BEST OF BORNEO

11 Days/10 Nights Tarakan-Tarakan Cruise Itinerary

Our journey will start and end in Tarakan, located on Tarakan Island. It is one of the major cities in northern Borneo, close to the Malaysian  border from Sabah, Malaysia. Tarakan is well connected to Singapore via Balikpapan. Tarakan is also well connected to Bali and Jakarta via Balikpapan.

This 9 day, 8-Night cruise takes us between the islands and reefs rising up from the Makassar Strait. After leaving the coast of Borneo, the ocean floor becomes very deep, very soon. As we continue farther out, a number of incredible coral reefs and islands grow up to the surface from the depths. Nutrient rich currents bring up big fish from the deep into shallower waters, allowing us to see them pursuing reef fish in hope of catching a meal.

Each island has its own unique character. We can see entire schools of manta rays at Sangalaki that are drawn here to feed on plankton. As well as turtles, Derawan has elusive treasures to be found; here we search for hidden critters. Maratua hosts massive marvels, such as sharks, barracudas and more mantas! At Kakaban island, plunge into the saltwater lake full with non-stinging jellyfish in the middle of the island. Dive the incredible walls encircling the island of Kakaban. In the shallow waters encircling Samama, we scan for an abundance of macro critters, hiding in plain sight.

Day 1 Embarkation in Tarakan

Day 2 – Derawan (4 dives)

Part of the Coral triangle, Derawan Islands have one of Indonesia’s richest and diverse ocean life. Not just diversity of Cave dives, wreck dives, muck dives, drift dives, walls, plateaux. 

Old Pier

Gets its name, from you’ve guessed it; a pier! As we follow the coral slope down and work our way south and to the east along the shoreline, we can see an abundance of butterfly fish, angels, damselfish, anthias, wrasse, gobies, shrimp and nudis. Perhaps a turtle or two and the blue spotted stingrays and schooling fusiliers are for sure the highlight.

Shark Point

As we descend the coral lope that becomes a drop off. Amongst the crabs, turtles and morays, the big attraction here is the possibility of seeing some sharks along with the impressive sight of schooling jacks.

Blue Trigger Wall

This healthy coral reef slope and wall combination is home to schooling of fusiliers and blue triggerfish. As we go along this comfortable drift, what else is there to see? Batfish, gobies, blennies, shrimp, nudibranch, turtle and shark, all have a good chance to be seen here.

Tuturuga Point

This dive site, a mix of sand and coral is impressive both by day and by night. As well as the usual suspects in this area, it is special for being home to frogfish, leaf fish, scorpionfish, flathead, Blennies, dragonet, octopus and rays.

Day 3 – Kakaban (4 dives)

Kakaban is best known for its non-stinging jellyfish lake, located in the centre of the island, a short walk from the coast. Kakaban was likely uplifted during the Holocene and sea water was trapped turning the area and formed a landlocked marine lake. The water is now a mix of salt water and fresh water from the rain. The non-stinging jellyfish have lived in this lake for hundreds of years with no known predators. Around the coastline of Kakaban island we are offered a large variety of diving, including corals, large pelagic and caves.

Barracuda Point

This exhilarating drift dive takes us along a combination of slope and drop off. We can see abundance of butterfly fish, angels, damselfish, anthias, flatworm gobies and perhaps some sharks and the famous schooling barracuda.

Cabbage Point

This dive site gets its name from the generous amount of cabbage coral coating the seabed. Amongst scorpionfish, moray eels and batfish, we can marvel at schooling fusiliers that almost move almost as if they are one lifeform. We may also come across some blue spotted stingrays along the way.

The Corner

That’s right, it’s located on a corner of the island! As we drift around this mix of slope and steep drop-off along the north eastern coastline, we can see schooling fusiliers, blue spotted stingrays and some mean looking giant trevallies. What else? Butterfly, anthias, surgeon, scorpion, blennies, shrimp, nudis and turtles.

The Wall

Here we can hope to be mesmerized by a huge school of jacks.Leaffish, turtles, sharks, trevallies and tons of reef fish are all possible.

Land excursion: Danau Kakaban – Translates to ‘Kakaban Lake’. Using our tender boats to reach Kakban’s shore, we will take a short walk to the lake’s edge. Here we will snorkel and amongst four species of non-stinging jellyfish. They don’t sting because they have no predators within the lake. The topography is a mix of sand and vegetation with a maximum depth of just 23ft (7m). Here we can also see gobies, shrimp, crab, nudibranch and snakes.

Day 4 – Samana (4 dives)

About 15 min by boat from Sangalaki is another dive location, Samama, perfect for macro. We are likely to see pygmy seahorses and a lot of nudibranchs. The island has a large area of mangrove and the dive sites are all very shallow. Currents are very mild and so we can take some good, long dives. Sunlight filters onto the hard and soft corals illuminating them in a rainbow of color. Reef life is abundant with many schools of fish. Be on the lookout for blue ribbon eels at the edge of the reef. Minute pygmy seahorse can be found camouflaged in gorgonian seafans.

Days 5/6 – Exploratory Diving (8 dives)

Days 7/8 – Maratua (8 dives)

Here we have the chance to see some thrilling big creatures. Some best dives include, “The Channel” and “Big Fish” which has whirling schools of barracuda, grey reef sharks, thresher sharks, masses of turtles and schooling eagle rays schooling.

The East Wall

The two pillars at this site are the remains of a Japanese watch tower after it has been bombed during the Second World War. Here we can find a huge variety of seafans and black corals. The dive starts with a gentle slope that becomes a sharp, almost vertical drop-off. The barrel drum coral here are massive in size. This dive site is also called ‘Eagle-Ray Point’, because eagle-rays are often spotted here.

The Channel

Diving at beginning high tide when the current is flowing into the lagoon. With a considerable current, we can hook onto the reef to look out for eagle rays, barracudas, groupers and sometimes even whalesharks!

Coconut Wall

The drop off takes us along the coast drifting normally in a southeasterly direction. As well as anthias, flatworms, nudis and batfish, we can see schooling snappers and perhaps some sharks and majestic eagle rays.

Lighthouse

Here the drop-off slopes to a sandy bottom. The current here is mild and we can see a big school of batfish and sometimes leopard sharks. In the shallows we can see schools of of grouper and red snapper.

Paradise 123

Along this coral slope we can see…fusilier, sweetlips, butterfly, angel, grouper, damselfish, anthias, batfish, scorpion, blennies, shrimp, crab, nudibranch, turtles, rays and maybe black tipped reef sharks. What would be the ultimate treat to see here? To meet a thresher shark or two!

Kehedaeng

Here along this beautiful fringing coral reef we have the chance to see: Fusilier, Butterfly, Angel, Grouper, Damselfish, Anthias, Scorpion, Blennies, Shrimp, Crab, Nudibranch, Turtle and even Sharks!

Turtle Traffic

Love green sea turtles? This dive is for you! Maybe we can see up to 30 on just one dive. Here we can experience a relaxing drift dive. We also have the chance to see small groups of barracudas, jackfish and stingrays.. Being mindful to look out for critters on the reef. This location is beautiful for macro photography.

Land excursion: Goa Halo Tabung, Maratua Island – We use our tender boats to reach the southwest coast of Maratua where we hop off onto a wooden bridge. We then walk a short half mile to Goa Halo Tabunge (meaning Halo Tube Cave). We are met with beautiful, turquoise, still water which we can enter using steps on the low side of the pool and begin our swim through the cave. Sea water enters through the crevices of the cave, which is why the water here is salty.

Donning snorkeling equipment and buoys, we can enjoy an easy and relaxing float through this tunnel-like cave. Surrounded by the chirping crickets, luscious greenery and tranquil atmosphere, this is a moment to savour.

Days 9/10 Sangalaki (7 dives)

This area is famous for the large population of turtles and manta rays year round and guests will frequently see them feeding. The island has a turtle nursery run by the local government which can be visited. Whale sharks are frequently seen off the coast of the island.

Sandy Ridge

Macro lovers are in for a treat right here. Nudibranch, sea slug, flat worms, and other small critters galore! Butterfly fish, angel fish, and sweet lips are always resident at this site.

Turtle Town

We can expect to find…turtles! As well as unexpected surprises. Napoleon wrasse and cuttlefish. This reef is full of butterfly fish, banner fish, angel fish, surgeon fish, fusiliers, trevally, sweet lips, moorish idol, damsel fish and much more. Paradise for macro lovers too! It’s also a great spot for night dives.

Coral Garden Sangalaki

Here we dive an extremely beautiful and healthy coral reef. We can find a real variety of interesting creatures here including frog fish, crocodile fish, mandarin fish, butterfly fish, angelfish, and mantis shrimp. For those who enjoy macro, we can find tiny critters such as anemone shrimps, coral crabs and sea fan crabs.

Manta Run

Manta rays will rise up from the deeper water, and then after reaching the surface, they will circle around in order to feed on plankton. Manta rays are more often seen during the afternoon. This diving spot has a good reef, good visibility and a wide variety of reef fish.

Manta Parade

As the name suggests, we are very likely to meet a number of mantas here. It’s also a great place for snorkeling with manta ray here as they rise to the surface. Here, mantas are mostly seen from morning to noon. Coral reefs in this area are patchy and here we can find huge schools of fusiliers and surgeon fish. Various gobies and ghost pipe fish can also be found here. If we are lucky, we can also find leopard sharks here!

Eel ridge

This sandy bottomed dive site has a ‘field’ full of sand eel/ghost eel. A very different and surreal diving experience! Visibility is better during the morning to noon compared to the afternoon. We can be lucky to find lobster and mantis shrimp here too.

Manta Avenue

Manta rays can be found swimming on the surface during morning to noon. It is a shallow diving/snorkeling site, with a beautifully healthy reef. Here we swim with butterfly fish, angel fish, surgeon fish, and fusiliers. There’s also the manta beauty salon located here…a secret manta cleaning station, where mantas get cleaned by cleaner fish. The manta will swim gracefully, circling around whilst we enjoy the beautiful underwater scenery.

Day 11 Disembarkation in Tarakan

Total dives: 35

BEST OF BORNEO

9 Days/8 Nights Tarakan-Tarakan Cruise Itinerary

Our journey will start and end in Tarakan, located on Tarakan Island. It is one of the major cities in northern Borneo, close to the Malaysian  border from Sabah, Malaysia. Tarakan is well connected to Singapore via Balikpapan. Tarakan is also well connected to Bali and Jakarta via Balikpapan.

This 9 day, 8-Night cruise takes us between the islands and reefs rising up from the Makassar Strait. After leaving the coast of Borneo, the ocean floor becomes very deep, very soon. As we continue farther out, a number of incredible coral reefs and islands grow up to the surface from the depths. Nutrient rich currents bring up big fish from the deep into shallower waters, allowing us to see them pursuing reef fish in hope of catching a meal.

Each island has its own unique character. We can see entire schools of manta rays at Sangalaki that are drawn here to feed on plankton. As well as turtles, Derawan has elusive treasures to be found; here we search for hidden critters. Maratua hosts massive marvels, such as sharks, barracudas and more mantas! At Kakaban island, plunge into the saltwater lake full with non-stinging jellyfish in the middle of the island. Dive the incredible walls encircling the island of Kakaban. In the shallow waters encircling Samama, we scan for an abundance of macro critters, hiding in plain sight.

Day 1 Embarkation in Tarakan

Day 2 – Derawan (4 dives)

Part of the Coral triangle, Derawan Islands have one of Indonesia’s richest and diverse ocean life. Not just diversity of Cave dives, wreck dives, muck dives, drift dives, walls, plateaux. 

Old Pier

Gets its name, from you’ve guessed it; a pier! As we follow the coral slope down and work our way south and to the east along the shoreline, we can see an abundance of butterfly fish, angels, damselfish, anthias, wrasse, gobies, shrimp and nudis. Perhaps a turtle or two and the blue spotted stingrays and schooling fusiliers are for sure the highlight.

Shark Point

As we descend the coral lope that becomes a drop off. Amongst the crabs, turtles and morays, the big attraction here is the possibility of seeing some sharks along with the impressive sight of schooling jacks.

Blue Trigger Wall

This healthy coral reef slope and wall combination is home to schooling of fusiliers and blue triggerfish. As we go along this comfortable drift, what else is there to see? Batfish, gobies, blennies, shrimp, nudibranch, turtle and shark, all have a good chance to be seen here.

Tuturuga Point

This dive site, a mix of sand and coral is impressive both by day and by night. As well as the usual suspects in this area, it is special for being home to frogfish, leaf fish, scorpionfish, flathead, Blennies, dragonet, octopus and rays.

Day 3 – Kakaban (4 dives)

Kakaban is best known for its non-stinging jellyfish lake, located in the centre of the island, a short walk from the coast. Kakaban was likely uplifted during the Holocene and sea water was trapped turning the area and formed a landlocked marine lake. The water is now a mix of salt water and fresh water from the rain. The non-stinging jellyfish have lived in this lake for hundreds of years with no known predators. Around the coastline of Kakaban island we are offered a large variety of diving, including corals, large pelagic and caves.

Barracuda Point

This exhilarating drift dive takes us along a combination of slope and drop off. We can see abundance of butterfly fish, angels, damselfish, anthias, flatworm gobies and perhaps some sharks and the famous schooling barracuda.

Cabbage Point

This dive site gets its name from the generous amount of cabbage coral coating the seabed. Amongst scorpionfish, moray eels and batfish, we can marvel at schooling fusiliers that almost move almost as if they are one lifeform. We may also come across some blue spotted stingrays along the way.

The Corner

That’s right, it’s located on a corner of the island! As we drift around this mix of slope and steep drop-off along the north eastern coastline, we can see schooling fusiliers, blue spotted stingrays and some mean looking giant trevallies. What else? Butterfly, anthias, surgeon, scorpion, blennies, shrimp, nudis and turtles.

The Wall

Here we can hope to be mesmerized by a huge school of jacks.Leaffish, turtles, sharks, trevallies and tons of reef fish are all possible.

