MV Ambai: Halmahera, 9 nights, Ternate return

Halmahera is one of the best Indonesian dive destination.

It offers a great variety of dive sites among beautiful islands still largely covered with tropical forests.

This 10 days / 9 nights trip visits the West and South West part of Halmahera, starting from the volcanic island of Ternate and going until the South of Bacan island before to go back to Ternate. On this program the crossings are short and limited compared to most of our other it ineraries.

Our adventure will begin in Ternate where you are awaited on our vessel before 12 noon, and will end up in Ternate as well, where you can disembark from 6am to 12 noon . We organize your pick up and drop off in the morning at the airport or at your hotel.

THE DIVING

Many of the dive sites are sea mounts with a rocky substrate and plenty of large soft coral covered boomies in all different colors.

The fish life is intense: as an Halmahera signature, black tip sharks are seen patrolling around on most of the dives.

Tunas, Spanish mackerel, giant trevallies and other pelagic fish are part of the show. Napoleon wrasses, bump- head parrotfish, groupers, schools of surgeon and spadefish are also well represented.

Other type of dive site includes great critters dives and beautiful fringing reefs.

A minimum of 27 dives (3 dives per day) is offered during the trip, including at least 5 night dives. The last dive is the Penultimate day at 8 am.

SNORKELING

Our trips are open to snorkelers. Most of the dive sites offer great snorkeling opportunities with a lot to see in shallow waters, and we offer specific guidance for snorkelers.

ACTIVITIES

Besides the diving, we offer some activities along the trip according to weather conditions and the final trip itinerary.

Halmahera and it’s satellites islands are truly beautiful. Ternate, Tidore, Moti, Makian are all volcanic, cone-shaped islands. They were part of the spices trade during the XV century. Some fortification remain and we will pay a short visit to some of them.

In Bacan, an afternoon excursion is on the program to visit the village and fort of Labuan as well as a short trip into the forest to admire a great variety of butterfies.

You can also ask a boatman to bring you a shore at any time, as long as the schedule allows it. Our four complementary kayaks and paddles are also available to go on shore or in the lagoons whenever the boat is anchored.

All these activities are subject to weather conditions as well as the planned daily schedule and itinerary.

WEATHER

The weather is variable, with some sunny days and a few showers. The sea is generally calm, with eventually a bit of wind under the showers. Temperatures are around 27-30 °C.

VISIBILITY

Generally very good with a blue clear water, it can be reduced in case of heavy rainfalls.

TEMPERATURE

The sea water temperature is between 27° and 30°C (80°-84°C). .

CURRENTS

Some of the dives can have consistent currents. However Wallacea Dive Cruises has a long experience diving these sites and we pay close attention to diving in the right places at the right time, to avoid difficult or dangerous currents.

Before each dive, our guides conduct current checks so that our briefings will always inform you about the up-to-the-minute diving conditions. If the currents are too strong on a site, we wait or shift to an alternative dive site.

ITINERARY & NAVIGATION :

The map shows the general cruise itinerary. It can slightly vary depending on weather conditions, currents, visibility, and tides. Crossings are not long and consist in a few hours between dives or at night.

Starting from Ternate we will head south after our check dive, passing near the islands of Tidore, Moti, Makian, all of which are spectacular cone-shaped volcanic islands. After a first night we will dive for 2 days in the area of Goroaici islands. Sea-mounts and rocky islets form the dive sites, attracting a great marine life.

Going South we will reach the north part of the Sapiente strait between Halmahera and Bacan island. The 2 islands of Saleh and Kusu plus some other smaller ones partially close the strait, forcing the water between the islands with currents bringing a lot of life.

Many dive sites in this area, including sea mounts, rocks, drift dives along fringing reefs and quiet critter dives in bays. We spend 2 days in this area.

We keep going South and dive around the small islands of Pigajara, then turn around the south of Bacan islands where some great wall diving awaits us. Going North West of Bacan island, the next stop is Labua for some famous critter dives an excursion on land.

From there we go back to Goraici area for one day of diving. We then head back to Ternate with one stop on the way for a fort visit.

Check in from 6 am to 12 noon. AMBAI crew are standing by to Welcome you onboard. Cabin allocation and ship orientation, safety Briefing and crew Introduction will take place before departing.

*Note: This is a sample itinerary and nº of dives, dive sites, etc. may be subject to change due to weather conditions and other unforseeable factors

Check out from 6 am to 12 noon. Group photos with the crew before farewell. Disembarkation after breakfast. Transfer to airport or hotel.