Coralia Itinerary

Lembeh and South Halmahera - 11N

On embarking day, you will be greeted by the Coralia team and get time to settle in, prepare your gear and relax from your travels. Coralia cruise directors will also give you an orientation about the amenities on board, the safety features and procedures, and the cruise itinerary. Typically, we use the afternoon and night to make our way to the first dive destination. So the first dive will be the next morning. 

Our first two days will be spent in the famous Lembeh Strait. We can look for octopus, frogfish, nudibranchs, pipefish, and much more. There will be four dives on the first day and three on the next day before we travel to our next stop.

Tifore is a small island between Halmahera and Lembeh and is home to a huge school of barracuda. Just off the island there is a submerged reef that slopes down to healthy hard

and soft corals and huge shoals of schooling fish. Grey reef sharks sometimes pass by here too.

South Halmahera has pinnacles, walls and coral gardens to enjoy. The pinnacles are full of schooling fish, the walls are covered in stunning soft corals and sea fans, and reef sharks swim around the coral gardens. Napoleon wrasse, bumphead parrotfish, turtles, blacktips, whitetips, and schools of jacks and barracuda all populate the reefs here. There are black sandy slopes providing excellent critter-filled muck diving, especially for the night dives.

The Goraici Islands with white sandy beaches are our next stop. The people here have been actively protecting their reefs here, keeping them healthy and in good condition. 

Pantini Strait is a channel between Halmahera and Bacan Island. The islands in the Pantinti Strait are rarely visited. There are healthy reefs covered in orange soft corals and large coral heads. Large numbers of anthias add colour to the reefs. Currents can bring in reef sharks, including grey reefs, plus tuna and barracuda. There is a great drift dive through a channel. Walking sharks can be seen on the night dive.

On Bacan we can offer a land excursion organised by the Tourism Department of South Halmahera. There is an old Portuguese fort, traditional dancing and a local market. Southwest Bacan is where we will concentrate our diving for the next day and a half. Stunning walls and canyons are open to the ocean so we can expect some currents on some dive sites. There is a good muck night dive here too.

In Makian there is black sand diving, similar to Lembeh Strait. Strange creatures are seen here, including bobbit worms, nudibranchs, frogfish and even walking sharks.

We will finish our trip with two dives in Ternate. There are a few wrecks in front of the mosque at a good dive depth, perfect for our last dives. Nudibranch, crocodile fish, and ghost pipefish have all been spotted here. After lunch, we make our way back to Ternate for hearty goodbyes. 

On disembarkation day, the Coralia team will equally assist you from Coralia to the airport.

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