Land excursion: Danau Kakaban – Translates to ‘Kakaban Lake’. Using our tender boats to reach Kakban’s shore, we will take a short walk to the lake’s edge. Here we will snorkel and amongst four species of non-stinging jellyfish. They don’t sting because they have no predators within the lake. The topography is a mix of sand and vegetation with a maximum depth of just 23ft (7m). Here we can also see gobies, shrimp, crab, nudibranch and snakes.

Day 4 – Samana (4 dives)

About 15 min by boat from Sangalaki is another dive location, Samama, perfect for macro. We are likely to see pygmy seahorses and a lot of nudibranchs. The island has a large area of mangrove and the dive sites are all very shallow. Currents are very mild and so we can take some good, long dives. Sunlight filters onto the hard and soft corals illuminating them in a rainbow of color. Reef life is abundant with many schools of fish. Be on the lookout for blue ribbon eels at the edge of the reef. Minute pygmy seahorse can be found camouflaged in gorgonian seafans.

Days 5/6 – Maratua (8 dives)

Here we have the chance to see some thrilling big creatures. Some best dives include, “The Channel” and “Big Fish” which has whirling schools of barracuda, grey reef sharks, thresher sharks, masses of turtles and schooling eagle rays schooling.

The East Wall

The two pillars at this site are the remains of a Japanese watch tower after it has been bombed during the Second World War. Here we can find a huge variety of seafans and black corals. The dive starts with a gentle slope that becomes a sharp, almost vertical drop-off. The barrel drum coral here are massive in size. This dive site is also called ‘Eagle-Ray Point’, because eagle-rays are often spotted here.

The Channel

Diving at beginning high tide when the current is flowing into the lagoon. With a considerable current, we can hook onto the reef to look out for eagle rays, barracudas, groupers and sometimes even whalesharks!

Coconut Wall

The drop off takes us along the coast drifting normally in a southeasterly direction. As well as anthias, flatworms, nudis and batfish, we can see schooling snappers and perhaps some sharks and majestic eagle rays.

Lighthouse

Here the drop-off slopes to a sandy bottom. The current here is mild and we can see a big school of batfish and sometimes leopard sharks. In the shallows we can see schools of of grouper and red snapper.

Paradise 123

Along this coral slope we can see…fusilier, sweetlips, butterfly, angel, grouper, damselfish, anthias, batfish, scorpion, blennies, shrimp, crab, nudibranch, turtles, rays and maybe black tipped reef sharks. What would be the ultimate treat to see here? To meet a thresher shark or two!

Kehedaeng

Here along this beautiful fringing coral reef we have the chance to see: Fusilier, Butterfly, Angel, Grouper, Damselfish, Anthias, Scorpion, Blennies, Shrimp, Crab, Nudibranch, Turtle and even Sharks!

Turtle Traffic

Love green sea turtles? This dive is for you! Maybe we can see up to 30 on just one dive. Here we can experience a relaxing drift dive. We also have the chance to see small groups of barracudas, jackfish and stingrays.. Being mindful to look out for critters on the reef. This location is beautiful for macro photography.

Land excursion: Goa Halo Tabung, Maratua Island – We use our tender boats to reach the southwest coast of Maratua where we hop off onto a wooden bridge. We then walk a short half mile to Goa Halo Tabunge (meaning Halo Tube Cave). We are met with beautiful, turquoise, still water which we can enter using steps on the low side of the pool and begin our swim through the cave. Sea water enters through the crevices of the cave, which is why the water here is salty.

Donning snorkeling equipment and buoys, we can enjoy an easy and relaxing float through this tunnel-like cave. Surrounded by the chirping crickets, luscious greenery and tranquil atmosphere, this is a moment to savour.

Days 7/8 Sangalaki (7 dives)

This area is famous for the large population of turtles and manta rays year round and guests will frequently see them feeding. The island has a turtle nursery run by the local government which can be visited. Whale sharks are frequently seen off the coast of the island.

Sandy Ridge

Macro lovers are in for a treat right here. Nudibranch, sea slug, flat worms, and other small critters galore! Butterfly fish, angel fish, and sweet lips are always resident at this site.

Turtle Town

We can expect to find…turtles! As well as unexpected surprises. Napoleon wrasse and cuttlefish. This reef is full of butterfly fish, banner fish, angel fish, surgeon fish, fusiliers, trevally, sweet lips, moorish idol, damsel fish and much more. Paradise for macro lovers too! It’s also a great spot for night dives.

Coral Garden Sangalaki

Here we dive an extremely beautiful and healthy coral reef. We can find a real variety of interesting creatures here including frog fish, crocodile fish, mandarin fish, butterfly fish, angelfish, and mantis shrimp. For those who enjoy macro, we can find tiny critters such as anemone shrimps, coral crabs and sea fan crabs.

Manta Run

Manta rays will rise up from the deeper water, and then after reaching the surface, they will circle around in order to feed on plankton. Manta rays are more often seen during the afternoon. This diving spot has a good reef, good visibility and a wide variety of reef fish.

Manta Parade

As the name suggests, we are very likely to meet a number of mantas here. It’s also a great place for snorkeling with manta ray here as they rise to the surface. Here, mantas are mostly seen from morning to noon. Coral reefs in this area are patchy and here we can find huge schools of fusiliers and surgeon fish. Various gobies and ghost pipe fish can also be found here. If we are lucky, we can also find leopard sharks here!

Eel ridge

This sandy bottomed dive site has a ‘field’ full of sand eel/ghost eel. A very different and surreal diving experience! Visibility is better during the morning to noon compared to the afternoon. We can be lucky to find lobster and mantis shrimp here too.

Manta Avenue

Manta rays can be found swimming on the surface during morning to noon. It is a shallow diving/snorkeling site, with a beautifully healthy reef. Here we swim with butterfly fish, angel fish, surgeon fish, and fusiliers. There’s also the manta beauty salon located here…a secret manta cleaning station, where mantas get cleaned by cleaner fish. The manta will swim gracefully, circling around whilst we enjoy the beautiful underwater scenery.

Day 9 Disembarkation in Tarakan

Total dives: 27

BEST OF INDONESIA

23 Days/22 Nights Saumlaki – Sorong Cruise Itinerary

Day 1 Embarkation in Saumlaki

The Forgotten Islands are part of a remote archipelago in the southeast corner of the Moluccas (Maluku Tenggara). Despite the remote feeling in other parts of Indonesia (such as Alor or Banda), the Forgotten Islands are isolated even by Indonesian standards, covering a 1,000 km long chain of islands staring at Timor and extending up to West Papua. The Tanimbar group of around 65 islands that separate the Banda Sea from the Arafura Sea include the island of Yamdena where the capital Saumlaki is where this cruise begins.

There are many groups of islands in this area and the Forgotten Islands are relatively undiscovered and still being explored. The exact itinerary around these islands will depend exclusively on the weather and current conditions. Also due to the big distances between island groups some of the days will include three day dives before heading off in the afternoon and travelling overnight. When the next location is closer and there are anchorage spots in sheltered bays we will offer a fourth dive, usually a night dive.

Dive sites in the Forgotten Islands are characterised by endless reefs and spectacular deep walls covered in soft corals, sea fans and huge sponges. These islands usually experience amazing visibility and warm water around 27-30C (81-86F). Here are the names of the islands we may visit (weather permitting) during your cruise:

Days 2-4 Serua/Teun/Nila/Nil Desperandum

Teun, Nila and Serua, often referred to as TNS, are all small, very remote volcanic islands only accessible by liveaboard, located just east of Damar. You will feel as if you have reached the ends of the earth and that may be why there is a growing interest in diving in this zone. Although the sites here remain relatively unexplored, experiences so far have revealed tremendous diving potential and splendid coral reefs.

Close to the small island of Nila are two atolls Dusborgh and Nil Desperandum. Weather permitting, we will spend two days in this area, making a small bay on the east side of the island of Nila our base. There is also a night dive opportunity here.

Nila/Dusborgh (4-5 dives)

Dusborgh is a submerged atoll with a surrounding reef that reaches all the way up to the surface. The reef then slopes steeply to deep walls. As with all of the Forgotten Islands the walls are covered in huge sponges and sea fans. With the amazing visibility keep an eye into the deep for passing pelagics. A small bay on the east side of the island of Nila has a night dive opportunity.

Nil Desperandum (4-5 dives)

Nil Desperandum means “don’t despair” possibly referring to a ship wrecked here centuries ago. It is a big atoll with very deep drop offs. Schooling sharks have been spotted in the deep here with a chance to see hammerhead, silky and grey reef sharks.

Days 5 Dai Island (3-4 dives)

The villagers on this island still practice traditional hunting with bow and arrow. Steep slopes provide hunting grounds for schooling barracuda and trevally. Large sea fans on the reef are surrounded by very healthy reef fish life. The shallows here are full of hard corals decorated with anthias.

Days 6 Dawera Island (6-7 dives)

This small island is in the northern part of the Babar group of islands. There is a seamount where the reef is untouched and so full of fish you won’t know where to look! Along the north side of the islands there are numerous wonderful dive sites ranging from Tanjung Raja where there are stunning soft corals to Sponge Delight where there is a huge resident school of barracudas and even a chance to see hammerhead sharks. The diving in this area is so good we may even stay an extra day.

Days 7-8 Pulau Damar/Nusleur/Terbang (6 dives)

Close to the big island of Damar the small islands of Nusleur, Terbang Utara and Terbang Selatan are surrounded by pristine beaches that stretch out to coral reefs that then drop down to the most beautiful, untouched walls. From top to bottom, the reef is an explosion of different colours and forms and seems to be in constant motion from the swarms of fish darting about. You may find yourself floating in the midst of a huge school of fish as the sea creatures here appear quite curious, perhaps because they are generally not used to seeing many divers. Another unique attraction in this area is the wall of sulphur formed as a result of its proximity to the volcano on Damar. There is a possibility to visit a village on Damar where there is also a black sand night dive.

Day 9 Manuk (3 dives)

The island of Manuk is the eastern-most volcano of Indonesia and presents two very unique highlights above and below the water. Topside, it is possible to revel in the spectacle of thousands of seabirds, including comical yet beautiful frigate birds and boobies. The sight is unforgettable. One of the few phenomena able to rival that display is the vision of a dozen sea snakes undulating and swimming underwater. Some divers have even been lucky enough to watch them hunting in a pack. It is thought that the warm geothermal vents present in these waters attract these cold-blooded creatures in large numbers. In addition to these singular wonders, the island’s reefs are also stunning and there is a good mix of coral-covered walls and slopes in all colours and sizes. Besides an outstanding variety of reef fish, you may also see some tuna, jacks and sharks.

Day 10-13 Kai Islands (14 dives)

Exploratory diving in one of Indonesia’s unexplored dive frontiers J

Day 14-16 Triton Bay (10 dives)

We call this area Triton Bay but we don’t actually dive inside Triton Bay itself! The bay is very close to the main island of West Papua and therefore has very bad visibility. Most of the dive sites are located in the strait created by the island of Aiduma and south West Papua.

Larry’s  Heaven

This dive site was named by divers in memory of Larry Smith one of the pioneers of Triton Bay. It was previously named as Little Komodo by Larry. The southern part of the site is a gentle slope with big boulders. The slopes transform into a mini wall towards the east. All the boulders and the mini wall are completely covered in soft corals like you have never seen before. Look for flasher wrasse and sand divers in the sandy slope on the south west. With sweetlips and anthias decorating the reef with their marvellous colors, this site is the most popular dive in Triton Bay.

White Rocks

A perfect dive site for an afternoon or night dive depending on the current. Here you will be critter hunting along the bottom of the site. Look in the soft corals, you may find one of the most camouflaged crabs in the sea, the Candy Crab. Also, there is an opportunity to see the elegant walking shark (Epaulette shark).

Bo’s Rainbow

Bo’s Rainbow is a small rock on the surface but a huge area underwater waiting for divers to discover all the macro marine life and enjoy the formations of this site. All the boulders are completely covered in soft corals and the gentle slope is covered in black coral. Look for ghost pipefish and saw-blade shrimps in the black coral bushes. Up in the shallows there is a swim through that offers a perfect place for wobbegong sharks to rest during the day.

Flasher Beach

Another great dive site that Triton Bay has to offer is Flasher Beach and it’s not for the beauty of the location but for the marine life. The name Flasher Beach comes from the amount of different species of flasher wrasse you can encounter on any dive. With luck you might get to see the endemic Triton Bay Flasher Wrasse (Parachieilinus nursalim).

Day 17 Mai Mai (snorkelling with whale sharks)

We will visit a small village called Mai Mai off the island of Namatote where there are fishing platforms called Bagans. The fishermen here have created an amazing relationship with the biggest fish of the ocean – the Whale Shark. We have to wait until around 8 or 9 am for the whale sharks to hopefully arrive and for the fishermen to be ready with the morning breakfast for the sharks. The giant gentle whale sharks allow us to get into the water with snorkelling gear only to enjoy the presence of these amazing wonders of the sea. This is an unforgettable experience. It takes time for the dive masters and cruise directors to arrange everything with the village and fishermen but the waiting is absolutely worth it.

Day 18 Koon Island (3 dives)

Too Many Fish

Our next stop is Koon Island, located southeast of Seram Island and over a trench that goes down to more than 3000 meters. There is only one dive site here and its distinct name of “Too Many Fish” is aptly deserved. The reason for this name becomes obvious to anyone who dives here. Large schools of all kinds of fish are seen here especially black snappers, batfish, barracuda and fusiliers. The sloping reef is full of beautiful corals interspaced with white sandy patches, going into a steep wall at around 30m/100ft. In the deep look for large groupers, sharks or even a passing eagle ray. In the shallows schools of banner fish, Oceanic triggerfish and red snappers decorate the reef. With all the fish in the usually perfect visibility you probably won’t be looking at the macro residents of this reef but if you do pygmies, leaf fish, nudis and ghost pipefish have been seen here. Depending on the phase of the moon, strong currents can make this dive site very challenging but unforgettable.

