Banda Sea 12 NIGHTS
Maumere - Ambon
Come and discover the fabulous Banda Sea, offering one of the most extraordinary diversity of fish and invertebrate species in the world.
12 nights itinerary, through Maumere, Alor, Banda to Ambon.
Route is subject to weather conditions and can be modified.
Best period : October to November
Program
Day 1: Maumere
Aurora team will welcome you at the airport and bring you to Aurora for immediate boarding. Depending on the arrival time, we might do the check dive around Maumere and maybe even a night dive.
Day 2 : East Flores
Tanjung Gedong: northeast Flores. The reef slopes down into a sandy area with large coral heads. The beautiful deep sections are decorated with soft corals and large table corals. Reef sharks, groupers and other encounters are to be expected.
Day 3 : Komba
We will dive around Komba, an active volcano. The sandy slopes are home to various fish species. On the rocks, nudibranchs and shells.
After the dives, a guaranteed thrill with a tour close to the volcano. Eruptions occur every 20 to 30 minutes!
Day 4_5 : Alor Strait
Nusa Tenggara area, Timor. An incredibly rich biodiversity on land and underwater. The place offers all types of dives, from superb muck dives to magnificent drop-offs with sweeping currents.
Pulau Pura and Pulau Ternate: clear and warm water with nice coral gardens and a huge marine wildlife. Superb macro to observe, especially the shy mandarin fish. An unusual and excellent bonus of diving here is the possibility of spotting pilot whales and dolphins from the surface.
We will take you on a land excursion to see a forgotten tribe in a local village. An unforgettable cultural experience!
Day 6: Wetar
Wetar is a large island north of Timor. Untouched landscapes with lush vegetation, the dives are not to be missed. Stunning drop-offs and pelagic life are waiting for you.
Day 7: Damar
Terbang Utara / Terbang Selatan, two small islands located south of Damar. Usually, we can expect easy but very fast drifts along marvellous coral drop-offs.
Nuss Leur: several pinnacles with all the colourful life of coral reefs.
Day 8: Serua-Nil-Nila
Serua Island and Nil Desperandum takes its name from a ship, stranded on the reef. These are the hot spots to come across hammerhead sharks if you are lucky enough.
Day 9: Manuk, Snake Island
Manuk, the ‘Snake Island’, a volcanic island with lower interest on land. It takes its nickname from the large amount of sea snakes found there. You will surely see a lot! The drop-offs here are amazing and sharks, mackerels, tunas and barracudas are often observed.
Day 10-11: Banda Island
You will now arrive at the northern end of the outer reefs of the Banda Sea: Pulau Suanggi. The waters here are full of fish, reef sharks and tuna. As a small bonus for bird lovers, many species can be observed around the island: brown boobies, red-footed boobies and frigate birds.
Pulau hatta / Karang hatta: We will dive both sloping reefs and vertical walls. The current attracts many fish: fusiliers, dogtooth tuna, eagle rays, barracudas and sometimes sharks. On the reef: soft corals, leather corals, big eye trevallies and turtles.
Day 12: Nusa Laut, Molana
South of Seram, fantastic diving experiences on the reefs of Molana and Nusa Laut. These rather picturesque islands of Maluku are popular dive destinations due to their diversity of reef fish species, ghost pipefish, frogfish and the variety of well-preserved hard corals.
We even have seen sperm whales in the area on previous trips, so keep your eyes wide open.
Day 13: Ambon
After a nice breakfast on board, our Aurora crew will organize, according to your flight schedules, your transfer to the airport of Ambon.
Unfortunately our trip will arrive at an end and we have to say goodbye but we hope to see you again on board.
Itinerary
Practical Info
Prices include
- Pick up and drop off (before and after the cruise) from the nearest airport to Aurora
- Accommodation in a double-bed or twin-bed cabin with en-suite bathroom, toilet and AC
- Meals and all soft drinks on board (excluding beer, spirits, wine, espresso coffee)
- 25 to 30 dives (inluding night dives), according to weather conditions and flights schedule
- 12L Tank, belt, weights and diving guide
- Nitrox. As a service offered by Dune, Nitrox can’t be subject to any complaint or refund in case of a possible failure or malfunctioning of the compressor
- Multilingual guides on board (French, English, Indonesian)
- Land excursions, according to the diving cruise itinerary.
Prices do not include
- Scuba diving courses
- Rental diving equipment
- Dive insurance (mandatory – possibility to buy on board)
- 15L tanks
- Extra excursion requested
- Beer, wine and spirits, Expresso coffee
- Souvenirs, laundry, use of satellite phone
- Tips on board (for crew): 15 USD minimum / person / day – to be paid in cash
- Port fee: 150$ per trip per person
