Ambai Itinerary
Banda Sea - Forgotten Islands - Ring of Fire (SXK - AMQ)13 days / 12 nights
About Ambai
- Unique liveaboard combining traditional design and modern facilities
- Seasonal cruises to the best dive destinations in Indonesia
- Excellent facilities for photographers with rinse bins, camera room, and plenty of charging points
The pride of the Wallacea Dive Cruises family, MV Ambai is a unique liveaboard custom-designed and built from scratch specifically for exceptional diving itineraries. This vessel offers itineraries in some of Indonesia's most remote and breathtaking regions, including Raja Ampat, Triton Bay, and the Banda Sea. Discerning divers will love this boat's outstanding round the clock service, generous dive deck and equipment storage - not to mention dedicated and modern camera facilities.
Itinerary details
Length of trip 13 days / 12 nights
Number of dives 36
Experience Advanced Open Water - Minimum 30 dives
Insurance Required
Highlights
- One-way itinerary incorporating the very best of the Banda Sea
- Dive reefs with exceptional biodiversity in the heart of the Coral Triangle
- Swim with hundreds of sea snakes of the very remote Manuk Island
- Explore the Banda Sea's swim-throughs and deep walls
- Encounter hammerheads at current-swept sites such as Nil Desperandum
- Dive the world-class muck diving sites of Ambon
- Enjoy Ambon’s world-class muck diving and spot the psychedelic frogfish
- Night dives included in the itinerary
Day 1:
Check in from 6 am to 12 noon. Ambai crew are standing by to Welcome you onboard. Cabin allocation and ship orientation, safety Briefing and crew Introduction will take place before departing.
Check in from 6 am to 12 noon. Ambai crew are standing by to Welcome you onboard. Cabin allocation and ship orientation, safety Briefing and crew Introduction will take place before departing.
Days 2-12:
This itinerary goes along the so called ”ring of fire”, a bow shaped succession of volcanic islands in the Banda Sea. After leaving Saumlaki on Tanimbar island, our first day of diving will be on Dawelor and Dai island. These granite islands, part of the Babar island group, offers fantastic dive sites with great fish life, including eventual encounters with hammerhead sharks. A night navigation will bring us to Nila island. The small Nila island offers nice diving on a gentle slope with a good critter life.
Our next step that we reach after an early morning navigation is Nil Desperandum, a large offshore reef. It offers a fantastic drop off with great fish life, huge barrel sponges and is also a spot for hammerheads. Going North - East we will reach Serua, which consists in two small islands. Fabulous diving around those islands lost in the middle of the Banda Sea. One drop off offers high chances to find the schooling hammerheads. In order to maximise the chances of encounter, we dive very early in the morning and a bit late in the afternoon.
Overnight navigation to Manuk island, a volcanic island that is a nesting home for many seabirds. Underwater, the sulphur traces of volcanic activity can be seen. The diving signature is the abundance of sea snakes, both Aipy-surus and Laticauda. Hammerheads are also roaming around, but generally only individuals or small groups.
Our next destination is the Banda islands group, that includes the islands of Hatta, Run, Ai, Banda and Banda Neira. The diving around those islands 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. Drop offs with great visibility,rich fish life and occasional hammerheads can be found around the islands of Run, Hatta and Ai.
The island of Suanggi, about 20 NM from Banda, is another hot spot for hammerhead schools and marine life. On our way to Ambon, we stop one day on the island Nusa Laut for the great dive sites of Ahmet. The last dive of the trip will be of a very different kind, with the famous muck diving of Laha in the bay of Ambon.
Our next step that we reach after an early morning navigation is Nil Desperandum, a large offshore reef. It offers a fantastic drop off with great fish life, huge barrel sponges and is also a spot for hammerheads. Going North - East we will reach Serua, which consists in two small islands. Fabulous diving around those islands lost in the middle of the Banda Sea. One drop off offers high chances to find the schooling hammerheads. In order to maximise the chances of encounter, we dive very early in the morning and a bit late in the afternoon.
Overnight navigation to Manuk island, a volcanic island that is a nesting home for many seabirds. Underwater, the sulphur traces of volcanic activity can be seen. The diving signature is the abundance of sea snakes, both Aipy-surus and Laticauda. Hammerheads are also roaming around, but generally only individuals or small groups.
Our next destination is the Banda islands group, that includes the islands of Hatta, Run, Ai, Banda and Banda Neira. The diving around those islands 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. Drop offs with great visibility,rich fish life and occasional hammerheads can be found around the islands of Run, Hatta and Ai.
The island of Suanggi, about 20 NM from Banda, is another hot spot for hammerhead schools and marine life. On our way to Ambon, we stop one day on the island Nusa Laut for the great dive sites of Ahmet. The last dive of the trip will be of a very different kind, with the famous muck diving of Laha in the bay of Ambon.
Day 13:
Check out from 6 am to 12 noon. Group photos with the crew before farewell. Disembarkation after breakfast. Transfer to airport or hotel.
Check out from 6 am to 12 noon. Group photos with the crew before farewell. Disembarkation after breakfast. Transfer to airport or hotel.
Sample itineraries are for guidance only. Actual itineraries may differ slightly due to factors such as weather, wildlife, logistics, and local regulations.
Transfer details
Departure
11:00am
Saumlaki
Mathilda Batlayeri Airport: SXK
Return
10:00am
Ambon
Pattimura International Airport: AMQ
Current availability and prices: https://www.zubludiving.com/itineraries/ambai/itn-2502100145561-banda-sea-forgotten-islands-ring-of-fire-sxk-amq-