Days 19-20 Misool, Raja Ampat (7-8 dives)

Misool is in the south of Raja Ampat and we will dive at the many small islands in the southeast. Over the past years Misool has become Raja Ampat best diving area, being famous for the profusion of colorful soft corals, sea fans beautifully draped all over the reefs and a huge amount of all kind of fishes on every single dive.

The islands in southeast Misool are grouped by areas. Here are the names of the areas and dive sites we may visit (weather permitting):

Misool – Boo Area

Boo Windows is the famous dive site in this area. It is best known for the “windows” or rounded openings on the end of the largest rock that completely pierce the reef from the surface down to about five meters/fifteen feet. Although the two rocks appear separate from the surface they are in fact connected underwater by a magnificent reef draped in soft corals and brimming with fish. Boo Ridge is an underwater ridge coming off the eastern point of Boo Island. Both sides are covered in huge gorgonian sea fans. At these dive sites look out for turtles, reef sharks, pygmies, nudis and schooling batfish, fusiliers and snappers.

Shadow Reef is a submerged seamount south of Boo. The fish life here is profuse with napoleon wrasses of all sizes, baby white tip reef sharks sleeping under the table corals, schooling barracuda and batfish and for the lucky ones maybe a manta ray circling the cleaning stations. Birthday Cake is a beautiful ridge in the Boo Area. Look for pygmy seahorses, flatworms and nudibranch in the deeper section and beautiful soft corals in the shallows, where we even have seen the famous “walking shark” – epaulette shark. Eagle Nest is a seamount close to the island of Warakaraket. With the right current we have been lucky to see lots of fish action, including grey reef sharks, giant travellies hunting in clouds of fusiliers and even manta rays.

Misool – Yuliet Area

The tiny islands of Yuliet and Romeo both have surrounding plateaux in the shallows that slope down to reefs or small walls. At Yuliet there is a good chance to see the ‘Santa Claus pygmy’ a red colour variation of the Denise pygmy seahorse. In the shallows are large coral heads completely covered in colourful soft corals. Schools of barracuda and batfish as well as napoleon wrasses are often seen here. Romeo is a great night dive where we will look for the endemic epaulette shark, the ‘walking’ shark.

Misool – Fiabecet

Fiabecet area has a selection of dives where the colourful soft corals and beautiful sea fans literally smother the reefs. The soft corals here are truly outstanding. There is a deep underwater ridge connecting the island of Boo in the east to the island of Kalig in the west. In parts this ridge moves up shallower and forms the dive sites of Boo West Corner, Batu Kecil (aka Tank Rock), Nudi Rock, Whale Rock and Kalig Ridge. Expect healthy fish life, pygmy seahorses galore, nudis, colourful anemones, reef sharks and perhaps a Wobbegong shark. Anti-chovy is a large underwater seamount with some deep pinnacles covered in stunning corals. Mobula rays, golden trevallies and Napoleon wrasses can be found here. On top of the seamount look for turtles, stonefish and reef octopus.

Misool – Wayilbatan Area

Neptune Fan Sea is a small channel between two islands with a shallow wall completely covered in some of the biggest gorgonian sea fans you will ever see. At the start of the dive explore the beautiful coral heads where huge groupers can be hiding. Then drift along the wall and enjoy the view of the sea fans, stopping once in a while to find the tiny pygmy seahorse. Four Kings is a stunning dive site made up of four underwater pinnacles. Swim from one rock to the next enjoying the soft corals and fish life. Look out for schooling big eye jacks, spadefishes and grey reef sharks. Wedding Cake, Dunia Kecil and Wayili Rock offer chances to see schools of batfish, trevallies, barracuda, pygmy seahorses and reef octopus.

Misool – Daram Area

Daram is the most easterly point of the islands we might visit in Misool. The reef at Andiamo is stunning and is large enough for at least two dives. There is a submerged pinnacle where sea fans are surrounded by schools of fusiliers and batfish. A short swim across a sandy bottom brings you to the main reef lush with soft corals. In between the two islets is a gap thick with sea fans and is excellent for wide-angle photography. Look out for black tip reef sharks and napoleon wrasse, if you can see them through all the fish!

Candy Store is so named because the first divers to explore this reef felt like kids in a candy store. Huge sponges, beautiful soft corals and sea fans cover this dive site, especially in the valleys where schools of fusiliers, butterfly fish and sometimes barracuda gather. Warna Berwarna in Bahasa Indonesia means “Vibrant Colors”. Expect to see sea fans in all possible colors and watch out for pygmy seahorses. On the northwestern side of the island there is a beautiful ridge coming out where tons of fusiliers and orange spotted trevallies hang out in the blue. The shallows are covered with healthy hard corals and often we get to see schooling bumphead parrotfishes.

Misool – Sagof

The little islets of Baby Rock and Two Tree Island create amazing dive sites with abundant fish life. There is a resident school of batfish at Baby Rock and Two Tree Island is often full of thousands bait fish. The Watch Towers is a massive seamount with tons of black coral in the deeper section. Schools of yellow snappers, barracudas and giant trevallies can be found in the up-current side. On the hard coral plateau look out for wobbegong sharks and crocodile fish.

Day 21 Penemu (3 dives)

Penemu is an island west of Waigeo with a selection of dives sites. Melissa’s Garden is the most well known. Here there are very healthy hard coral reefs in the shallows and a beautiful coral garden sloping to the sides where schooling fish hang out in the current. Wobbegong sharks like to sleep under the coral heads and inside the large cup corals here. Hundreds of anthias dance in and out of the corals where you might also see a sea snake. Penemu Wall and My Reef are also great dives in this area.

After the two morning dives we will visit the viewpoint in Penemu where you can appreciate the iconic Raja Ampat view of the groups of islands nestled inside beautiful blue lagoons. At sunset we will dive at Batu Rufus. There is a shallow swim through framed beautifully by soft corals and sea fans. Below this is a sloping reef where hard corals shelter cardinal fish in the shallows and in the deep, Pontohi seahorses and nudibranch can be found on the coral heads.

Day 22 Dampier Strait (1-2 dives)

The strait that flows between Waigeo and Batanta is rapidly becoming known as having really good diving in Raja Ampat as a result of the nutrient-rich ocean currents passing through. Everything that makes for a wonderful dive can be found here. But even beyond the usual delights and the satisfaction of spotting prized macro subjects such as the newly discovered Pontohi pygmy seahorse on the coral heads, there are surprises to be found in every dive.
The fish life in this area is as plentiful as can be expected at sites with a great deal of healthy hard and soft coral. Wobbegong sharks can also be found at any of these dive sites, especially at Mioskon. Cape Kri holds the impressive record of 374 fish species identified during one 90-minute dive. Blue Magic is a submerged seamount where there is a chance to encounter Giant manta rays.

Ironically, sardines are about the only reef fish not found at the site of Sardine Reef, but you won’t even notice as you see swarms of fusiliers, surgeonfish, trevallies, rainbow runners, sweetlips and bannerfish practically blocking out the sky swarming over a reef decorated with sea fans, soft corals and huge orange elephant ear sponges encrusted with pastel colonies of tunicates. One of the more unique thrills of this site is being able to hear “fish thunder” – the loud booming sound made when a large number of fish move rapidly through open water.
On the last full day of the cruise there will be one or two dives depending on the flight times out of Sorong the next day. After the dives we will travel back to Sorong.

Day 23 Disembarkation in Sorong

Total dives: 64-70

RAJA AMPAT – TRITON BAY

12 Days/11 Nights Kaimana-Sorong Cruise Itinerary

Day 1 Embarkation in Kaimana

Days 2-4 Triton Bay (12 dives)

We call this area Triton Bay but we don’t actually dive inside Triton Bay itself! The bay is very close to the main island of West Papua and therefore has very bad visibility. Most of the dive sites are located in the strait created by the island of Aiduma and south West Papua.

Larry’s Heaven

This dive site was named by divers in memory of Larry Smith one of the pioneers of Triton Bay. It was previously named as Little Komodo by Larry. The southern part of the site is a gentle slope with big boulders. The slopes transform into a mini wall towards the east. All the boulders and the mini wall are completely covered in soft corals like you have never seen before. Look for flasher wrasse and sand divers in the sandy slope on the south west. With sweetlips and anthias decorating the reef with their marvellous colors, this site is the most popular dive in Triton Bay.
White Rocks

A perfect dive site for an afternoon or night dive depending on the current. Here you will be critter hunting along the bottom of the site. Look in the soft corals, you may find one of the most camouflaged crabs in the sea, the Candy Crab. Also, there is an opportunity to see the elegant walking shark (Epaulette shark).

Bo’s Rainbow

Bo’s Rainbow is a small rock on the surface but a huge area underwater waiting for divers to discover all the macro marine life and enjoy the formations of this site. All the boulders are completely covered in soft corals and the gentle slope is covered in black coral. Look for ghost pipefish and saw-blade shrimps in the black coral bushes. Up in the shallows there is a swim through that offers a perfect place for wobbegong sharks to rest during the day.

Flasher Beach

Another great dive site that Triton Bay has to offer is Flasher Beach and it’s not for the beauty of the location but for the marine life. The name Flasher Beach comes from the amount of different species of flasher wrasse you can encounter on any dive. With luck you might get to see the endemic Triton Bay Flasher Wrasse (Parachieilinus nursalim).

Day 5 Mai Mai (snorkelling with whale sharks)

On that day we will visit a small village called Mai Mai off the island of Namatote where there are fishing platforms called Bagans. The fishermen here have created an amazing relationship with the biggest fish of the ocean – the Whale Shark. We have to wait until around 8 or 9 am for the whale sharks to hopefully arrive and for the fishermen to be ready with the morning breakfast for the sharks. The giant gentle whale sharks allow us to get into the water with snorkelling gear only to enjoy the presence of these amazing wonders of the sea. This is an unforgettable experience. It takes time for the dive masters and cruise directors to arrange everything with the village and fishermen but the waiting is absolutely worth it.

Day 6 Fak Fak/Momon Island or Papisoi (2-3 dives)

Next stop will be Fak-Fak or Papisoi depending on the weather conditions. Normally Fak-Fak is more exposed to the winds and swells and in Papisoi you can find more protection.
In Fak-Fak there is a beautiful waterfall where you can go by tenders and if there is no big swells you can even swim around. The water normally is cold around the waterfall and you can try to get to the back from the left side where you will find a little cave where you can enjoy looking at the waterfall without getting wet.

On the bigger island there is a ridge with a shallow plateau that then drops down to slopes on both sides. Look there for different gobies. The shallow part is covered with some hard corals and brown soft corals and normally fusiliers playing around and a beautiful school of yellow snappers. The closer you get to the island on the shallow plateau the more sand will be there and the corner of the ridge is a nice place to look in case some pelagic fish are around. Mommon is a little peninsula in Sanggala Bay very close to the waterfall area. On the sandy slope you can find twin spot gobies and nice critters plus some healthy corals in the shallows.

At Tanjung Papisoi you will find a slope area with rocks and some sea fans. One of the most known fish experts, Dr Gerry Allen, broke his record of most species of fish counted in one single dive in this area – the total was 330 species. Here we look around for nudibranch, sweetlips and Bargibanti pygmy seahorses. In the shallows we have found the shy red spotted goby. There is a village on the big island and in front of the beach there are two rocks where we will do the third dive of the day. Here we can see big napoleons wrasses, schools of surgeon fish, some groupers, schooling fusiliers, longnose emperors and perhaps even a marbled stingray. Also look here for some gobies and nudibranchs. Nusawulan is good for a night dive. We have seen the endemic Triton walking shark and Spanish dancers.

Day 7 Pulau Pisang (2-3 dives)

This is a group of islands in the middle of Arafura Sea. Pulau Pisang means Banana Island. The big island is call Pulau Sabuda and then there is a group of small islands on the south side where we will do our day of diving. T-Bone dive site is a ridge coming out from the middle part of one of the little islands. You can start the dive around 15-20 ft and then follow the ridge until the corner where it becomes a slope with a lot of elephant ear sponges on the deepest section. There are some big sea fans and different soft and hard corals in the shallows. This place is very special for one thing – you can find the Jamal’s dottyback.

A tiny fish discovered in 2012 and only seen in Pisang and Fak-Fak. This is also good place to look for different anthias, gobies in the deeper part and fusiliers on the shallows. The Dome is a big seamount. The shallows drop very deep into a slope and walls at the sides. There are many fusiliers around the shallows and walls plus schools of black and midnight snappers. Look under the rocks for lobsters.

Days 8-10 Misool, Raja Ampat (11-12 dives)

Misool is in the south of Raja Ampat and we will dive at the many small islands in the southeast. Over the past years Misool has become Raja Ampat best diving area, being famous for the profusion of colorful soft corals, sea fans beautifully draped all over the reefs and a huge amount of all kind of fishes on every single dive. Take a look at some photos taken in this area in our album Soft Coral Heaven.
The islands in southeast Misool are grouped by areas. Here are the names of the areas and dive sites we may visit (weather permitting):

Misool – Boo Area

Boo Windows is the famous dive site in this area. It is best known for the “windows” or rounded openings on the end of the largest rock that completely pierce the reef from the surface down to about five meters/fifteen feet. Although the two rocks appear separate from the surface they are in fact connected underwater by a magnificent reef draped in soft corals and brimming with fish. See photos of the Windows here. Boo Ridge is an underwater ridge coming off the eastern point of Boo Island. Both sides are covered in huge gorgonian sea fans. At these dive sites look out for turtles, reef sharks, pygmies, nudis and schooling batfish, fusiliers and snappers.

