MV Samambaia

No cruise on MV Samambaia is like the other. Every single trip is tailor-made to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The decision on the itinerary is made by the cruise director as we cruise along and is based on factors such as weather conditions, dive conditions, requests of guests and schedules of other liveaboards, which we are trying to stay away from.

There are however certain constants on every cruise which are:

Three day dives of minimum 1 hour duration

One sunset/night dive (unless we have to cover a serious amount of miles over night)

Activities during the surface intervals such as:

scenic rides through lagoons and coves in our tenders

trekking to breathtaking view points

visits of secluded perfect beaches

excursions to traditional villages

whale watching

water action such as wake boarding and kayak

Based upon that, here is a potential itinerary for an 11 nights /12 days cruise from

Sorong (West Papua)

back to

Sorong (West Papua)

. This is just to give you a general idea and is subject to change due to weather and other conditions. Popular dive sites are named. We do however have our secret spots as well, which you will learn about during the cruise.

For a cruise in Raja Ampat there is three potential scenarios:

- North only

- South only

- North and South combined

In any of these Itineraries we visited what is considered Central Raja Ampat whre famous areas like Penemu and Dampier Strait are located:

Arrival with plane to Sorong. You will be picked up by crew members at the airport.

Embarkation in the port of Sorong. This day we don´t dive due to the long way to the diving areas. Instead we use it to relax and rest, set up the dive equipment and talk with the Cruise Director so he could arrange the diving groups.

After an initial general dive briefing, we will do our check dive with you at an easy and protected dive site. Check dive in the sense of you checking your gear and weights, making sure the camera housings are proper sealed and our guides checking your buoyancy. No skill demonstrations are required.

Barracuda Rock, Wedding Cake and Dunia Kecil are the dive sites which we will spend this day at.

In the afternoon we offer a two hour speedboat ride into hidden coves to let you enjoy the stunning topside of the limestone islands. At the end we will get to a pristine white sand beach where you can cool of with a little swim.

Right in the heart of the No-Take-Zone. ‘Tank Rock’, ‘Nudi Rock’ & ‘Whale Rock’ are the famous and commonly dived sites here. There is five more dive sites in the very proximity which are as good, if not even better. We prefer to go a bit off the beaten track here.

The reefs are covered in soft coral in all colours you can imagine. Surrounded by the most colourful reef fish. More Fusiliers than one could possibly count. Jacks, Trevallies, Barracudas, Sharks. And if you happen to dive here on a day with bad visibility. Just face the reef. It’s packed with macro life. Several species of Pygmy Seahorses, Nudibranchs, tiny Crustaceans - every niche in these reefs is filled with life.

The swim through at ‘Boo Windows’ is one of the signature dive sites of SE Misool. The surrounding reef is covered in sea fans. Boo east and Boo West are also the picture that every diver is looking for in Misool, the impressive soft coral gradens that almost break the surface. We combine this impressive day of diving with at least one dive at ‘Magic Mountain’. Being a cleaning station for Oceanic Mantas makes this place truly magic.

This island group is one of our favourite area to dive in SE Misool. Since 2010 declared as the second no take zone in the area the marine life here is abundant and the most colourful. Again the reef is totally covered with a Soft Coral garden and the walls are all about Sea Fans.

We will spend the whole day here and offer three world class dives. No night dive today as we will head overnight to the north.

Depending on conditions, visibility, weather or under demand of all the guests we could expend more days in Misool as there are other diving areas as good as these previous ones. Places like Pele, Sagof, Balbulol or Farondi are worth it to expend one more day.

Also the last day could be combined with a long activitie around Tomulol area where we would spend all the afternoon visiting the famous cave , the jellyfish lake and, at the sunset we will climbing in a spectacular viewpoint called Tannga Seribu ( 1000 steps stair) , after this we start to sailing to the North.

Our first stop in Central Raja Ampat could be a muck dive at the only black sand slope of Raja Ampat, Algae Patch, where the amount of cretures can compite with some dive sites of Lembeh or Ambon. Nudibranchs, shrimps, crabs, seahorses…and always a new encounter. For the second dive we will back to the coral gardens as this is for what most of the divers come to this Paradise. This time would be one of the pristine shallow coral gardens that cover the south west coast of Batanta. The day will finish in Dayang looking for Reef Mantas in his famous cleanning station.

