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Dancing Wind Itinerary

Tranquil Sulawesi (Bitung - Kendari)

11 days / 10 nights

About Dancing Wind

  • Traditional 45-meter Phinisi vessel with 8 spacious cabins
  • Exciting itineraries to remote Indonesian islands and dive sites
  • Dedicated camera room for underwater photographers
  • Personalized service with a 4:1 guest-to-guide ratio

Embark on an extraordinary scuba diving journey across Indonesia onboard the Dancing Wind Liveaboard, a 45-meter traditional Phinisi vessel that seamlessly blends craftsmanship with modern luxury. Designed for discerning divers, it offers exciting voyages to Indonesia’s best-known islands and regions, including Raja Ampat, Komodo, and beyond. With personalized service, unique itineraries, and a strong commitment to sustainability, the Dancing Wind makes the ideal choice for those seeking both world-class diving experiences.

Learn more about Dancing Wind

Itinerary details

Length of trip 11 days / 10 nights
Number of dives 32
Experience Open Water - Minimum 60 dives
Insurance Required

Highlights

  • Log dives in Lembeh - the world’s best muck diving destination
  • Beautiful walls covered in black coral bushes at Banggai Island
  • Find abundant sponges plus soft and hard corals at Tanjung Fresco
  • Dive the spectacular walls and hope for whale sharks in Gorontalo
  • Find a Salvador Dali sponge at Tomini Bay
  • Explore both flat reefs and deep drop offs at Saponda
  • Witness the stunning typography of the Togian Islands
Day 01 
Arriving not more than 12pm Check dive in the heaven of macro—Lembeh Mandarin fish is the highlight of this dive site. The waters are teeming with unique marine life, including the rare banggai cardinalfish and Salvador Dali sponges. The crystal-clear blue water provides excellent visibility for divers to explore the vibrant underwater world. 

Day 2 
Cruising about 10 hours from Bitung, divers will reach the Lembeh Strait, known as the "Critter Capital of the World." This area is famous for its incredible biodiversity and is a paradise for macro photography enthusiasts. Divers can expect to encounter a wide range of fascinating critters, such as flamboyant cuttlefish, hairy frogfish, and pygmy seahorses. The three dives planned for this day will allow divers to fully immerse themselves in this underwater wonderland. 

Day 3 
The sites of Tanjung Fresco, situated at the foot of the point bearing the same name, offers beautifully colorful pinnacles. Here again, we find abundant sponges plus soft and hard corals and macro-fauna. Divers can explore the vibrant coral gardens and swim through the towering pinnacles, creating a breathtaking backdrop for underwater photography. The diverse marine life includes schools of colorful reef fish, elusive octopuses, and graceful sea turtles, making each dive at Tanjung Fresco a truly unforgettable experience. 

Day 4
The diving adventure continues as we cruise to Gorontalo. Gorontalo is known for its unique underwater topography, with steep walls and dramatic drop-offs. Divers can expect to encounter a wide variety of marine species, including large pelagics such as sharks and rays. The visibility in Gorontalo is often excellent, allowing for stunning views of the vibrant coral reefs and abundant marine life. Get ready for an exhilarating day of diving in this captivating destination. 

Day 5
Tomini Bay Gorontalo, located right in Tomoni Bay, center Sulawesi, has a good combination of dive sites with steep drop-offs, overhangs, caverns, caves, pinnacles, and chimneys clogged with white fans, numerous gorgonian sea fans, dramatic walls with dense coral growth, and mixed coral gardens up shallow in addition to black coral bushes and large sponges. Divers can find several large Salvador Dali sponges (Petrosia lignosa), including a huge cluster of barrel sponges. This species of large sponge was discovered in Tomini Bay in the 1920s and is only found on deep walls around this area. 