Shadow Reef is a submerged seamount south of Boo. The fish life here is profuse with napoleon wrasses of all sizes, baby white tip reef sharks sleeping under the table corals, schooling barracuda and batfish and for the lucky ones maybe a manta ray circling the cleaning stations. Birthday Cake is a beautiful ridge in the Boo Area. Look for pygmy seahorses, flatworms and nudibranch in the deeper section and beautiful soft corals in the shallows, where we even have seen the famous “walking shark” – epaulette shark. Eagle Nest is a seamount close to the island of Warakaraket. With the right current we have been lucky to see lots of fish action, including grey reef sharks, giant travellies hunting in clouds of fusiliers and even manta rays.

Misool – Yuliet Area

The tiny islands of Yuliet and Romeo both have surrounding plateaux in the shallows that slope down to reefs or small walls. At Yuliet there is a good chance to see the ‘Santa Claus pygmy’ a red colour variation of the Denise pygmy seahorse. In the shallows are large coral heads completely covered in colourful soft corals. Schools of barracuda and batfish as well as napoleon wrasses are often seen here. Romeo is a great night dive where we will look for the endemic epaulette shark, the ‘walking’ shark.

Misool – Fiabecet

Fiabecet area has a selection of dives where the colourful soft corals and beautiful sea fans literally smother the reefs. The soft corals here are truly outstanding. There is a deep underwater ridge connecting the island of Boo in the east to the island of Kalig in the west. In parts this ridge moves up shallower and forms the dive sites of Boo West Corner, Batu Kecil (aka Tank Rock), Nudi Rock, Whale Rock and Kalig Ridge. Expect healthy fish life, pygmy seahorses galore, nudis, colourful anemones, reef sharks and perhaps a Wobbegong shark. Anti-chovy is a large underwater seamount with some deep pinnacles covered in stunning corals. Mobula rays, golden trevallies and Napoleon wrasses can be found here. On top of the seamount look for turtles, stonefish and reef octopus.

Misool – Wayilbatan Area

Neptune Fan Sea is a small channel between two islands with a shallow wall completely covered in some of the biggest gorgonian sea fans you will ever see. At the start of the dive explore the beautiful coral heads where huge groupers can be hiding. Then drift along the wall and enjoy the view of the sea fans, stopping once in a while to find the tiny pygmy seahorse. Four Kings is a stunning dive site made up of four underwater pinnacles. Swim from one rock to the next enjoying the soft corals and fish life. Look out for schooling big eye jacks, spadefishes and grey reef sharks. Wedding Cake, Dunia Kecil and Wayili Rock offer chances to see schools of batfish, trevallies, barracuda, pygmy seahorses and reef octopus.

Misool – Daram Area

Daram is the most easterly point of the islands we might visit in Misool. The reef at Andiamo is stunning and is large enough for at least two dives. There is a submerged pinnacle where sea fans are surrounded by schools of fusiliers and batfish. A short swim across a sandy bottom brings you to the main reef lush with soft corals. In between the two islets is a gap thick with sea fans and is excellent for wide-angle photography. Look out for black tip reef sharks and napoleon wrasse, if you can see them through all the fish!

Candy Store is so named because the first divers to explore this reef felt like kids in a candy store. Huge sponges, beautiful soft corals and sea fans cover this dive site, especially in the valleys where schools of fusiliers, butterfly fish and sometimes barracuda gather. Warna Berwarna in Bahasa Indonesia means “Vibrant Colors”. Expect to see sea fans in all possible colors and watch out for pygmy seahorses. On the northwestern side of the island there is a beautiful ridge coming out where tons of fusiliers and orange spotted trevallies hang out in the blue. The shallows are covered with healthy hard corals and often we get to see schooling bumphead parrotfishes.

Misool – Sagof

The little islets of Baby Rock and Two Tree Island create amazing dive sites with abundant fish life. There is a resident school of batfish at Baby Rock and Two Tree Island is often full of thousands bait fish. The Watch Towers is a massive seamount with tons of black coral in the deeper section. Schools of yellow snappers, barracudas and giant trevallies can be found in the up-current side. On the hard coral plateau look out for wobbegong sharks and crocodile fish.

Day 11 Penemu (3 dives)

Penemu is an island west of Waigeo with a selection of dives sites. Melissa’s Garden is the most well known. Here there are very healthy hard coral reefs in the shallows and a beautiful coral garden sloping to the sides where schooling fish hang out in the current. Wobbegong sharks like to sleep under the coral heads and inside the large cup corals here. Hundreds of anthias dance in and out of the corals where you might also see a sea snake. Penemu Wall and My Reef are also great dives in this area.

After the two morning dives we will visit the viewpoint in Penemu where you can appreciate the iconic Raja Ampat view of the groups of islands nestled inside beautiful blue lagoons. Check out our Beaches & Islands album. At sunset we will dive at Batu Rufus. There is a shallow swim through framed beautifully by soft corals and sea fans. Below this is a sloping reef where hard corals shelter cardinal fish in the shallows and in the deep, Pontohi seahorses and nudibranch can be found on the coral heads.

Day 12 Dampier Strait (1-2 dives)

The strait that flows between Waigeo and Batanta is rapidly becoming known as having really good diving in Raja Ampat as a result of the nutrient-rich ocean currents passing through. Everything that makes for a wonderful dive can be found here. But even beyond the usual delights and the satisfaction of spotting prized macro subjects such as the newly discovered Pontohi pygmy seahorse on the coral heads, there are surprises to be found in every dive.
The fish life in this area is as plentiful as can be expected at sites with a great deal of healthy hard and soft coral. Wobbegong sharks can also be found at any of these dive sites, especially at Mioskon. Cape Kri holds the impressive record of 374 fish species identified during one 90-minute dive. Blue Magic is a submerged seamount where there is a chance to encounter Giant manta rays.

Ironically, sardines are about the only reef fish not found at the site of Sardine Reef, but you won’t even notice as you see swarms of fusiliers, surgeonfish, trevallies, rainbow runners, sweetlips and bannerfish practically blocking out the sky swarming over a reef decorated with sea fans, soft corals and huge orange elephant ear sponges encrusted with pastel colonies of tunicates. One of the more unique thrills of this site is being able to hear “fish thunder” – the loud booming sound made when a large number of fish move rapidly through open water.
On the last full day of the cruise there will be one or two dives depending on the flight times out of Sorong the next day. After the dives we will travel back to Sorong.

On this last full day of the cruise there will be two dives depending on the flight times out of Sorong the next day. After the dives we will travel back to Sorong.

Day 13 Disembarkation in Sorong

Total dives: 31-35 dives

KOMODO FOCUS

11 Days/10 Nights Labuanbajo – Labuanbajo Cruise Itinerary

Day 1 Embarkation in Labuanbajo

Day 2 Komodo-Flores Channel (4 dives)

Currents in this area can be quite strong and we have to dive according to the tides. There are many dive sites and the sites chosen will be dependent on the currents. Finish the day with a great night dive at Wainilo. Komodo is an excellent place for spotting macro critters and the reefs and corals are spectacular too. See some photos here.

Sebayur Kecil

This island at the east side of Komodo National Park is a perfect spot to do our check-out dive as currents tend to be very mild here. We start the dive on a white sand patch were we can look out for blue spotted stingrays, garden eels and other sand inhabitants. Continuing to the east the reef gets into a beautiful hard coral wall. Leaf scorpionfishes, reef octopus and morey eels are only a few of the inhabitants of this site.

Tatawa Besar

This is a thrilling drift dive that starts off from the northwestern tip of Tatawa and continues down the western side towards 15 to 20 meters of depth. The surrounding fish life is profuse and you will see an endless field of stunning orange soft corals as you glide along. Swim past coral heads inhabited by schools of sweetlips and batfish and look out for turtles feeding on the reef. Mantas have been encountered here as well.

Batu Bolong

Underwater this rock is covered in a huge amount of soft and hard corals and full of fish life. In the shallows watch anemone fish and look out for turtles munching on the corals. Giant trevally, white tip reef sharks, snappers and emperor fish tend to congregate here. This site presents particularly good opportunities for both macro and wide-angle photography.

Wainilo

This night dive is situated off the north of Rinca Island. In the shallows, the hard coral reef is home to many different critters, including juvenile harlequin sweetlips and batfish. Away from the reef, the sandy slope is scattered with pulsing soft corals that hide demon stingers and starry night octopus. Different types of nudibranch, frogfishes, harlequin shrimps and even wheedy rhinophias have been seen here.

Day 3 Walk with dragons/Middle Area (3 dives)

Loh Buaya (walk with dragons)

Your day will begin with an exciting visit to Komodo National Park where you will be able to take a stroll with the famous dragon! Take a look at our Komodo Dragon photo album here. As you walk along the paths, also stay on the lookout for deer, wild boar and birds in addition to the giant lizards. After the walk we move to the middle area of Komodo National Park.

Takat Makassar

This is an exhilarating drift dive along the shallow flat bottom interspersed with patches of coral reef teeming with life. There are chances to see manta rays, turtles, eagle rays and white tip and black tip reef sharks.

Siaba Besar

This spot is a nice combination with a white sand area where we can find some great critters as frogfishes, ghost pipefishes, devil scorpionfishes, upside down jellyfish and a big amount of flounders. On the hard coral area watch out for big green turtles, leaf scorpionfishes and pajama cardinalfishes.

Siaba Kecil

This little island offers a beautiful drift dive with some nice overhangs where sweetlips, snappers and trevallies can be found. After the drift we finish the dive in a pretty shallow staghorn coral area with hundreds of anthias and feeding hawksbill turtles. Have a look as well into the blue, very often we see eagle rays passing by.

Batu Tengah

This dive site is located in the middle of the Komodo National Park, 12 nautical miles to the north and 12 nautical miles to the south. The translation of Batu = Rock, Tengah = Middle. With a slope to the east of the site and a coral garden to the west Batu Tangah is a beautiful site where we often get to see turtles, cuttlefish and juvenile white tip reef sharks that hide under the table corals among the hard coral garden. Napoleon wrasse and big groups of snapper swimming on the slope with all the colourful decoration of the soft coral make Batu Tengah a high quality dive site.

Day 4 & 5 Rinca Island (8 dives)

The water temperature here and in the southern dive sites over the next few days can be a little cooler dropping from the normal 28/29 degrees Celsius (82-84 Fahrenheit) to a possible 20 Celsius (68 Fahrenheit). Also due to the infinite nutrients in the water creating the amazing biodiversity in this area the visibility can sometimes be a bit greener. Neither one of these factors can spoil the amazing diving to be had in these areas.

Horseshoe Bay is in the south of Rinca Island and we spend one full day here. Here we dive the famous Cannibal Rock, one of the top ten dives sites in the world according to some diving publications. Watch dragons, wild pigs, deer and monkeys roam the beach and take a tender ride or kayak to get a closer look.

Cannibal Rock

This outstanding dive site covers a large area with sandy slopes in the north, deep mini walls in the east, a plateau full of life in the south and rocky areas in the west. The nutrient rich bay creates the most spectacular congregation of hard and soft corals in all parts of the dive site. Sponges, ascidians, sea squirts and tube anemones are abundant. A great diversity of nudibranchs can be seen here, along with frogfish, turtles, cuttlefish and other reef fish too.

Yellow Wall of Texas

As the name suggests this wall at the southern entrance to Horseshoe Bay is covered in yellow and orange soft corals. A tiny critter, the ladybug, comes in its multitudes here. Nudibranchs decorate the wall that usually has a slight current enabling you to slowly drift along and enjoy the view.

The Boulders

Inside the bay and opposite Yellow Wall of Texas there are large rocks that continue underwater to create places for large rays to rest and even sometimes nurse sharks hide in these underwater crevices. The boulders are covered in corals becoming a paradise for marine life.

Crinoid Canyon

Another wall on the opposite side of Horseshoe Bay with deep bommies covered in soft corals and huge gorgonian sea fans. Here ribbon eels and giant frogfish have been spotted along side the hundreds of crinoid which give this dive site its name.
The Boulders
Inside the bay and opposite Yellow Wall of Texas there are large rocks that continue underwater to create places for large rays to rest and even sometimes nurse sharks hide in these underwater crevices. The boulders are covered in corals becoming a paradise for marine life. The elusive Rhinopias have been found here before.

Rhino Rocks

There is a group of rocks that at low tide break the surface that we call Rhino Rocks. This is because there has before been found the elusive Rhinopias. It is a shallow dive site with a sloping reef ending at the rocks that are covered in corals of all kinds. The reef is an excellent place to look for nudibranchs, frogfish, juvenile batfish, zebra crabs, turtles and cuttlefish. This dive site also makes an excellent night dive when you should look out for Coral Catshark.

Banana Island

Another incredible dive site named by the shape of the Island, this small island is close to Nusa Kode Island, great dive site for a third dive. Banana Island has beautiful hard coral formation in the shallows and at 15mts/45ft depth we can see some boulders cover with soft corals. Giant frog fish, broad cuttle fish, reef octopus and some special nudibrachs have been seen here. Keep always looking out into the blue for schools of mobula rays, we have seen them here once in a while.

Torpedo Alley

A marvelous night dive named after the pancake sized torpedo rays that can be found here. Coconut octopus, seahorses, colorful squid and the bizarre bobbit worm all live in the black volcanic sand. A very shallow dive with a maximum depth of 10m/30ft, spend time looking for all the strange inhabitants among the rocks, soft corals and in the sand.

Day 6 Manta Alley/Pink Beach (4 dives)

Manta Alley is located on the south end of Komodo Island. After two dives looking for manta rays we head up to the middle of Komodo Island to the Pink Beach area.

Manta Alley<./h6>
Manta Alley is located in Tora Langkoi Bay along the south coast of Komodo. The dive site in fact barely pierces the ocean’s surface at the end of a line of rock islets. As can be guessed from its name many manta rays are known to frequent this site and it is the most popular one in Komodo for spotting them. The area can be described as a deep gully that works as a funnel when the tide changes, causing the water to rush through at speeds of up to three to four knots with the fall and rise of the tides and up to one knot even during “slack water” periods. Watch the mantas being cleaned on the North side or enter the ‘Alley’ to see them hover effortlessly in the current.