In the morning you will find yourself in the north of Raja Ampat. The main difference to Misool are the pristine hard coral, whilst the south is famous for the soft variation.

Penemu is a breathtaking diving site located in Central Raja Ampat, renowned for its vibrant coral reefs and diverse marine life. Divers are enchanted by the kaleidoscope of colors as they explore the crystal-clear waters, encountering an array of marine species including colorful reef fish, reef sharks, and majestic manta rays. Penemu's underwater topography features stunning coral formations, swim-throughs, and drop-offs, offering an exhilarating diving experience. Dive sites like Melissa´s Garden, My Reef, Keruo Channel and Batu Rufus are a must in a Raja Ampat trip.

In the afternoon after the third dive we will vivit the Penemu viewpoint to admire the lagoon as you probably have seen in so many pictures.

‘Mayhem’ is an action packed dive which we will hit when there is enough current to keep the fish life going without being to challenging for the divers. Citrus ridge is another colorful reef with soft coral and hard coral that can be pack of fishes in certain currents.

But the highlight of Yanggefo are the mangroves. Here we have the oportunity of dive in a blue water mangrove. We will be able to swim between the roots of the mangrove enjoy this unique landscape at the same time that thedive guides spot the archer fish, the pijama cardinal fish or diferent juveniles of reef fishes that use the mangroves as protection.

It’s time for more close encounters with the majestic Manta Rays of Raja Ampat. ‘Manta Sandy’ is one of the most popular dive sites out here and therefore we avoid. Just because we know about even better spots where we will take you.

In the afternoon we will dive the jetty of the small island of Arborek. The pillars are covered in soft coral and all around we find very attractive macro life. Afterwards we will go and visit the little village here on the island.

The dive- and snorkel sites in the Dampier Strait stand for action packed dives in our favourite kind of fish soup - the one that is still alive and surrounds us in the water. Encounters with Manta Rays are very common here. The reef of the island of Kri is the current world record holder with the highest number of fish species ever counted by a scientist in a single dive - Dr. Gerry Allen came up with 374 different fish species counted. Again: in one single dive.

Dive sites here are exposed to current so it’s all about the right timing to get the most out of it. And we know how to time it here. Popular dive sites here: ‘Cape Kri’, ‘Chicken’, ‘Sardine’, ‘Mike’s Point’ and ‘Blue Majic’.

The last day we will have one or two dives depending what time is your flight next day. In this two dives we will cover some of the dive site we didn´t do the previous day as Dampier has plenty of dive sites. For the last one usually we look for one easy and shallow although sometimes guests a re moreadventurous and ask for have a more challenging Dampier style dive site looking for splint points and current to ensure a fish soup around us.

On our way back our crew will keep an eye out onto the ocean for you and alert you in time for whale and dolphin encounters. Which are quite common here. As long as you are on the watch out.

And we are…

Depending on your flight schedule, our crew will check your luggage in for you in advance so you can rest on board and let us shuttle you to the airport when your plane is ready to leave.

No cruise on MV Samambaia is like the other. Every single trip is tailor-made to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The decision on the itinerary is made by the cruise director as we cruise along and is based on factors such as weather conditions, dive conditions, requests of guests and schedules of other liveaboards, which we are trying to stay away from.

There are however certain constants on every cruise which are:

Three day dives of minimum 1 hour duration

One sunset/night dive (unless we have to cover a serious amount of miles over night)

Activities during the surface intervals such as:

scenic rides through lagoons and coves in our tenders

trekking to breathtaking view points

visits of secluded perfect beaches

excursions to traditional villages

whale watching

water action such as wake boarding and kayak

Based upon that, here is a potential itinerary for an 11 nights /12 days cruise from

Ambon (Maluku)

back to

Ambon (Maluku)

. This is just to give you a general idea and is subject to change due to weather and other conditions. Popular dive sites are named. We do however have our secret spots as well, which you will learn about during the cruise.

Arrival with plane to Ambon. You will be picked up by crew members at the airport.

Embarkation in the port of Ambon. A general orientation follows.

