Banda Sea

Raja Ampat & North Banda Sea: Sorong-Ambon, Ambon-Sorong

Disclaimer: Itineraries are only orientative and might be modified due to weather conditions, sea conditions and other external causes.

• DAY 1: Pick up at Sorong airport, transfer to the boat, welcome drink and accommodation. Check dive in the afternoon at one of the reefs surrounding Sorong. Overnight sailing to Misool.
• DAY 2: Three day dives and night dive in the colourful reefs of Daram Islands (Misool): Andiamo, Candy Store and Warna Bewarna amongst others.
• DAY 3-4: Diving around the main area of Misool, in some of the “classics” such as Nudi and Tank Rocks, Pulau Boo or Shadow Reef (Magic Mountain), as well as visit the black tip shark nursery in the beach at Yilliet. Evening of day 4 overnight sail to Pulau Koon.
• DAY 5: Three day dives around the very strategic eastern point of Pulau Koon, where the walls on both sides of the island converge into a sandy plateau facing a deep trench, congregating large masses of fish and the added excitement of some pelagic sightings. Overnight sail to Banda Islands.
• DAY 6: Full diving day in the Banda group, at famous sites such as Karang Hatta, Batu Kapal and Lava Flows amongst others. Mandarin dive at dusk and traditional dinner at a restored colonial house in Bandaneira, probably the most beautiful natural anchorage of Indonesia.
• DAY 7: Cultural visit around Bandaneira, the heart of the Spice Islands: Fort Rotterdam, the Governors House and the nutmeg plantation. Dive Batu Kapal and Pulau Soanggi, and sail to Nusa Laut.
• DAY 8: Two morning dives at the famous site Ameth’s Knoll, a reef parallel to the coast that the local villagers have protected since the old times, to allow fish to spawn and spill over to adjacent areas. Afternoon and night dives in Pulau Pombo. Overnight sail to Ambon.
• DAY 9: Two muck dives around the jetties at the Twilight Zone, with a vast array of critters and oddities to be found. Preparation for departure the morning after.