Pink Beach

The simple topography makes this site an ideal afternoon dive. A mini wall can be found in the middle of the reef, where clouds of glassfish swarm in the cracks and crevices. An abundant amount of fish life and unusual critters make their home here, including leaf scorpionfish, crocodilefish, nudibranchs and frogfish. On one side of the wall is a sloping coral reef full of life. On the other is a sandy area with healthy staghorn corals growing and providing shelter for juvenile harlequin sweetlips and barramundi.

Loh Liang Bay

This white sand muck dive is around the corner from Pink Beach situated inside Loh Liang Bay on Komodo Island. Search for all sorts of critters here – bobtail squid, flamboyant cuttlefish, frogfish, nudibranchs, Ambon scorpion fish, cockatoo waspfish and large moray eels living in the shallow rocks.

Day 7 & 8 North Komodo (8 dives)

Two celebrated dive sites await you, just north of Gili Lawalaut Island. Crystal Rock and Castle Rock are both incredible locations, boasting the key elements for any impressive dive site: a wide variety of healthy corals covering the reef, plus tons of fish – both big and small and all sizes in between! There are more exhilarating dives in this area, Aquarium, Coral Garden, Gili Lawalaut Lighthouse and a bit more to the northeast Batu Montjo, along with good night dives on healthy hard coral reefs off the island of Gili Lawa Darat. Between the dives there is a chance to visit Gili Lawalaut Island and take a short trek to the top of the hill for a wonderful view over the Komodo-Flores channel.

Crystal Rock

The rock jutting out of the surrounding crystal clear waters explains how this site got its name. But what is truly memorable here are the large schools of fusiliers and anthias flitting over the gorgeous soft corals and impressive table corals. In the deep blue, you can also see at times large tuna, mackerel and other fish schooling around a small mound to the northwest. A lone eagle ray is often spotted here cruising in the currents.

Castle Rock

Castle Rock is a submerged pinnacle situated a kilometre further north from Crystal Rock. Its exposed location means strong currents but experienced divers will love the thrills to be had on this dive. In fact, the main action comes from watching the staggering amount of fish such as batfish, groupers, midnight snappers and impressive schools of fusiliers and surgeons whipping past. Of course, divers aren’t the only ones interested in the huge amount of fish here, which explains the giant trevally as well as whitetips, blacktips and grey reef sharks hunting around for their next meal.

Aquarium

This beautiful shallow dive site on the southwest corner of Gili Lawalaut offers a good possibility to see manta rays passing by. Big coral formations surrounded by thousands of glassfish offer amazing wide angle photography opportunities. White tip reef sharks can be found in the sandy bottom area and hawksbill and green turtles can be seen along the calm flower coral reef.

Coral Garden

We start the dive in a white sandy area with stunning coral heads and big barrel sponges. Watch out for leaf scorpionfishes, hairy squat lobsters, morey eels and different types of stingrays. The reef converts into a beautiful hard coral wall where thousands of fusiliers and dozens of trevallies and snappers can be seen.

Batu Montjo

In the northwest of Komodo Island, Batu Montjo is a perfect site to dive as a third dive with a amazing formation of hard corals in the shallows. Many boulders covered with gorgonian sea fans lie in between the white sandy slopes. This combination of hard corals and gorgonian sea fans with all the fish swimming in between the coral garden makes for a perfect relaxing afternoon dive. Leaf fish, mantis shrimp, jaw fish and turtles are often seen at this site.

Gili Lawalaut Lighthouse

On the north of Gili Lawalaut there is a lighthouse at the end of a long reef. When the tide is going down the dive starts on the reef with a drift to the corner. At the corner there are big schools of batfish, snappers, surgeons with napoleon wrasse and reef sharks also hanging around.

Day 9 Sangeang Island (4 dives)

The island of Sangeang is located northeast of Sumbawa. It’s a fairly small island but you’ll notice it right away since most of its landscape consists of Gunung Api, an active volcano. This natural phenomenon has made for some amazing topography, such as steep ridges dripping with hardened lava. There are several excellent dive sites here, all with good visibility, allowing you to truly appreciate the healthy reefs of soft and hard corals as well as different types of anemones.

Hot Rocks

Here the volcano has left its mark below the surface as well. In the shallows observe volcanic bubbles escaping from the seabed through air vents. Put your hands close to the ‘hot rocks’ and feel the heat from the sulphur-covered rocks. Besides the usual tropical reef species ribbon eels, cowries and Bargibanti pygmy seahorses can also be seen here.

Lighthouse Reef

This site presents many contrasts in terms of natural features and marine life. Strong currents can prevail in the exposed areas but there are also sheltered spots. Down around 20 metres macro lovers will be delighted, as the base of the wall and large black sand slope is excellent for spotting countless nudibranchs and other colourful critters. Black coral bushes hide ghost pipefish and saw blade shrimps.

Black Diamond

The rocky formation up in the shallows with fingers of coral going to the deep are covered with black coral and crinoids in any colour you can imagine. The black sand acts as a background to all the colour of this dive site and the corals will stand out in a way that you’ve never seen before. Among the black coral we often get to see one of the most incredible masters of camouflage, the ornate ghost pipefish and as the name suggests any ghost pipefish are a plus for divers. Big reef octopus, peacock mantis shrimps and nudibranchs are also seen here.

Bontoh Reef

Is located in the west part of Sangeang volcano where we have incredible sunsets and for this reason Bontoh Reef is a perfect place to dive as a third dive and night dive. With a very shallow area of black sand and small rocks covered with algae that gently slope down, Bontoh offers one of the biggest populations of spaghetti garden eels coming out from the sand. Among the small rocks is the perfect place for creatures to hide from predators and photographers. Critters spotted here include painted frogfish, juvenile angelfish, mantis shrimps and while we are swimming out in the sand we have the chance to see the wunderpus or mimic octopus.

Day 10 Middle Area of Komodo (1-2 dives)

On the last full day of the cruise there will be one or two dives depending on the flight times out of Labuanbajo the next day. We will spend half the day around the middle area. After the dives we will travel back to Labuanbajo and spend the rest of the day relaxing and preparing for our famous photo contest of the trip.

Day 11 Disembarkation in Labuanbajo

Total: 32 – 33 dives

KOMODO FOCUS

10 Days/9 Nights Labuanbajo – Bima Cruise Itinerary

Day 1 Embarkation in Labuanbajo

Day 2 Komodo-Flores Channel (4 dives)

Currents in this area can be quite strong and we have to dive according to the tides. There are many dive sites and the sites chosen will be dependent on the currents. Finish the day with a great night dive at Wainilo. Komodo is an excellent place for spotting macro critters and the reefs and corals are spectacular too. See some photos here.

Sebayur Island

This island has a white sandy slope that turns into a mini wall, perfect for a check dive. Look for leaf fish, ghost pipefish and a variety of nudis at the edge of the reef. Various nudibranchs, lionfish and moray eels make the wall their home. In the shallows the hard corals are decorated with anthias and we often find large cuttlefish and juvenile bicolour parrotfish.

Siaba Kecil

Here at Siaba Kecil we have a magnificent formation of hard coral from the shallows of the island till a depth of 20m/60ft. The current running from the south to north is the best way to dive this site. During the drift and also at the end of the drift we have a great chance to see green and hawksbill turtle feeding on the formation of hard coral, white tip reef sharks also can be seen here. Reef manta rays can occasionally swim by the coral garden of this site.

Karang Makassar

This is an exhilarating drift dive along the shallow flat bottom interspersed with patches of coral reef teeming with life. There are chances to see turtles, eagle rays and white tip and black tip reef sharks. But the main reason we dive here is to hopefully see manta rays. Reef mantas come here to visit the cleaning stations but they can also be spotted, mouth wide open, feeding on the surface. This area can also be a very good snorkelling spot.

Batu Bolong

Underwater this rock is covered in a huge amount of soft and hard corals and full of fish life. In the shallows watch anemone fish and look out for turtles munching on the corals. Giant trevally, white tip reef sharks, snappers and emperor fish tend to congregate here. This site presents particularly good opportunities for both macro and wide-angle photography.

Tatawa Besar

This is a thrilling drift dive that starts off from the northwestern tip of Tatawa and continues down the western side towards 15 to 20 meters of depth. The surrounding fish life is profuse and you will see an endless field of stunning orange soft corals as you glide along. Swim past coral heads inhabited by schools of sweetlips and batfish and look out for turtles feeding on the reef. Mantas have been encountered here as well.

Tatawa Kecil

The West side of this small rocky outcrop presents a fantastic underwater terrain with enormous slabs of rock that have been worn down to form channels, canyons, caves and swim-throughs. On the north plateau crocodile fish lie on the scenic reef among a whole host of reef fish and schooling fusiliers.

Batu Tengah

This dive site is located in the middle of the Komodo National Park, 12 nautical miles to the north and 12 nautical miles to the south. The translation of Batu = Rock, Tengah = Middle. With a slope to the east of the site and a coral garden to the west Batu Tangah is a beautiful site where we often get to see turtles, cuttlefish and juvenile white tip reef sharks that hide under the table corals among the hard coral garden. Napoleon wrasse and big groups of snapper swimming on the slope with all the colourful decoration of the soft coral make Batu Tengah a high quality dive site.

Wainilo

This night dive is situated off the north of Rinca Island. In the shallows, the hard coral reef is home to many different critters, including juvenile harlequin sweetlips and batfish. Away from the reef, the sandy slope is scattered with pulsing soft corals that hide demon stingers and starry night octopus, plus a moray eel that has not yet been classified by scientists and is only found here in Wainilo.

Day 3 Walk with dragons / Padar Island (2 dives)

Loh Buaya (walk with dragons)

Your day will begin with an exciting visit to Komodo National Park where you will be able to take a stroll with the famous dragon! Take a look at our Komodo Dragon photo album here. As you walk along the paths, also stay on the lookout for deer, wild boar and birds in addition to the giant lizards. After the walk we move to Padar Island for two dives.

The water temperature here and in the southern dive sites over the next few days can be a little cooler dropping from the normal 28/29 degrees Celsius (82-84 Fahrenheit) to a possible 20 Celsius (68 Fahrenheit). Also due to the infinite nutrients in the water creating the amazing biodiversity in this area the visibility can sometimes be a bit greener. Neither one of these factors can spoil the amazing diving to be had in these areas.

After the second dive we visit one of the most incredible beaches in the Komodo National Park. A short walk brings us to the pink sandy beach. During this walk we also have the opportunity to see enjoy incredible views of the National Park with the sunset.

Three Sisters

The site here are full of interesting and beautiful features, such as massive steps and huge towers of stone, all wrapped in hard and soft corals and dotted with nudibranchs, small caves and overhangs. Reef sharks and humphead parrotfish are among the bigger creatures we see in this area. There is also a towering coral spire with a small cave at the bottom, where huge lobsters are often found hiding. Look for the tiny lady bugs on the soft corals and the resident frogfish sitting in the sponges.

Secret Garden

Is one of the top dive sites at Padar Island. As the name of the dive site suggests it has a beautiful coral garden of black coral along a mini wall covered with soft corals. There is a resident school of mobula rays that seem to like swimming through the dive site giving good opportunities to the divers to see them. Nudibranchs, leaf fish, frogfish and the incredible sea apples can be seen here too.

Day 4 Rinca Island (4 dives)

Horseshoe Bay is in the south of Rinca Island and we spend one full day here. Here we dive the famous Cannibal Rock, one of the top ten dives sites in the world according to some diving publications. Watch dragons, wild pigs, deer and monkeys roam the beach and take a tender ride or kayak to get a closer look.

Cannibal Rock

This outstanding dive site covers a large area with sandy slopes in the north, deep mini walls in the east, a plateau full of life in the south and rocky areas in the west. The nutrient rich bay creates the most spectacular congregation of hard and soft corals in all parts of the dive site. Sponges, ascidians, sea squirts and tube anemones are abundant. A great diversity of nudibranchs can be seen here, along with frogfish, turtles, cuttlefish and other reef fish too.

Yellow Wall of Texas

As the name suggests this wall at the southern entrance to Horseshoe Bay is covered in yellow and orange soft corals. A tiny critter, the ladybug, comes in its multitudes here. Nudbranchs decorate the wall that usually has a slight current enabling you to slowly drift along and enjoy the view.

Crinoid Canyon

Another wall on the opposite side of Horseshoe Bay with deep bommies covered in soft corals and huge gorgonian sea fans. Here ribbon eels and giant frogfish have been spotted along side the hundreds of crinoid which give this dive site its name.

The Boulders

Inside the bay and opposite Yellow Wall of Texas there are large rocks that continue underwater to create places for large rays to rest and even sometimes nurse sharks hide in these underwater crevices. The boulders are covered in corals becoming a paradise for marine life. The elusive Rhinopias have been found here before.

Rhino Rocks

There is a group of rocks that at low tide break the surface that we call Rhino Rocks. This is because there has before been found the elusive Rhinopias. It is a shallow dive site with a sloping reef ending at the rocks that are covered in corals of all kinds. The reef is an excellent place to look for nudibranchs, frogfish, juvenile batfish, zebra crabs, turtles and cuttlefish. This dive site also makes an excellent night dive when you should look out for Coral Cat shark.

Torpedo Alley

A marvelous night dive named after the pancake sized torpedo rays that can be found here. Coconut octopus, seahorses, colourful squid and the bizarre bobbit worm all live in the black volcanic sand. A very shallow dive with a maximum depth of 10m/30ft, spend time looking for all the strange inhabitants among the rocks, soft corals and in the sand.

Day 5 Manta Alley / Pink Beach (4 dives)

Manta Alley is located on the south end of Komodo Island. After two dives looking for manta rays we head up to the middle of Komodo Island to the Pink Beach area.

