Mari Itinerary

Raja Ampat, Misool and Banda Sea (AMQ-SOQ)

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 open-ocean pelagic hunting that lies ahead.

Laha—Check dive. Black sand slopes and rubble fields teeming with macro subjects that reward patient, unhurried diving. 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 exact location—is the site's most celebrated resident.

Rhino City—A sandy slope west of Laha hosting an enormous variety of cryptic critters. Red, lacy, and the rare green Rhinopias scorpionfish have all been documented here, often in the same dive. 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—and in season, the island's current-swept walls offer the first hammerhead opportunities of the expedition.

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 in the blue water beyond the reef, 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—a preview of the open-ocean scale ahead.

Ameth—Night dive. The reef that produces hammerheads by day reveals a different cast after dark: octopuses, crustaceans, and nocturnal reef fish emerge across the coral rubble.

Mari departs overnight toward Suanggi.

Day 3:
Suanggi is a small, uninhabited rocky outcrop rising from the open Banda Sea, its sheer walls plunging into the abyss. During the September to November season, schooling scalloped hammerhead sharks are the defining encounter—arriving in numbers from the deep to cruise the current-swept walls. A full day in the water.

Suanggi North Wall—Drop in on the up-current side and drift along the wall, keeping one eye on the reef and the other trained on the blue water beyond. Large schools of blackfin barracuda form shimmering vortexes while giant trevallies and dogtooth tuna patrol the edges. Schooling hammerheads cruise past in the deeper water during favorable conditions, with squadrons of mobula rays an additional highlight on productive days.

Suanggi South Point—The southern tip of the island where two current streams converge, creating a focal point for pelagic life. Barracuda, jacks, and tuna gather at the convergence, while the wall below offers excellent coral growth and the possibility of hammerhead sightings from a different angle.

Suanggi Plateau—A submerged plateau on the island's sheltered side where the current eases, coral bommies, large gorgonian fans, and an abundance of reef fish in calmer water. An ideal third dive after the adrenaline of the exposed walls. Mari departs overnight toward Serua.

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

Serua Wall—The signature dive of Serua. 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—often appearing as silhouettes rising from the blue before resolving into the unmistakable hammer-shaped profile.

Serua Corner—A current-driven point dive where the island's walls converge and pelagic life concentrates. Barracuda, giant trevallies, and tuna stack up in the current, while reef sharks work the edges. Guides position divers in the counter-current behind relief structures to observe the passing pelagics without fighting the flow.

Serua South Reef—The island's more sheltered southern aspect, with a sloping reef of exceptional hard coral quality. Large Acropora tables and dense schools of fusiliers and anthias in extraordinary numbers fill the shallower sections, with Napoleon wrasse and hawksbill turtles moving through the coral heads. A welcome change of pace after two wall dives and outstanding conditions for wide-angle photography. Mari departs overnight toward Hatta.

Hatta Island lies in the outer arc of the Banda group, southeast of Banda Neira and flanked by the 6,000m-deep Banda Trench. The open-ocean character here is distinct from the volcanic inner islands—deep walls, pristine coral plateaus swept by productive currents, and reliable hammerhead encounters as the Banda Trench closes in.

Karang Hatta — A coral plateau just off Hatta Island, quietly protected from fishing for decades. Sweeping curtains of red-toothed triggerfish and schools of fusiliers pack the reef in numbers that rival the best fish-density diving in the region. Young silky sharks, Napoleon wrasse, and solitary hammerheads regularly patrol the outer edge.

Hatta Wall—A deep wall along the island's outer face drops into the Banda Trench with barrel sponges, large gorgonian sea fans, and dense reef fish life covering the upper sections. Hammerheads, eagle rays, and occasional thresher sharks have all been documented here on productive dives.

Day 6:
The Banda Islands are among the most historically charged places in Indonesia. Once the world's only source of nutmeg, these tiny volcanic islands were fought over by European colonial powers for two centuries. Today they have returned to their quiet volcanic beauty—and the diving is extraordinary.

Land excursion: Guests come ashore at Banda Neira for a walking tour of one of Indonesia's most fascinating islands. Fort Belgica, a well-preserved 17th-century Dutch fortress perched above the harbour, offers sweeping views of the volcano and the archipelago. The tour continues through colonial-era streets to the maritime museum and through working nutmeg plantations still cultivated using techniques unchanged in centuries.

Mari departs early toward Koon Island.

Day 7:
Koon Island sits in the Seram Sea between the Banda Islands and Misool, its remote position and exceptional reef health making it one of eastern Indonesia's most rewarding intermediate stops. The fish biomass here is extraordinary — a fitting transition between the pelagic intensity of the Banda Sea and the reef diversity of Misool ahead.

