Ambai Itinerary

Forgotten Islands - Ring of Fire - Raja Ampat (SXK - SOQ) 12N

Day 1: Arrive into Saumlaki

Guests will arrive in Saumlaki and have time to get comfortable on the boat. We will start travelling towards the Forgotten Islands once all customer are on board and clearance is granted by the local authorities

Days 2-12: 

Starting from Saumlaki on the Tanimbar island, we will reach first the island of Dai. This granite island, part of the Babar island group, offers fantastic dive sites with great fish life. Going North we will reach Serua which consists in two small islands lost in the middle of the Banda Sea. We will spend two fabulous diving days around those islands where the schooling hammerheads often show up on the drop offs. In order to maximise the chances of encounter, we dive very early in the morning and a bit late in the afternoon. The depth is about 35 meters max. At the West of Serua lays a big reef without any land, with the attractive name of “Nil desperandum”. This is another spot for hammerheads and a fantastic drop off.

North is Manuk island, a small volcanic island where a lot of sea birds come for nesting. Underwater the sulphur traces of volcanic activity can be seen. The diving signature is the abundance of sea snakes, both Aipysurus sp and Laticauda. Hammerheads are also roaming around, but generally in small groups only. Our next step are the Banda islands, where the diving is very rewarding. One of the highlight is a dive along the lava flow of the “Gunung Api” (the fire mountain); the last eruption was in 1988 and we can see how the corals and huge sponges did grow back since then. We will stop in Banda Neira, for a land visit. The island of Suanggi, about 20 NM from Banda, is another hot spot for hammerheads schools.

We’ll then head for the East tip of Seram islands, where is the famous dive site named “too many fish”. This long drop off is well known for its fish life: schools of barracudas , trevallies, large tunas passing by, and eventually schooling hammerheads. The shallower part, a sandy slope with boomies, is home to many huge groupers and schools of batfish.

We then reach the island of Misool at the Southern part of Raja Ampat. We spend the last 2 days of the trip there and dive all the best spots. Gorgonian forests, lot of soft corals, and an intense fish life are the signature of this fantastic area.

Day 13: Departure

Guests will be escorted to the airport in Sorong and assisted with check-in procedures, no doubt full of talk about the wonders of the most popular dive destination in the world.

Sample itineraries are for guidance only. Actual itineraries may differ slightly due to factors such as weather, wildlife, logistics, and local regulations.