Manta Alley

Manta Alley is located in Tora Langkoi Bay along the south coast of Komodo. The dive site in fact barely pierces the ocean’s surface at the end of a line of rock islets. As can be guessed from its name many manta rays are known to frequent this site and it is the most popular one in Komodo for spotting them. The area can be described as a deep gully that works as a funnel when the tide changes, causing the water to rush through at speeds of up to three to four knots with the fall and rise of the tides and up to one knot even during “slack water” periods. Watch the mantas being cleaned on the North side or enter the ‘Alley’ to see them hover effortlessly in the current.

Pink Beach

The simple topography makes this site an ideal afternoon dive. A mini wall can be found in the middle of the reef, where clouds of glassfish swarm in the cracks and crevices. An abundant amount of fish life and unusual critters make their home here, including leaf scorpionfish, crocodilefish, nudibranchs and frogfish. On one side of the wall is a sloping coral reef full of life. On the other is a sandy area with healthy staghorn corals growing and providing shelter for juvenile harlequin sweetlips and mandarin fish.

Loh Liang Bay

This white sand muck dive is around the corner from Pink Beach situated inside Loh Liang Bay on Komodo Island. Search for all sorts of critters here – bobtail squid, flamboyant cuttlefish, frogfish, nudibranchs, Ambon scorpion fish, cockatoo waspfish and large moray eels living in the shallow rocks.

Day 6 Komodo-Flores Channel (4 dives)

Today we have another opportunity to dive the wonderful Komodo-Flores Channel. Finish the day with a great night dive off the island of Gili Lawa Darat.

Day 7 Gili Lawalaut (4 dives)

Two celebrated dive sites await you, just north of Gili Lawalaut Island. Crystal Rock and Castle Rock are both incredible locations, boasting the key elements for any impressive dive site: a wide variety of healthy corals covering the reef, plus tons of fish – both big and small and all sizes in between! There are two more exhilarating dives in this area, El Toro and Gili Lawalaut Lighthouse, along with good night dives on healthy hard coral reefs off the island of Gili Lawa Darat. Between the dives there is a chance to visit Gili Lawalaut Island and take a short trek to the top of the hill for a wonderful view over the Komodo-Flores channel.

Crystal Rock

The rock jutting out of the surrounding crystal clear waters explains how this site got its name. But what is truly memorable here are the large schools of fusiliers and anthias flitting over the gorgeous soft corals and impressive table corals. In the deep blue, you can also see at times large tuna, mackerel and other fish schooling around a small mound to the northwest. A lone eagle ray is often spotted here cruising in the currents.

Castle Rock

Castle Rock is a submerged pinnacle situated a kilometre further north from Crystal Rock. Its exposed location means strong currents but experienced divers will love the thrills to be had on this dive. In fact, the main action comes from watching the staggering amount of fish such as batfish, groupers, midnight snappers and impressive schools of fusiliers and surgeons whipping past. Of course, divers aren’t the only ones interested in the huge amount of fish here, which explains the giant trevally as well as whitetips, blacktips and grey reef sharks hunting around for their next meal.

El Toro

The channel between Gili Lawalaut and Gili Lawa Darat forms a dive site with interesting topography. The dive starts with a drift along a sloping reef and sandy bottom. Corals heads shelter crocodile fish and lionfish hunting in the small schools of glassfish. Pygmies and frogfish have been seen here as well eagle rays and reef sharks. The dive site then shallows out with the ‘bull ring’ circle opening out and ending in a flat rock plateaux. There is also a chance to see manta rays playing in the surface currents.

Gili Lawalaut Lighthouse

On the north of Gili Lawalaut there is a lighthouse at the end of a long reef. When the tide is going down the dive starts on the reef with a drift to the corner. At the corner there are big schools of batfish, snappers, surgeons with napoleon wrasse and reef sharks also hanging around.

Day 8 Sangeang Island (4 dives)

The island of Sangeang is located northeast of Sumbawa. It’s a fairly small island but you’ll notice it right away since most of its landscape consists of Gunung Api, an active volcano. This natural phenomenon has made for some amazing topography, such as steep ridges dripping with hardened lava. There are several excellent dive sites here, all with good visibility, allowing you to truly appreciate the healthy reefs of soft and hard corals as well as different types of anemones.

Hot Rocks

Here the volcano has left its mark below the surface as well. In the shallows observe volcanic bubbles escaping from the seabed through air vents. Put your hands close to the ‘hot rocks’ and feel the heat from the sulphur-covered rocks. Besides the usual tropical reef species ribbon eels, cowries and Bargibanti pygmy seahorses can also be seen here.

Lighthouse Reef

This site presents many contrasts in terms of natural features and marine life. Strong currents can prevail in the exposed areas but there are also sheltered spots. Down around 20 metres macro lovers will be delighted, as the base of the wall and large black sand slope is excellent for spotting countless nudibranchs and other colourful critters. Black coral bushes hide ghost pipefish and saw blade shrimps.

Black Diamond

The rocky formation up in the shallows with fingers of coral going to the deep are covered with black coral and crinoids in any colour you can imagine. The black sand acts as a background to all the colour of this dive site and the corals will stand out in a way that you’ve never seen before. Among the black coral we often get to see one of the most incredible masters of camouflage, the ornate ghost pipefish and as the name suggests any ghost pipefish are a plus for divers. Big reef octopus, peacock mantis shrimps and nudibranchs are also seen here.

Bontoh Reef

Is located in the west part of Sangeang volcano where we have incredible sunsets and for this reason Bontoh Reef is a perfect place to dive as a third dive and night dive. With a very shallow area of black sand and small rocks covered with algae that gently slope down, Bontoh offers one of the biggest populations of spaghetti garden eels coming out from the sand. Among the small rocks is the perfect place for creatures to hide from predators and photographers. Critters spotted here include painted frogfish, juvenile angelfish, mantis shrimps and while we are swimming out in the sand we have the chance to see the wunderpus or mimic octopus.

Day 9 Bima (1-2 dives)

Bima is a busy port on the northwest end of Sumbawa Island with world class muck diving. We spend the whole day here enjoying the hunt for the most rare and elusive critters.
The number of dives today will depend upon the flight times the next day. After the dive(s) we have an opportunity to visit a village or take a kayak around the calm waters of the bay.

Unusual Suspects

This muck dive is full of weird and wonderful critters. Starting in the south, the black sand is covered in sponges with frogfish, tiger shrimps and seahorses making their homes there. Fire sea urchins house Coleman shrimps and zebra crabs and ghost pipefish are a regular find. Continuing north, huge soft corals grow out of the sand and shelter beautiful cowries. The sandy slope turns into a rocky area where juvenile pinnate batfish, harlequin sweetlips and barramundi cod wiggle around. Thorny seahorses, seamoths, stonefish, razor fish and even wunderpus, mimic and blue-ringed octopus can be found in the next section of sandy slope.

Day 10 Disembarkation in Bima

Total: 27 – 28 dives

ALOR

9 Days/8 Nights Maumere-Maumere Cruise Itinerary

Day 1 Embarkation in Maumere

Day 2 Kawula Island (4 dives)

In the south-west of Kawula Island there is a bay with world class muck diving sites.

Tanjung Waiwowan

This dive site is a mixture of reef and white sandy slope full of amazing critters. Here we have another chance to see the allusive Rhinopias camouflaged in the coral slope. This is a perfect environment for different kinds of ghost pipefish including the very rare Halemeda ghost pipefish. Wunderpus and blue ring octopus were spotted here before. During the night dive juvenile brown-banded bamboo sharks, Helmut flying gurnards and frogfish crawl around the darkened site. A full day can easily be spent here in order to discover all the wonderful creatures.
The Frog and Catfish
So named due to the number of giant frogfish and the huge school of catfish found here the first time we dived this large jetty for the local ferries. The jetty provides an excellent place for giant frogfish to laze around the concrete posts. Rhinopias, mantis shrimps, ghost pipefish, nudis and leaf fish have also been found here. Diving at this site is dependant on the local ferry schedule and permission from the authorities.

Day 3,4,5 Pura Island/Kalabahi Bay (12 dives)

Dives in the Alor/Pantar Strait promise a variety of thrills as the sites present a wide array of exciting possibilities, with topography ranging from dramatic shear drop-offs, spurs jutting out from the shore mingling together with shallow reefs where the light brings out the full colour of the dazzling corals covering all surfaces. The water temperature can be a little cooler in this area dropping from the normal 28/29 degrees Celsius (82-84 Fahrenheit) to a possible 20 Celsius (68 Fahrenheit).

Here you can see the famous Pura Island villagers splash out of their wooden dugout canoes diving underwater with homemade goggles made out of wood and the ends of glass bottles.
During the day we will also look out for large pelagics who use the Pantar Strait as a thoroughfare. If there are any sightings of whales, dolphins or even Mola Mola we may forego a dive and head out in the tenders with snorkelling gear to see if we can have a lucky encounter.

Yan Village

At Yan Village there are several wonderful spots to dive. Walls covered in sponges topped with shallow hard coral reefs where you can spot the elusive Mandarin fish to black sandy slopes where fans of macro will get their fill too. Some examples of the critters here are frogfish, weedy scorpionfish, all sorts of nudibranchs and yellow, blue and black ribbon eels.

Clown Valley

One exceptional dive site on Pura Island is probably the only place in the world where you will see this phenomenon. The entire reef is completely covered in anemones of all shapes and sizes. Enjoy a drift dive along this site and enjoy the abundant fish life, with thousands of colourful anthias and damsels dancing off the reef. Take a look at photos of Clown Valley and other wide-angle opportunities in Alor here.

Kalabahi Bay

Mucky Mosque and Rocky Church are two of the great muck dives we will do inside Kalabahi Bay on Alor Island. The ‘holy grail of fish’ Rhinopias can be found here, with a chance to see both the weedy and paddleflap scorpionfish. Ghost pipefish, soft coral crabs, frogfish, various octopus including the wunderpus and mimic, snake eels, sea moths, sand divers and many other remarkable creatures The only way you are likely to see stranger is if you do a night dive here when unimaginable ones begin foraging out of their holes.

Day 6 Visit traditional Abui tribe village/Reta Island (2 dives)

In the morning we will visit Takpala or Latevui village, both villages still living by their old Abui traditions. The villagers will perform the Lego-Lego dance wearing traditional clothing with brass anklets that make a wonderful jingling sound as they perform. Afterwards there is an opportunity to purchase handmade ikat, woven fabrics of various colours and motifs, as well as jewellery and wooden artifacts. Take a look at our photo album of these villages at Alor Abui Tribe
After the village tour we will travel out into the Alor/Pantar Strait to Reta Island where we will do two dives before traveling to Kawula Island.

Reta Island

Reta Island and has beautiful vertical walls with overhangs, undercuts and a deep plateau at 25m/75ft. It is full of hard and soft corals, barrel sponges and whip corals. At the top of the wall is a gorgeous coral garden teeming with reef fish.

Day 7 Bacatan (4 dives)

Next to the north of Kawula Island there is a beautiful, calm bay overlooked by Lewotolo volcano. We spend the day diving here.

Tanjung Bacatan

Tanjung Bacatan is within view of Lembata and Komba volcanoes. Tanjung means corner and the dive site is situated on a point on the north shore of Kawula island. The dive site consists of a wall covered in crevices and ledges covered in soft corals and large sponges with hard coral gardens in the shallows. At one end the wall turns into a white sandy slope hosting many varieties of reef fish and triggerfish. A resident school of barracuda can be seen here as well as turtles and maybe even large trevallies passing by.

Takat Prau

In the middle of the bay there is a seamount we call Takat Prau. There is a small wooden fishing boat wrecked in the deep right next to a sea fan with pygmies. There can be schooling fusiliers here with small reef sharks patrolling the pinnacle. Leaf fish make their home in the shallows and large reef octopus are often spotted hunting in the hard coral.

Padang Pasir

This dive site has two sections. A huge expanse of white sand extends to the south and a mini wall and reef comes out from the corner of the island. In the sandy area look for waspfish, flounders, stingrays and ghost pipefish. On the wall algae shrimp, moray eels, lionfish and beautiful angelfish hide out. At the top of the reef there are healthy staghorn corals where you might spot a mandarin fish. At night the wall and reef come alive with shrimps and crabs and there is a chance you will see Spanish dancer nudis. Or hunt around in the sand for stargazers, bobtail squid and frogfish.

Day 8 Pulau Babi (2-3 dives)

Pulau Babi

Pulau Babi literally means ‘pig island’. Its north end is bordered by a wide coral reef and faces the Flores Sea. Further south there is a small tidal flat where two villages were built. At the southern end of the island, the barrier reef tapers. It has deep walls with lots of cracks and crevices with leather corals in the shallows. Babi is home to many dive sites. One, called The Crack, was formed during an earthquake in 1992. Located in a reef 20 metres (66 ft) below the water, the 70-centimetre (28 in) crack reaches a length of 30 metres (98 ft).

Day 9 Disembarkation in Maumere

Total dives: 24-25 dives

ALOR

8 Days/7 Nights Maumere-Maumere Cruise Itinerary

Day 1 Embarkation in Maumere

Day 2 Pulau Babi (2-3 dives)

Pulau Babi

Pulau Babi literally means ‘pig island’. Its north end is bordered by a wide coral reef and faces the Flores Sea. Further south there is a small tidal flat where two villages were built. At the southern end of the island, the barrier reef tapers. It has deep walls with lots of cracks and crevices with leather corals in the shallows. Babi is home to many dive sites. One, called The Crack, was formed during an earthquake in 1992. Located in a reef 20 metres (66 ft) below the water, the 70-centimetre (28 in) crack reaches a length of 30 metres (98 ft).

Day 3 Kawula Island (4 dives)

In the south-west of Kawula Island there is a bay with world class muck diving sites.

Tanjung Waiwowan

This dive site is a mixture of reef and white sandy slope full of amazing critters. Here we have another chance to see the allusive Rhinopias camouflaged in the coral slope. This is a perfect environment for different kinds of ghost pipefish including the very rare Halemeda ghost pipefish. Wunderpus and blue ring octopus were spotted here before. During the night dive juvenile brown-banded bamboo sharks, Helmut flying gurnards and frogfish crawl around the darkened site. A full day can easily be spent here in order to discover all the wonderful creatures.
The Frog and Catfish
So named due to the number of giant frogfish and the huge school of catfish found here the first time we dived this large jetty for the local ferries. The jetty provides an excellent place for giant frogfish to laze around the concrete posts. Rhinopias, mantis shrimps, ghost pipefish, nudis and leaf fish have also been found here. Diving at this site is dependant on the local ferry schedule and permission from the authorities.

