Banda Sea & Alor

Adelaar · Raja Ampat, Indonesia · 10D/9N

Duration
10D/9N
Embarkation
Maumere
Disembarkation
Ambon
Dives
27

About this route

This expedition traces a path through the remote heart of the Banda Sea's Ring of Fire, an area renowned for its volcanic islands, dramatic drop-offs, and clear waters. Divers will encounter a diverse range of marine life, from schooling pelagics like hammerheads and tuna in the open ocean to vibrant reef ecosystems teeming with macro subjects. The itinerary navigates from the eastern Lesser Sunda Islands, including Alor's pristine reefs, through the isolated Lucipara and Maisel archipelagos, culminating in Ambon's celebrated muck diving. Expect strong currents in places, offering exhilarating drift dives and excellent opportunities to observe larger marine species. This journey offers a true sense of exploration, showcasing the untouched beauty of Indonesia's deeper waters.

Regions on this route

Banda SeaAlorSpice Islands

Day-by-day plan

  1. Day 1: MAUMERE

    After boarding Adelaar in Maumere in the North of Flores, you will enjoy your first day on board whilst cruising eastwards along the Flores coast.

  2. Day 2: ADONARA

    The submerged seamounts off Adonara are covered by a diverse mix of hard and soft corals. They provide shelter for a variety of reef fish and attract bigger predators such as jacks, tunas, and black tip and grey reef sharks. Juvenile silvertip sharks are often seen patrolling the typically clear blue water. 3 day dives

  3. Day 3: PANTAR

    The day starts with an adrenaline-filled dive with the objective to see schooling hammerhead sharks, followed by a second morning dive on a stunning wall that is completely covered in soft corals, which may cause a sensory overload. The afternoon and night dive take place on a patch reef that is well known for harboring rhinopias. After the afternoon dive, locals show guests around their picturesque village. 3 day dives, 1 night dive

  4. Day 4: PURA

    Today's diving takes place at a unique site dominated by endless carpets of anemones and regularly visited by thresher sharks and mola molas. There is a spectacularly beautiful hard coral reef, where one of the attractions is observing local freediving fishermen, and an impressive big overhang where critters such as clown frogfish, pontohi seahorses, or halimeda ghost pipefish can be found. Adelaar is very likely boarded in between dives by a group of local ikat weavers who offer their beautiful fabrics for purchase. 3 day dives

  5. Day 5: WETAR

    After a night's crossing, the vessel arrives in the morning in the Moluccas. Diving occurs on the walls and slopes of Reong and Wetar. Depending on the prevailing current, these areas can be very rich in fish. Grey reef sharks, bamboo sharks, giant trevally, schooling big-eyed jacks, rainbow runners, and tunas are often seen here. On quieter dives, there are areas completely covered in zebra anemones. With a bit of luck, guests may spot the beautiful but rare leopard shrimp that lives in symbiosis with them. The vessel sets the sails as it starts its journey into the heart of the Banda Sea. With a bit of luck, guests may see some of the whales that migrate through these waters during this time of the year. 3 day dives

  6. Day 6: GUNUNG API

    Gunung Api means simply volcano in Indonesian. It is an old, lonely volcano that arises from the depth of the Banda sea. It attracts a huge colony of resident seabirds above the waves, while under water the island is home to schools of jacks, surgeonfish, tunas, barracudas and other pelagic fish species - as well as a lot of sea snakes. These venomous but unaggressive reptiles can be encountered on each dive around Gunung Api, sometimes in great numbers, which makes these dives absolutely unique. 4 day dives

  7. Day 7: LUCIPARA MAISEL ARCHIPELAGO

    The Lucipara archipelago consists of several uninhabited low profile sandy islands with lush tropical vegetation. The islands themselves are inaccessible, protected by very shallow fringing reefs that extend several hundred meters from the islands themselves. At the edge these huge coral shallows plunge steeply into the typically crystal-clear abyss of the Banda Sea. Diving these remote locations has by definition an exploratory character - their location in the middle of the deep sea with no other islands around is very inviting for passing pelagics to hang around, thus increasing chances of close encounters between divers and bigger species such as tunas, rainbow runners, thresher sharks, silky sharks or hammerhead sharks. 4 day dives

  8. Day 8: SOUTH AMBON

    After two morning dives on the exposed south coast of Ambon island, which are both stunning from a topographical and coral cover point of view, the vessel enters Ambon Bay where guests hunt for critters. Thorny seahorses, ornate ghost pipefish, rhinopias, frogfish, and ribbon eels are just a few examples to illustrate the extraordinarily rich muck diving of Ambon Bay. 3 day dives. 1 night dive

  9. Day 9: LAHA

    Laha's muck diving sites are world renowned. Apart from a plethora of nudibranchs, cephalopods, ambon scorpionfish and different species of leaf scorpionfish, Laha is also famously the only place in the world where - with some luck! - the beautifully weird psychedelic frogfish may be spotted. 2 day dives

  10. Day 10: AMBON

    After a last delicious breakfast, it is time to say goodbye and disembark - until the next time. (Itinerary might vary depending on weather and sea conditions)

Upcoming departures

No departures scheduled for this route right now.

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About the vessel

AdelaarAdelaarRaja Ampat, Indonesia
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