Mari Itinerary
Ambon, Banda Sea and Alor Expedition

13 days / 12 nights

About Mari

Spacious vessel accommodating non-divers and families
Flexible cabin configurations with doubles, twins and bunks
Up to four dives a day in Indonesia’s top destinations
Enjoy al fresco dining set to panoramic views of the scenery

Crafted by master boat-builders from Sulawesi, Mari liveaboard offers safe, comfortable, and exciting dive safari voyages throughout the Indonesian Archipelago – including remote regions like Raja Ampat, Cenderawasih Bay, Banda Sea and Triton Bay. With low guest numbers, modest yet contemporary communal areas, and a range of itineraries and destinations, Mari’s remarkable liveaboard adventures represent incredible value for money.

Learn more about Mari

Itinerary details

Length of trip 13 days / 12 nights

Number of dives 32

Experience Open Water - Minimum 30 dives

Insurance Required

Highlights

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 into the world-class muck diving sites of Ambon
Enjoy Ambon’s world-class muck diving and spot the psychedelic frogfish
Land visit to the 17th-century Fort Belgica on Banda Neira
Chance of hammerheads, thresher sharks, and even mola mola in Alor

Day 1:

Guests are welcomed aboard KLM Mari at Ambon harbour. After a full safety briefing and cabin orientation, we open the expedition in the black sand slopes of Ambon Bay—one of Asia's finest muck diving destinations and a vivid counterpoint to the pelagic and reef diving that lies ahead.

Laha—Check dive. Black sand slopes and rubble fields teeming with macro subjects. Ambon scorpionfish, frogfish in multiple species, ghost pipefish, thorny seahorses, and nudibranchs are common sightings. The endemic psychedelic frogfish—first described to science from this location—is the site's most celebrated resident.

Mari departs overnight toward Nusa Laut.

Day 2:

Nusa Laut is a small island east of Ambon whose diving stands as one of the most compelling arguments for community-led marine conservation in Indonesia. Decades of strict local protection have produced reef health and fish biomass that grow visibly year on year. In season, the island's current-swept walls offer early hammerhead encounters.

Akon — A wall and slope dive on Nusa Laut's southern shore. Schools of jacks move in sweeping formations above excellent hard coral coverage, with reef sharks patrolling the deeper sections.

Ameth—A current-swept reef on Nusa Laut's southeastern coast and one of the Banda Sea's most reliable early-season hammerhead sites. Solitary and small groups of scalloped hammerheads cruise the outer wall edge, with turtles, Napoleon wrasse, and dense schooling fish filling the shallower sections.

Nusa Laut East Wall—A less-visited aspect of the island facing the open Seram Sea, where the wall drops steeply into blue water. Tuna, eagle rays, and lone hammerheads pass through on the current.

Mari departs mid-afternoon toward Banda Neira.

Day 3:

Once the world's only source of nutmeg, Banda is a small volcanic archipelago with a long colonial history.

Gunung Api Wall—A wall beneath the volcano with hard coral gardens and schooling reef fish.

Batu Kapal—A rocky formation with soft corals and swimthroughs.

Mandarin Point — Dusk dive. A structured dusk dive for mandarinfish courting above the rubble.

Land excursion: Fort Belgica, a 17th-century Dutch fortress above the harbor, and the nutmeg plantations.

Mari repositions to Hatta.

Day 4:

A day among the outer Banda Islands, with steep walls and clear water.

Karang Hatta — A reef and wall off Hatta with healthy hard coral and reef fish.

Tanjung Buton—A point dive with current and pelagic fish.

Run—A reef off Run Island with coral gardens and schooling fish.

Mari departs overnight toward Manuk (66 NM, about 13 hours).

Day 5:

A solitary active volcano in the deep open ocean. Sulphurous smoke drifts from the peak as guests descend. Manuk is known throughout Indonesia as the Island of Sea Snakes—dozens of banded sea kraits and olive sea snakes inhabit the reef at every depth, utterly indifferent to divers. Thousands of seabirds nest and soar above the waterline. Hammerhead sharks remain possible on every dive.

Manuk Ridge—A volcanic ridge with dramatic topography, steep drop-offs and thriving coral gardens, and a high concentration of sea snakes woven through the reef structure. Grey reef sharks patrol the deeper sections while trevallies and tuna cruise the blue beyond.

Palm Point—A good location for hammerhead and mobula ray sightings in addition to the sea snake encounters found throughout Manuk's reef system.

Mari departs overnight toward Serua.

Day 6:

Serua is a remote volcanic island rising sharply from the deep Banda Sea and one of the most emblematic hammerhead destinations in Indonesia. Nutrient-rich upwelling currents that sweep its walls attract schooling scalloped hammerheads in numbers that can rival anything in the region during peak season.

Jackpot—Serua's most celebrated site and one of the Banda Sea's most consistent hammerhead aggregation points. Strong, nutrient-rich currents sweep the reef. Hammerheads, silvertips, and mobula rays concentrate here during favorable conditions.