Day 4 Visit traditional Abui tribe village/Reta Island (2 dives)

In the morning we will visit Takpala or Latevui village, both villages still living by their old Abui traditions. The villagers will perform the Lego-Lego dance wearing traditional clothing with brass anklets that make a wonderful jingling sound as they perform. Afterwards there is an opportunity to purchase handmade ikat, woven fabrics of various colours and motifs, as well as jewellery and wooden artifacts. Take a look at our photo album of these villages at Alor Abui Tribe
After the village tour we will travel out into the Alor/Pantar Strait to Reta Island where we will do two dives before traveling to Kawula Island.

Reta Island

Reta Island and has beautiful vertical walls with overhangs, undercuts and a deep plateau at 25m/75ft. It is full of hard and soft corals, barrel sponges and whip corals. At the top of the wall is a gorgeous coral garden teeming with reef fish.

Day 5 Pura Island/Kalabahi Bay (4 dives)

Dives in the Alor/Pantar Strait promise a variety of thrills as the sites present a wide array of exciting possibilities, with topography ranging from dramatic shear drop-offs, spurs jutting out from the shore mingling together with shallow reefs where the light brings out the full colour of the dazzling corals covering all surfaces. The water temperature can be a little cooler in this area dropping from the normal 28/29 degrees Celsius (82-84 Fahrenheit) to a possible 20 Celsius (68 Fahrenheit).

Here you can see the famous Pura Island villagers splash out of their wooden dugout canoes diving underwater with homemade goggles made out of wood and the ends of glass bottles.
During the day we will also look out for large pelagics who use the Pantar Strait as a thoroughfare. If there are any sightings of whales, dolphins or even Mola Mola we may forego a dive and head out in the tenders with snorkelling gear to see if we can have a lucky encounter.

Yan Village

At Yan Village there are several wonderful spots to dive. Walls covered in sponges topped with shallow hard coral reefs where you can spot the elusive Mandarin fish to black sandy slopes where fans of macro will get their fill too. Some examples of the critters here are frogfish, weedy scorpionfish, all sorts of nudibranchs and yellow, blue and black ribbon eels.

Clown Valley

One exceptional dive site on Pura Island is probably the only place in the world where you will see this phenomenon. The entire reef is completely covered in anemones of all shapes and sizes. Enjoy a drift dive along this site and enjoy the abundant fish life, with thousands of colourful anthias and damsels dancing off the reef. Take a look at photos of Clown Valley and other wide-angle opportunities in Alor here.

Kalabahi Bay

Mucky Mosque and Rocky Church are two of the great muck dives we will do inside Kalabahi Bay on Alor Island. The ‘holy grail of fish’ Rhinopias can be found here, with a chance to see both the weedy and paddleflap scorpionfish. Ghost pipefish, soft coral crabs, frogfish, various octopus including the wunderpus and mimic, snake eels, sea moths, sand divers and many other remarkable creatures The only way you are likely to see stranger is if you do a night dive here when unimaginable ones begin foraging out of their holes.

Day 6 Bacatan (4 dives)

Next to the north of Kawula Island there is a beautiful, calm bay overlooked by Lewotolo volcano. We spend the day diving here.

Tanjung Bacatan

Tanjung Bacatan is within view of Lembata and Komba volcanoes. Tanjung means corner and the dive site is situated on a point on the north shore of Kawula island. The dive site consists of a wall covered in crevices and ledges covered in soft corals and large sponges with hard coral gardens in the shallows. At one end the wall turns into a white sandy slope hosting many varieties of reef fish and triggerfish. A resident school of barracuda can be seen here as well as turtles and maybe even large trevallies passing by.

Takat Prau

In the middle of the bay there is a seamount we call Takat Prau. There is a small wooden fishing boat wrecked in the deep right next to a sea fan with pygmies. There can be schooling fusiliers here with small reef sharks patrolling the pinnacle. Leaf fish make their home in the shallows and large reef octopus are often spotted hunting in the hard coral.

Padang Pasir

This dive site has two sections. A huge expanse of white sand extends to the south and a mini wall and reef comes out from the corner of the island. In the sandy area look for waspfish, flounders, stingrays and ghost pipefish. On the wall algae shrimp, moray eels, lionfish and beautiful angelfish hide out. At the top of the reef there are healthy staghorn corals where you might spot a mandarin fish. At night the wall and reef come alive with shrimps and crabs and there is a chance you will see Spanish dancer nudis. Or hunt around in the sand for stargazers, bobtail squid and frogfish.

Day 7 Palu’e Island (2 dives)

Palu’e is located north of Flores Island and 45 nautical miles from Maumere. It is part of the Lesser Sunda Islands and Rokatenda (Paluweh) volcano is located in the northern region of Palu’e. There is a population of almost 10,000 people in eight mountain villages. There are no roads or vehicles on the island. The volcano erupted in August 2013 and is still smoking today.

Raja River

Raja River is located on the south west of the island. It is a beautiful wall that drops from the depth of 8 metres – 24 ft to about a depth of 30 meters – 90 ft. Along this dramatic and very long wall there are overhangs and cuts with opportunities to see leaf fish, reef octopus, nudibranchs and in particular the juvenile stage of many different kinds of reef fish. We can enjoy also the beauty of the large size of tube sponges, gorgonians sea fans and the black coral bushes along the wall and the hard coral garden in the shallows of the dive site.

Day 8 Disembarkation in Maumere

Total dives: 18-19 dives

CENTRAL FORGOTTEN ISLANDS

9 Days/8 Nights Saumlaki – Saumlaki Cruise Itinerary

Day 1 Embarkation in Saumlaki

The Forgotten Islands are part of a remote archipelago in the southeast corner of the Moluccas (Maluku Tenggara). Despite the remote feeling in other parts of Indonesia (such as Alor or Banda), the Forgotten Islands are isolated even by Indonesian standards, covering a 1,000 km long chain of islands staring at Timor and extending up to West Papua. The Tanimbar group of around 65 islands that separate the Banda Sea from the Arafura Sea include the island of Yamdena where the capital Saumlaki is where this cruise begins.

There are many groups of islands in this area and the Forgotten Islands are relatively undiscovered and still being explored. The exact itinerary around these islands will depend exclusively on the weather and current conditions. Also due to the big distances between island groups some of the days will include three day dives before heading off in the afternoon and travelling overnight. When the next location is closer and there are anchorage spots in sheltered bays we will offer a fourth dive, usually a night dive.

Dive sites in the Forgotten Islands are characterised by endless reefs and spectacular deep walls covered in soft corals, sea fans and huge sponges. These islands usually experience amazing visibility and warm water around 27-30C (81-86F). Here are the names of the islands we may visit (weather permitting) during your cruise:

Days 2-4 Serua/Teun/Nila/Nil Desperandum

Teun, Nila and Serua, often referred to as TNS, are all small, very remote volcanic islands only accessible by liveaboard, located just east of Damar. You will feel as if you have reached the ends of the earth and that may be why there is a growing interest in diving in this zone. Although the sites here remain relatively unexplored, experiences so far have revealed tremendous diving potential and splendid coral reefs.

Close to the small island of Nila are two atolls Dusborgh and Nil Desperandum. Weather permitting, we will spend two days in this area, making a small bay on the east side of the island of Nila our base. There is also a night dive opportunity here.

Nila/Dusborgh (4-5 dives)

Dusborgh is a submerged atoll with a surrounding reef that reaches all the way up to the surface. The reef then slopes steeply to deep walls. As with all of the Forgotten Islands the walls are covered in huge sponges and sea fans. With the amazing visibility keep an eye into the deep for passing pelagics. A small bay on the east side of the island of Nila has a night dive opportunity.

Nil Desperandum (4-5 dives)

Nil Desperandum means “don’t despair” possibly referring to a ship wrecked here centuries ago. It is a big atoll with very deep drop offs. Schooling sharks have been spotted in the deep here with a chance to see hammerhead, silky and grey reef sharks.

Days 5-6 Pulau Damar/Nusleur/Terbang (6 dives)

Close to the big island of Damar the small islands of Nusleur, Terbang Utara and Terbang Selatan are surrounded by pristine beaches that stretch out to coral reefs that then drop down to the most beautiful, untouched walls. From top to bottom, the reef is an explosion of different colours and forms and seems to be in constant motion from the swarms of fish darting about. You may find yourself floating in the midst of a huge school of fish as the sea creatures here appear quite curious, perhaps because they are generally not used to seeing many divers. Another unique attraction in this area is the wall of sulphur formed as a result of its proximity to the volcano on Damar. There is a possibility to visit a village on Damar where there is also a black sand night dive.

Days 7 Dai Island (3-4 dives)

The villagers on this island still practice traditional hunting with bow and arrow. Steep slopes provide hunting grounds for schooling barracuda and trevally. Large sea fans on the reef are surrounded by very healthy reef fish life. The shallows here are full of hard corals decorated with anthias.

Days 8 Dawera Island (6-7 dives)

This small island is in the northern part of the Babar group of islands. There is a seamount where the reef is untouched and so full of fish you won’t know where to look! Along the north side of the islands there are numerous wonderful dive sites ranging from Tanjung Raja where there are stunning soft corals to Sponge Delight where there is a huge resident school of barracudas and even a chance to see hammerhead sharks. The diving in this area is so good we may even stay an extra day.

Days 9 Disembarkation in Saumlaki

Total dives: 23-27 dives

KOMODO-ALOR

13 Days/12 Nights Maumere- Labuanbajo ALOR-KOMODO Cruise Itinerary

Day 1 Embarkation in Maumere

Day 2 Pulau Babi (2-3 dives)

Pulau Babi

Pulau Babi literally means ‘pig island’. Its north end is bordered by a wide coral reef and faces the Flores Sea. Further south there is a small tidal flat where two villages were built. At the southern end of the island, the barrier reef tapers. It has deep walls with lots of cracks and crevices with leather corals in the shallows. Babi is home to many dive sites. One, called The Crack, was formed during an earthquake in 1992. Located in a reef 20 metres (66 ft) below the water, the 70-centimetre (28 in) crack reaches a length of 30 metres (98 ft).

Day 3 Kawula Island (4 dives)

In the south-west of Kawula Island there is a bay with world class muck diving sites.

Tanjung Waiwowan

This dive site is a mixture of reef and white sandy slope full of amazing critters. Here we have another chance to see the allusive Rhinopias camouflaged in the coral slope. This is a perfect environment for different kinds of ghost pipefish including the very rare Halemeda ghost pipefish. Wunderpus and blue ring octopus were spotted here before. During the night dive juvenile brown-banded bamboo sharks, Helmut flying gurnards and frogfish crawl around the darkened site. A full day can easily be spent here in order to discover all the wonderful creatures.

The Frog and Catfish

So named due to the number of giant frogfish and the huge school of catfish found here the first time we dived this large jetty for the local ferries. The jetty provides an excellent place for giant frogfish to laze around the concrete posts. Rhinopias, mantis shrimps, ghost pipefish, nudis and leaf fish have also been found here. Diving at this site is dependant on the local ferry schedule and permission from the authorities.

Day 4 Visit traditional Abui tribe village/Reta Island (2 dives)

In the morning we will visit Takpala or Latevui village, both villages still living by their old Abui traditions. The villagers will perform the Lego-Lego dance wearing traditional clothing with brass anklets that make a wonderful jingling sound as they perform. Afterwards there is an opportunity to purchase handmade ikat, woven fabrics of various colours and motifs, as well as jewellery and wooden artifacts. Take a look at our photo album of these villages at Alor Abui Tribe
After the village tour we will travel out into the Alor/Pantar Strait to Reta Island where we will do two dives before traveling to Kawula Island.

Reta Island

Reta Island and has beautiful vertical walls with overhangs, undercuts and a deep plateau at 25m/75ft. It is full of hard and soft corals, barrel sponges and whip corals. At the top of the wall is a gorgeous coral garden teeming with reef fish.

Day 5 Pura Island/Kalabahi Bay (4 dives)

Dives in the Alor/Pantar Strait promise a variety of thrills as the sites present a wide array of exciting possibilities, with topography ranging from dramatic shear drop-offs, spurs jutting out from the shore mingling together with shallow reefs where the light brings out the full colour of the dazzling corals covering all surfaces. The water temperature can be a little cooler in this area dropping from the normal 28/29 degrees Celsius (82-84 Fahrenheit) to a possible 20 Celsius (68 Fahrenheit).

Here you can see the famous Pura Island villagers splash out of their wooden dugout canoes diving underwater with homemade goggles made out of wood and the ends of glass bottles.
During the day we will also look out for large pelagics who use the Pantar Strait as a thoroughfare. If there are any sightings of whales, dolphins or even Mola Mola we may forego a dive and head out in the tenders with snorkelling gear to see if we can have a lucky encounter.

Yan Village

At Yan Village there are several wonderful spots to dive. Walls covered in sponges topped with shallow hard coral reefs where you can spot the elusive Mandarin fish to black sandy slopes where fans of macro will get their fill too. Some examples of the critters here are frogfish, weedy scorpionfish, all sorts of nudibranchs and yellow, blue and black ribbon eels.

Clown Valley

One exceptional dive site on Pura Island is probably the only place in the world where you will see this phenomenon. The entire reef is completely covered in anemones of all shapes and sizes. Enjoy a drift dive along this site and enjoy the abundant fish life, with thousands of colourful anthias and damsels dancing off the reef. Take a look at photos of Clown Valley and other wide-angle opportunities in Alor here.