Day 6 
Togian Island Group (Kepulauan Togian) is an archipelago of six main and about 60 smaller islands that are of volcanic origin; actually, Una Una in the northwest is an active volcano. The island's unique geography has created three distinct types of reefs—atolls, barrier reefs, and fringing reefs—in one of the few areas of the world where all three can be found in the same area. There are numerous fascinating dive sites here, from a large barrier reef, where there are caves, overhangs, and swim-throughs along with exciting schooling fish action and swift currents, to smaller fringing reefs as well as a few atolls. The reefs and large coastal mangrove areas are habitat and breeding areas for the hawksbill turtle, the green turtle, and the dugong. Fish life is abundant, with sightings of reef sharks, rays, tunas, and barracudas being common. There are plenty of turtles, Napoleon wrasse, bumphead parrotfish, and realms of colorful reef inhabitants. Apart from the number and variety of fish, the Togians feature amazing corals and black coral bushes, huge gorgonians and whip corals stretching high into the blue, and stunning barrel sponges on the reef. 

Day 7
The walls here are spectacular sites with soft corals and good chances to see a lot of fish like mackerels, tunas, barracudas, surgeonfish, sweetlips, and triggerfish in the blue, especially when the current is running. These walls also provide shelter for various species of sea turtles, which can often be spotted gracefully swimming through the vibrant coral gardens. Additionally, lucky divers may even encounter larger marine creatures, such as reef sharks and eagle rays, gliding through the depths. 

Day 8 
The Banggai island group is located in the eastern part of central Sulawesi, at the border between the Banda Sea and the Maluku Sea. Most of the dives are on off-shore reefs with vertical walls down to several hundred meters. You can easily drift along these beautiful walls, with a lot of gorgonians and black coral bushes, small caves, and overhangs. On some fringing reefs, you may also encounter larger animals like turtles, groupers, and occasionally sharks and rays. The inner islands, the atolls, are more protected for critters like frogfish, ribbon eel, bobtail squid, and endemic species like the Banggai cardinalfish. 

Day 9
Saponda On the way to Kendari, we stop by this set of coral atolls composed of flat reefs and deep drop-offs. Exploration dives. Long Cruising after the last dive, about 12 p.m. The coral atolls of Saponda offer a diverse range of underwater landscapes, including flat reefs and deep drop-offs. These unique formations provide opportunities for exploration dives, allowing divers to discover the hidden wonders of the ocean and giving you ample time to relax and enjoy the beauty of the surrounding seascape. 

Day 10
Kendari Check out and bid farewell to the stunning coral atolls of Saponda. As you leave this paradise behind, take a moment to reflect on the unforgettable experiences and memories you have made during your exploration dives. The crystal-clear waters and vibrant marine life will forever remain etched in your mind, making this trip a truly remarkable adventure. 

Day 11 Check Out Kendari 

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

10:00am

Bitung

Manado International Airport: MDC

Return

10:00am

Kendari

Haluoleo Airport: KDI

    What's included
    • Meals and snacks
    • Water, tea and coffee
    • Beer and wine with dinner
    • Soft drinks
    • Towels and toiletries
    • Tanks and weights
    • Night dives
    • Land excursions
    • Transfers 
    • Internet
    • Kayaks or SUPS
    To be paid in advance or onboard
    • Dive and travel insurance
    • National park fee - US$200 per person, paid onboard
    • Port fee - US$150 per person, paid onboard
    • Fuel surcharge - US$250 per trip, paid in advance 
    To be booked in advance or paid onboard
    • Single supplement - 50%
    • Alcoholic drinks
    • Gratuities 
    • Nitrox - US$20 per day
    • Equipment rental - US$32 per day
    • 15l tanks - US$15 per day
    • Diving courses 
    • Private guide
    • Laundry service
    • Spa or massage
    Payment policy
    • 10% cancellation fee if canceled 150 days or more prior to the embarkation date
    • 30% cancellation fee if canceled between 149 and 60 days prior to the embarkation date
    • 100% cancellation fee if canceled 59 days or fewer prior to the embarkation date
    Special offers or promotions - separate payment and cancellation terms may apply.
    Group bookings - separate payment and cancellation terms may apply.
    Contact the ZuBlu travel team if you have any questions about payment terms and cancellation. 
    Cancellation policy
    30% deposit - required to secure reservation.
    70% balance - due 60 days prior to departure.
    Bookings received less than 60 days before departure require payment in full to secure reservation. 

Current availability and prices: https://www.zubludiving.com/itineraries/dancing-wind/itn-2503070859181-tranquil-sulawesi-bitung-kendari-

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