The 8-day Banda Sea liveaboard trip offers a diverse diving experience, from muck diving in Ambon Bay to pelagic encounters at volcanic islands and coral-rich reefs. Highlights include hammerhead sharks, sea snakes, manta rays, and a plethora of macro life. The trip also includes cultural experiences, such as visiting Fort Belgica and a nutmeg plantation.

Itinerary Sample

Day 1: Welcome (2 dives)

The crew will pick you up at the airport or your hotel and welcome you on board with drinks.
After safety and boat briefings, you'll be shown to your cabin to settle in and unpack.
We'll kick off with two muck dives around Laha in Ambon Bay, also known as the ' Twilight Zone.'
Here, you'll encounter Rhinopias, frogfish, ghost pipefish, various octopus species, crustaceans, and an abundance of nudibranchs. Under the jetty legs and amid debris from fishing boats, you'll find striped catfish, silversides, and moray eels, along with Ambon and devil scorpionfish.
After these dives, we'll begin our overnight transit to Pulau Suanggi.

Day 2: Pulau Suanggi and Banda Neira (3 dives)

We arrive at Pulau Suanggi in the morning for two dives.
The deep pinnacles here form an oasis for pelagic fish and boast incredible coral reefs.
Expect to see tuna, moray eels, and schools of vibrantly colored fish, with the main
attraction being the hammerhead sharks that frequently pass through.
After these dives, we'll head to Banda Neira for a quick shore excursion to visit Fort Belgica, the Museum, and a Nutmeg plantation. These islands, fought over by the Dutch, British, and Portuguese 400 years ago, played a pivotal role in the spice trade.
We'll wrap up the day with one more dive to spot the elusive Mandarin Fish, then proceed overnight to Pulau Manuk.

Day 3: Pulau Manuk (3 dives)

Pulau Manuk offers a unique underwater experience teeming with diverse marine life,
including (and famously) sea snakes, schools of barracuda, trevally, and snappers.
Despite its rocky terrain and lack of coral formations, it's a haven for creatures like pygmy
seahorses and nudibranchs.
Strong currents can add an extra thrill, making this a perfect spot for experienced divers.

Day 4: Pulau Run (3 dives)

Fun Fact: Run Island was traded by the British to the Dutch in 1667 in exchange for Manhattan, highlighting its historical significance.
Dive here to encounter a variety of marine creatures including colorful fish, sea turtles, and occasional pelagic visitors.
The coral gardens are pristine, and the sloping reef becomes a wall covered in corals and sea fans and the chance to spot passing Hammerheads.

Day 5: Banda Besar and Gunung Api (3 dives)

Depending on conditions, we might dive at several sites on Banda Besar.
Pohon Miring, on the northeast side, features strong currents a swim through and a sloping reef covered in corals down to 28 meters. Look for barrel sponges, sea fans, and large fish like tuna and bumphead parrotfish. The plateau's crevices hide scorpionfish and ghost pipefish.
Pantai Lanutu offers beautiful coral dive sites with hard coral reefs and walls covered in sea fans and barrel sponges.
Tanjung Cengkeh's steep slope is adorned with gorgonians, sponges, and soft corals down to 30+ meters, home to many colorful fish.
Batu Indah’s strong currents reveal ghost pipefish, banded pipefish, and more.
Tanjung Nama's wall is covered with sea fans and barrel sponges, inhabited by a variety of colored fish.
Batu Belanda’s cave at 13 meters reveals soldierfish, nudibranchs, and gobies.
Gunung Api's northern lava flow hosts dense corals like table and bottle-brush corals, with larger fish like Napoleon wrasse and mobula rays visiting during upwelling conditions.

Day 6: Suanggi or Hatta (3 dives)

Depending on our hammerhead sightings from Day 2, we may return to Pulau Suanggi or dive at Hatta.
Hatta features a slope with brown soft corals and a vertical wall at 14 meters with huge sponges and soldierfish.
The deeper wall is frequented by eagle rays, snappers, and blacktip sharks.
A shallow reef flat bursts with colorful marine life, feather stars, triggerfish, and damselfish.

Day 7: Nusa Laut (2 dives)

Nusa Laut, east of Ambon, boasts vibrant coral reefs protected by locals.
Expect encounters with a diverse range of reef fish such as angelfish, butterflyfish, and parrotfish, with the possibility of seeing larger marine species like groupers and reef sharks.
After our final dives, we'll head back to Ambon.

Day 8: Ambon After breakfast and some obligatory photos, it's time to say goodbye, with transfers arranged for you.

(*) the itinerary description provided by the boat operator. 

The last dive will be on the penultimate day of the trip at around 12 pm. Divers are recommended to wait for 24 hours before flying after the last dive.

Please note that the itineraries are examples only. We reserve the right to change the itinerary or specific agreed services, if force majeure, unforeseen or unavoidable circumstances require us to do so. The order of dive areas visited may change driven by local regulations.

20 logged dives, AOW (or equivalent) advantageous and preferred.

Open Water divers (or equivalent) are welcome for full charters only. They should be aware that they cannot participate in Night Dives and as such may not achieve the advertised number of dives on the trip.