusOctopusReported here · unconfirmed
FrogfishFrogfishConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
ScorpionfishScorpionfishReported here · unconfirmed
Flying gurnardFlying gurnardConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
Hairy frogfishHairy frogfishConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
Mimic octopusMimic octopusConfirmed present · 3 independent sources
SnapperSnapperReported here · unconfirmed
ParrotfishParrotfishReported here · unconfirmed
FusilierFusilierReported here · unconfirmed
UnicornfishUnicornfishReported here · unconfirmed
PipefishPipefishReported here · unconfirmed
Broadclub CuttlefishAscarosepion latimanusObserved near here · iNaturalist
Banggai CardinalfishPterapogon kauderniObserved near here · iNaturalist
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
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