Aruna Odyssey

Aruna Odyssey is a 46-metre dive yacht for 20 guests, with ten en-suite cabins, a sun deck with a jacuzzi and nitrox included in the fare. She runs Komodo, the Banda Sea and Raja Ampat, with longer crossings between them.

She is a modern motor yacht rather than a wooden phinisi, 46 metres long with a 10-metre beam, cruising at 12 knots, which shortens the long legs across the Banda Sea. Her tanks carry 73,000 litres of fuel and 41,000 litres of fresh water. Starlink keeps guests connected at sea.

The boat

The ten cabins sit on three decks and every one has its own bathroom. The two Master Suites on the main deck have a king-size bed and large windows. Five Deluxe Twin cabins have two 1.4-metre beds: four on the upper deck with wide windows, one on the lower deck without windows. Three Superior Twin cabins have two 1.1-metre beds, one on the upper deck with windows and two on the lower deck.

Guests share an indoor saloon with a long dining table, a lounge, a camera room and a spa. Up top, the sun deck has a jacuzzi, a sky bar and an outdoor dining table under shade sails. Two dive tenders and a dinghy take divers to the sites, in groups of four or five per guide.

Deck plan

Itineraries

• Komodo, 7 nights. Batu Bolong, the manta cleaning stations at Manta Point, the Padar viewpoint and the dragons, with the colder south of the park and Manta Alley when weather and current allow.
• Banda Sea, 5, 7 or 8 nights. The Banda Islands and the volcanoes of the Ring of Fire, sea snakes at Manuk and Gunung Api, and the atoll of Karang Nil Desperandum. Hammerheads school at some of the seamounts, but sightings are never certain.
• Raja Ampat, 7 nights North and Central or 8 nights South and Central. The karst islands of Pianemo, the swim-through at Boo Window in Misool, pygmy seahorses on the sea fans and wobbegong sharks on the reefs.
• Misool to the Banda Sea, 8 nights. The crossing south from Raja Ampat.
• Raja Ampat and Halmahera to Gorontalo, 12 nights. The longest trip, north through the Halmahera Sea and on to Gorontalo in north Sulawesi.

Dates, prices and free cabins for each departure are listed below. The order of sites depends on weather and current, and the cruise director sets it on the day.

What is included, and what is not

• Included: transfers between the airport or your hotel and the port, the cabin on a twin-share basis, full board, coffee, tea, soft drinks and juices, 32% nitrox, 12-litre tanks and weights, and the dive guides.
• On request at no extra cost: 15-litre and 8-litre tanks, and DIN or J-valve tanks for sidemount and twin-set divers.
• Not included: international and domestic flights, hotels before and after the trip, park and port fees (set by the government and different for each region), a fuel surcharge where it applies, alcohol, travel and dive insurance, crew tips and rental gear. Full sets and dive computers can be rented on board.
• Single use of a cabin costs double the per-person rate.

Who she suits

Divers who want the long, remote routes without giving up comfort: a real bed, a private bathroom, fast internet and a jacuzzi after the last dive. Every trip asks for Advanced Open Water, with 30 to 100 logged dives depending on the route, and the booking panel shows the requirement for each departure. Prices are per person in a shared cabin. Ask us about a private charter.