Kalabahi Bay

Mucky Mosque and Rocky Church are two of the great muck dives we will do inside Kalabahi Bay on Alor Island. The ‘holy grail of fish’ Rhinopias can be found here, with a chance to see both the weedy and paddleflap scorpionfish. Ghost pipefish, soft coral crabs, frogfish, various octopus including the wunderpus and mimic, snake eels, sea moths, sand divers and many other remarkable creatures The only way you are likely to see stranger is if you do a night dive here when unimaginable ones begin foraging out of their holes.

Day 6 Bacatan (4 dives)

Next to the north of Kawula Island there is a beautiful, calm bay overlooked by Lewotolo volcano. We spend the day diving here.

Tanjung Bacatan

Tanjung Bacatan is within view of Lembata and Komba volcanoes. Tanjung means corner and the dive site is situated on a point on the north shore of Kawula island. The dive site consists of a wall covered in crevices and ledges covered in soft corals and large sponges with hard coral gardens in the shallows. At one end the wall turns into a white sandy slope hosting many varieties of reef fish and triggerfish. A resident school of barracuda can be seen here as well as turtles and maybe even large trevallies passing by.

Takat Prau

In the middle of the bay there is a seamount we call Takat Prau. There is a small wooden fishing boat wrecked in the deep right next to a sea fan with pygmies. There can be schooling fusiliers here with small reef sharks patrolling the pinnacle. Leaf fish make their home in the shallows and large reef octopus are often spotted hunting in the hard coral.

Padang Pasir

This dive site has two sections. A huge expanse of white sand extends to the south and a mini wall and reef comes out from the corner of the island. In the sandy area look for waspfish, flounders, stingrays and ghost pipefish. On the wall algae shrimp, moray eels, lionfish and beautiful angelfish hide out. At the top of the reef there are healthy staghorn corals where you might spot a mandarin fish. At night the wall and reef come alive with shrimps and crabs and there is a chance you will see Spanish dancer nudis. Or hunt around in the sand for stargazers, bobtail squid and frogfish.

Day 7 Palu’e Island (2 dives)

Palu’e is located north of Flores Island and 45 nautical miles from Maumere. It is part of the Lesser Sunda Islands and Rokatenda (Paluweh) volcano is located in the northern region of Palu’e. There is a population of almost 10,000 people in eight mountain villages. There are no roads or vehicles on the island. The volcano erupted in August 2013 and is still smoking today.

Raja River

Raja River is located on the south west of the island. It is a beautiful wall that drops from the depth of 8 metres – 24 ft to about a depth of 30 meters – 90 ft. Along this dramatic and very long wall there are overhangs and cuts with opportunities to see leaf fish, reef octopus, nudibranchs and in particular the juvenile stage of many different kinds of reef fish. We can enjoy also the beauty of the large size of tube sponges, gorgonians sea fans and the black coral bushes along the wall and the hard coral garden in the shallows of the dive site.

Day 8 North Komodo (4 dives)

Two celebrated dive sites await you, just north of Gili Lawalaut Island. Crystal Rock and Castle Rock are both incredible locations, boasting the key elements for any impressive dive site: a wide variety of healthy corals covering the reef, plus tons of fish – both big and small and all sizes in between! There are more exhilarating dives in this area, Aquarium, Coral Garden, Gili Lawalaut Lighthouse and a bit more to the northeast Batu Montjo, along with good night dives on healthy hard coral reefs off the island of Gili Lawa Darat. Between the dives there is a chance to visit Gili Lawalaut Island and take a short trek to the top of the hill for a wonderful view over the Komodo-Flores channel.

Crystal Rock

The rock jutting out of the surrounding crystal clear waters explains how this site got its name. But what is truly memorable here are the large schools of fusiliers and anthias flitting over the gorgeous soft corals and impressive table corals. In the deep blue, you can also see at times large tuna, mackerel and other fish schooling around a small mound to the northwest. A lone eagle ray is often spotted here cruising in the currents.

Castle Rock

Castle Rock is a submerged pinnacle situated a kilometre further north from Crystal Rock. Its exposed location means strong currents but experienced divers will love the thrills to be had on this dive. In fact, the main action comes from watching the staggering amount of fish such as batfish, groupers, midnight snappers and impressive schools of fusiliers and surgeons whipping past. Of course, divers aren’t the only ones interested in the huge amount of fish here, which explains the giant trevally as well as whitetips, blacktips and grey reef sharks hunting around for their next meal.

Aquarium

This beautiful shallow dive site on the southwest corner of Gili Lawalaut offers a good possibility to see manta rays passing by. Big coral formations surrounded by thousands of glassfish offer amazing wide angle photography opportunities. White tip reef sharks can be found in the sandy bottom area and hawksbill and green turtles can be seen along the calm flower coral reef.

Coral Garden

We start the dive in a white sandy area with stunning coral heads and big barrel sponges. Watch out for leaf scorpionfishes, hairy squat lobsters, morey eels and different types of stingrays. The reef converts into a beautiful hard coral wall where thousands of fusiliers and dozens of trevallies and snappers can be seen.

Batu Montjo

In the northwest of Komodo Island, Batu Montjo is a perfect site to dive as a third dive with a amazing formation of hard corals in the shallows. Many boulders covered with gorgonian sea fans lie in between the white sandy slopes. This combination of hard corals and gorgonian sea fans with all the fish swimming in between the coral garden makes for a perfect relaxing afternoon dive. Leaf fish, mantis shrimp, jaw fish and turtles are often seen at this site.

Gili Lawalaut Lighthouse

On the north of Gili Lawalaut there is a lighthouse at the end of a long reef. When the tide is going down the dive starts on the reef with a drift to the corner. At the corner there are big schools of batfish, snappers, surgeons with napoleon wrasse and reef sharks also hanging around.

Day 9 Komodo-Flores Channel (4 dives)

Currents in this area can be quite strong and we have to dive according to the tides. There are many dive sites and the sites chosen will be dependent on the currents. Finish the day with a great night dive at Wainilo. Komodo is an excellent place for spotting macro critters and the reefs and corals are spectacular too. See some photos here.

Sebayur Kecil

This island at the east side of Komodo National Park is a perfect spot to do our check-out dive as currents tend to be very mild here. We start the dive on a white sand patch were we can look out for blue spotted stingrays, garden eels and other sand inhabitants. Continuing to the east the reef gets into a beautiful hard coral wall. Leaf scorpionfishes, reef octopus and morey eels are only a few of the inhabitants of this site.

Tatawa Besar

This is a thrilling drift dive that starts off from the northwestern tip of Tatawa and continues down the western side towards 15 to 20 meters of depth. The surrounding fish life is profuse and you will see an endless field of stunning orange soft corals as you glide along. Swim past coral heads inhabited by schools of sweetlips and batfish and look out for turtles feeding on the reef. Mantas have been encountered here as well.

Batu Bolong

Underwater this rock is covered in a huge amount of soft and hard corals and full of fish life. In the shallows watch anemone fish and look out for turtles munching on the corals. Giant trevally, white tip reef sharks, snappers and emperor fish tend to congregate here. This site presents particularly good opportunities for both macro and wide-angle photography.

Wainilo

This night dive is situated off the north of Rinca Island. In the shallows, the hard coral reef is home to many different critters, including juvenile harlequin sweetlips and batfish. Away from the reef, the sandy slope is scattered with pulsing soft corals that hide demon stingers and starry night octopus. Different types of nudibranch, frogfishes, harlequin shrimps and even wheedy rhinophias have been seen here.

Day 10 Rinca Island (4 dives)

The water temperature here and in the southern dive sites over the next few days can be a little cooler dropping from the normal 28/29 degrees Celsius (82-84 Fahrenheit) to a possible 25 Celsius (77 Fahrenheit). Also due to the infinite nutrients in the water creating the amazing biodiversity in this area the visibility can sometimes be a bit greener. Neither one of these factors can spoil the amazing diving to be had in these areas.

Horseshoe Bay is in the south of Rinca Island and we spend one full day here. Here we dive the famous Cannibal Rock, one of the top ten dives sites in the world according to some diving publications. Watch dragons, wild pigs, deer and monkeys roam the beach and take a tender ride or kayak to get a closer look.

Cannibal Rock

This outstanding dive site covers a large area with sandy slopes in the north, deep mini walls in the east, a plateau full of life in the south and rocky areas in the west. The nutrient rich bay creates the most spectacular congregation of hard and soft corals in all parts of the dive site. Sponges, ascidians, sea squirts and tube anemones are abundant. A great diversity of nudibranchs can be seen here, along with frogfish, turtles, cuttlefish and other reef fish too.

Yellow Wall of Texas

As the name suggests this wall at the southern entrance to Horseshoe Bay is covered in yellow and orange soft corals. A tiny critter, the ladybug, comes in its multitudes here. Nudibranchs decorate the wall that usually has a slight current enabling you to slowly drift along and enjoy the view.

The Boulders

Inside the bay and opposite Yellow Wall of Texas there are large rocks that continue underwater to create places for large rays to rest and even sometimes nurse sharks hide in these underwater crevices. The boulders are covered in corals becoming a paradise for marine life.

Crinoid Canyon

Another wall on the opposite side of Horseshoe Bay with deep bommies covered in soft corals and huge gorgonian sea fans. Here ribbon eels and giant frogfish have been spotted along side the hundreds of crinoid which give this dive site its name.
The Boulders
Inside the bay and opposite Yellow Wall of Texas there are large rocks that continue underwater to create places for large rays to rest and even sometimes nurse sharks hide in these underwater crevices. The boulders are covered in corals becoming a paradise for marine life. The elusive Rhinopias have been found here before.

Rhino Rocks

There is a group of rocks that at low tide break the surface that we call Rhino Rocks. This is because there has before been found the elusive Rhinopias. It is a shallow dive site with a sloping reef ending at the rocks that are covered in corals of all kinds. The reef is an excellent place to look for nudibranchs, frogfish, juvenile batfish, zebra crabs, turtles and cuttlefish. This dive site also makes an excellent night dive when you should look out for Coral Catshark.

Banana Island

Another incredible dive site named by the shape of the Island, this small island is close to Nusa Kode Island, great dive site for a third dive. Banana Island has beautiful hard coral formation in the shallows and at 15mts/45ft depth we can see some boulders cover with soft corals. Giant frog fish, broad cuttle fish, reef octopus and some special nudibrachs have been seen here. Keep always looking out into the blue for schools of mobula rays, we have seen them here once in a while.

Torpedo Alley

A marvelous night dive named after the pancake sized torpedo rays that can be found here. Coconut octopus, seahorses, colorful squid and the bizarre bobbit worm all live in the black volcanic sand. A very shallow dive with a maximum depth of 10m/30ft, spend time looking for all the strange inhabitants among the rocks, soft corals and in the sand.

Day 11 Manta Alley/Pink Beach (4 dives)

Manta Alley is located on the south end of Komodo Island. After two dives looking for manta rays we head up to the middle of Komodo Island to the Pink Beach area.

Manta Alley

Manta Alley is located in Tora Langkoi Bay along the south coast of Komodo. The dive site in fact barely pierces the ocean’s surface at the end of a line of rock islets. As can be guessed from its name many manta rays are known to frequent this site and it is the most popular one in Komodo for spotting them. The area can be described as a deep gully that works as a funnel when the tide changes, causing the water to rush through at speeds of up to three to four knots with the fall and rise of the tides and up to one knot even during “slack water” periods. Watch the mantas being cleaned on the North side or enter the ‘Alley’ to see them hover effortlessly in the current.

Pink Beach

The simple topography makes this site an ideal afternoon dive. A mini wall can be found in the middle of the reef, where clouds of glassfish swarm in the cracks and crevices. An abundant amount of fish life and unusual critters make their home here, including leaf scorpionfish, crocodilefish, nudibranchs and frogfish. On one side of the wall is a sloping coral reef full of life. On the other is a sandy area with healthy staghorn corals growing and providing shelter for juvenile harlequin sweetlips and barramundi.

Loh Liang Bay

This white sand muck dive is around the corner from Pink Beach situated inside Loh Liang Bay on Komodo Island. Search for all sorts of critters here – bobtail squid, flamboyant cuttlefish, frogfish, nudibranchs, Ambon scorpion fish, cockatoo waspfish and large moray eels living in the shallow rocks.

Day 12 Walk with dragons/Middle Area (2 dives)

Takat Makassar

This is an exhilarating drift dive along the shallow flat bottom interspersed with patches of coral reef teeming with life. There are chances to see manta rays, turtles, eagle rays and white tip and black tip reef sharks.

Siaba Besar

This spot is a nice combination with a white sand area where we can find some great critters as frogfishes, ghost pipefishes, devil scorpionfishes, upside down jellyfish and a big amount of flounders. On the hard coral area watch out for big green turtles, leaf scorpionfishes and pajama cardinalfishes.

Siaba Kecil

This little island offers a beautiful drift dive with some nice overhangs where sweetlips, snappers and trevallies can be found. After the drift we finish the dive in a pretty shallow staghorn coral area with hundreds of anthias and feeding hawksbill turtles. Have a look as well into the blue, very often we see eagle rays passing by.

Batu Tengah

This dive site is located in the middle of the Komodo National Park, 12 nautical miles to the north and 12 nautical miles to the south. The translation of Batu = Rock, Tengah = Middle. With a slope to the east of the site and a coral garden to the west Batu Tangah is a beautiful site where we often get to see turtles, cuttlefish and juvenile white tip reef sharks that hide under the table corals among the hard coral garden. Napoleon wrasse and big groups of snapper swimming on the slope with all the colourful decoration of the soft coral make Batu Tengah a high quality dive site.

Loh Buaya (walk with dragons)

Your day will end with an exciting visit to Komodo National Park where you will be able to take a stroll with the famous dragon! Take a look at our Komodo Dragon photo album here. As you walk along the paths, also stay on the lookout for deer, wild boar and birds in addition to the giant lizards. After the walk we move to the middle area of Komodo National Park.

Day 13 Disembarkation in Labuanbajo

Total dives: 33-35 dives