Serua Wall—A vertical drop-off swept by strong current, with immense gorgonian sea fans, black coral formations, and barrel sponges lining the upper sections. Schools of bigeye trevallies and dogtooth tuna patrol the wall's exposed face while hammerheads cruise the deeper water beyond the reef edge.

Kekah's Corner—A sloping wall of corals with occasional barrel sponges off the tiny adjacent island of Kekah. A steady nutrient-rich current turns most dives into a pleasant drift, with hammerheads possible in the blue water beyond.

Mari departs overnight toward Damar.

Day 7:

The approach to the Forgotten Islands proper. Damar is a volcanic island with a hard coral garden prized for afternoon and night diving, while the smaller islands of Nus Leur and Terbang Utara and Terbang Selatan to its south offer some of the most dramatic wall diving in the outer arc.

Nus Leur—A small atoll with a steep-sloping reef. Napoleon wrecks cruise the deeper sections while a beautiful shallow coral garden makes for a memorable safety stop and end-of-dive drift.

Terbang Utara (North Terbang) — A dramatic wall with large overhangs dripping with soft corals. Deep water on all sides attracts pelagic species, including dogtooth tuna, schooling barracuda, and trevally, with oceanic whitetip sharks patrolling the blue on productive dives.

Terbang Selatan (South Terbang)—Equally dramatic seascapes with slightly milder currents than the northern island. Rugged underwater terrain with sheer drop-offs and vibrant coral slopes, frequented by eagle rays, surgeonfish, and bumphead parrotfish.

Mari departs overnight toward Nyata.

Day 8:

Romang is a small volcanic island located to the east of Wetar, surrounded by several smaller islands and unspoiled coral reefs. Remote, with excellent visibility and diverse marine life, it is one of the least-dived destinations on the entire Forgotten Islands route.

Nyata—One of the most pristine reefs on the route, with very healthy hard coral formations in the shallows and incredible fish action attracted to the dive site. Steep reef to wall transitions with Napoleon wrasse, schooling jacks, and barracuda throughout.

Day 9 - WETAR & REONG (2 dives)

Not many people can say they have dived Wetar Island. Swift drift dives between Wetar and the small limestone island of Reong pass walls of extraordinary color and density. The contrast between Wetar's volcanic terrain and Reong's limestone structure offers two distinct diving environments in a single day.

Tanjung Nunukae—Wetar's star dive site. A large ridge where shallows form a plateau that narrows as it deepens, dropping off abruptly into a wall swathed in gigantic sea fans, cup corals, and impressive sponges. Mobula and manta rays have both been encountered here. Currents are generally moderate to strong.

Reong North—A current-swept channel wall between Wetar and Reong where mantas and mobula rays circle cleaning stations. Eagle rays and bumphead parrotfish are common along the ridge pinnacles.

Reong Wall—The limestone island's outer wall: reef sharks, barracuda, and trevallies patrol consistently, with impressive wall and overhang structure throughout.

Day 10:

Alor is a favourite destination for returning divers, offering a range of habitats in a single day—dramatic walls, healthy pinnacles, world-class muck diving, and some of the highest anemone densities recorded anywhere in Indonesia. Water temperatures can drop significantly in the Alor/Pantar Strait due to cold upwellings.

Boardroom—A majestic wall on the northern side of Pura Island dropping to 50 m (164 ft), with caves filled with glassfish and schooling jacks and snappers hanging at the entrances.

Clown Valley—also known as Apuri or Anemone Valley. An extraordinary concentration of anemones sheltering countless anemonefish—considered to have the highest density of anemones in the world.

Babylon—A rich reef wall dropping to 28 m (92 ft), bustling with numerous species of reef fish and colorful corals. Sandy ledges with schooling fish and soft corals throughout.

Day 11:

Mucky Mosque—A black sand slope in Kalabahi Bay. Nudibranchs, ghost pipefish, and rhinopias are possible.

Pertamina Jetty—Muck diving under a fuel jetty with macro life among the pilings.

Babylon—A reef wall dropping to 28 m (92 ft), with sandy ledges, soft corals, and schooling fish.

Mari departs toward Pantar.

Day 12 - LEMBATA / KAWULA (2 morning dives)

Two final morning dives in the Lembata or Kawula area before the overnight crossing to Maumere.

Equipment is rinsed and stowed after the second dive, respecting recommended no-fly intervals before departure. Mari departs overnight toward Maumere.

Day 13:

Following breakfast, guests disembark in Maumere at the conclusion of one of Indonesia's most ambitious expedition crossings—from the legendary critter diving of Ambon Bay through the pelagic drama of the Banda Sea inner arc, down the volcanic spine of the Forgotten Islands, and into the rich reef diversity of Alor and the Flores Sea.

Please prepare to leave the boat between approximately 10:00 and 12:00. Transfers to Frans Seda Airport (MOF) or your hotel can be arranged on request.

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