Koon North Wall — A sweeping wall covered in large sea fans and soft corals, with some of the densest schooling fish aggregations in the region. Immense schools of fusiliers, surgeonfish and snappers fill the water column while reef sharks and trevallies hunt along the wall's upper edge.

Koon Plateau — A submerged reef plateau on the island's sheltered side, with excellent hard coral coverage and abundant reef fish life. Napoleon wrasse, groupers and turtles are frequent visitors, and the calmer conditions offer a welcome contrast to the wall diving.

Mari departs overnight toward southern Misool.

Day 8:
After a week of open-ocean pelagic diving, the sheltered lagoons and pristine reefs of southern Misool mark a shift in character. The Daram reefs are among the most pristine and least-visited in the Raja Ampat archipelago — a fitting opening to the Misool sequence.

Andiamo — A series of coral-covered ridges draped in soft corals and sea fans. Currents attract large schools of fusiliers and snappers, with reef sharks regularly patrolling the deeper water beyond the reef edge.

Candy Store — Strong currents deliver nutrient-rich water supporting dense schools of barracuda, giant trevallies and tuna above a reef blanketed in vibrant soft corals.

Yillet Kecil — A well-balanced reef system of coral bommies and hard coral gardens with sheltered sections ideal for photography. Macro subjects including pygmy seahorses, nudibranchs and cryptic reef creatures are well represented.

Day 9:
The reefs that have made Misool famous worldwide. Nutrient-rich waters attract everything from sought-after macro subjects to manta rays and large pelagic fish.

Magic Mountain — Misool's most iconic dive site. A submerged seamount that functions as a cleaning station for both reef and oceanic manta rays, with multiple individuals frequently encountered circling above the reef. Barracuda, giant trevallies and tuna cruise the surrounding blue water.

Four Kings — A collection of submerged pinnacles covered in soft corals and sea fans. Converging currents create ideal conditions for large schools of fusiliers, snappers and surgeonfish, with reef sharks as regular visitors.

Warna Berwarna — One of Misool's most concentrated displays of coral diversity. Brilliant soft corals in pink, orange and purple blanket the reef above a dense community of reef fish.

Harapan Jetty — Night dive. A macro-rich jetty dive where patient observers may discover bobtail squid, pipefish, juvenile reef fish and crustaceans.

Day 10:
Fiabacet — Multiple coral-covered pinnacles rising from deep water and attracting immense schools of fusiliers, jacks and snappers. Reef sharks are frequently encountered hunting in the currents. Often considered among the finest dive sites in Raja Ampat.

Tank Rock — A dramatic reef structure known for both fish action and exceptional coral growth. Barracuda, trevallies and surgeonfish gather around the site's exposed sections.

Whale Rock — Steep walls, overhangs and flourishing coral gardens. Napoleon wrasse, turtles and reef sharks are common visitors.

Guests visit the ancient rock paintings of Tomolol in the afternoon — cultural markings believed to have been created centuries ago by the region's earliest inhabitants, set among towering limestone cliffs and narrow waterways.

Day 11:
Misool's northern reefs are among the most iconic reef structures in the archipelago. A full four-dive day to close the Misool sequence.

Boo Windows — One of Raja Ampat's most photographed dive sites. Natural limestone "windows" carved through the island frame a reef of swim-throughs, overhangs and coral-covered ridges blanketed in soft corals and sea fans, with clouds of anthias throughout.

Boo West — A continuation of the Boo reef system with vibrant hard and soft corals, turtles, schooling fish and regular reef shark sightings.

Romeo — A colorful ridge of sea fans and soft corals with anthias swarming above the reef and schools of fusiliers streaming through the current.

Dunia Kecil — A compact rock on the western side of the Wayil Channel, small enough to circumnavigate in a single dive. The top section is filled with wonderful soft corals while the walls are covered in large sea fans, home to several species of pygmy seahorse.

Day 12:
Two final morning dives in the northern Misool area, respecting recommended no-fly intervals. Equipment rinsed and stowed after the second dive. Mari departs in the early afternoon on her overnight crossing toward Sorong.

Day 13: 
Following breakfast, guests disembark in Sorong at the conclusion of one of Indonesia's great maritime crossings — from the world-class critter diving of Ambon Bay, through the pelagic drama and Spice Islands history of the Banda Sea, and into the legendary soft coral reefs and limestone landscapes of Misool.

Please prepare to leave the boat between approximately 06:00 and 12:00, depending on your onward travel schedule. Complimentary transfers are provided to Sorong Airport.

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