After an initial general dive briefing, we will do our check dive with you at an easy and protected dive site. Check dive in the sense of you checking your gear and weights, making sure the camera housings are proper sealed and our guides checking your buoyancy. No skill demonstrations are required. We will thereafter offer two more dives in the bay of Ambon. One in the afternoon and one for sunset. All of these days will be muck dives. World class critter hunting. That’s what Ambon is famous for. Rhinopias, Frogfish, Ghostpipefish, Harlequin Shrimps and if you are really lucky: the Psychedelic Frogfish that has been very recently found here again.

In the early morning we will arrive at the island of Nusa Laut, which is a great example for how active conservation by the local community can not only preserve the reefs but actually make them even better. We see here for many years a proper growth in biomass. We have four spectacular dive sites here, either wall or slope diving.

Great variety of reef fish as well as large schools of jacks. Bumphead Parrotfish like to pass by here also. A lot of macro life can be found in the wall as well.

Day 4 & Day 5: Banda Islands

The famous Spice Islands, the island group around Banda Neira, which is also historically very interesting. Wars were fought over these islands by colonial powers as these islands used to be the only islands in the world were nutmeg grew. A historical walk through the town of Banda Neira with it’s museum and two forts is a must. An interesting option for ambitious challenge seekers is to climb the vulcano Gunung Api, which raises ‘only’ 600 m above sea level. Which in the tropics however turns into a strenuous climb.

The diving here is very diverse and spectacular. As these volcanic islands raise up to the surface surrounded by deep sea water, the chances for sightings of large pelagics are very good. In the past we’ve often encountered schooling hammerheads here. A dive site called ‘Lava Flow’ is one of the most pristine hard coral reefs you will ever see. After the last eruption of Gunung Api in 1988 a flow of lava made it’s way down into the ocean and destroyed the whole reef. What has grown back ever since will boggle your mind. In the harbour of Banda Neira we’ve got a beautiful Mandarin Fish dive waiting for you. Other highlights include: ‘The Cathedral’, ‘Batu Kapal’ and ‘Karang Hatta’.

Days 6: Gili Manuk

This place is also known by the name ‘Snake Island’. If you’ve got a phobia of snakes you should definitely go diving here to face your fear and thereby cure it. You may encounter dozens of sea snakes in one single dive. These graceful creatures, though highly venomous, are very peaceful, sometimes even curious. Despite these reptiles there is plenty of reef fish but also pelagics around. On top of all thousands and thousands of seabirds are nesting here. A very unique and spectacular place. Our favourite dive site is called: ‘Smoking Hot’.

An atoll with steep walls rising from the deep. Weather conditions permitting we will spend a whole day here. Mainly steep walls all around and some sloppy parts. Very nice growth of sea fans and sponges. But we are in for the big pelagic stuff. Schooling sharks have been often seen here in the past.

Five miles from the small island of Nila we find another atoll and even prettier coral growth along the walls. Again the focus lies here on large pelagic fish passing by out in the blue. The close by island of Nila offers us protection for the night’s anchorage and gives us the possibility for a night dive.

Very remote and untouched by commercial fishing the reefs of these islands are in pristine conditions. Schooling Barracudas, Jacks on the hunt and large Tunas passing by whilst well disguised critters are blending into the reefs. Our skilled dive guides will find and show them to you.

There are two snake islands in the Banda Sea and on this special itinerary you will get to see both of them. Besides snakes we have seen Silvertip Sharks and Hammerheads here.

Usually the waters around here are gin clear so make sure you look out into the blue not to miss something big passing by.

A group of seven paradise islands in the middle of the Banda Sea. All dives are steep wall dives. The Dutch seafarers named this island group the Schildpad Islands as we have not only find nesting grounds but also a healthy population of sea turtles here.

For those who are flying out the next day, we offer two dives in the morning and some relaxing time on a perfect beach in the afternoon. If you have planned a land based extension in Ambon after the cruise, our dive guides will happily go diving again with you in the afternoon.

Depending on your flight schedule, our crew will check your luggage in for you in advance so

you can rest on board and let us shuttle you to the airport when your plane is ready to leave.

The chances to have close encounters with whales (Blue Whales, Sperm Whales, Pilot Whales and others) are very good whilst cruising the Banda Sea.

The combination of Macro Life and action packed current dives combined with a cultural experience make this itinerary very unique.

No cruise on MV Samambaia is like the other. Every single trip is tailor-made to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The decision on the itinerary is made by the cruise director as we cruise along and is based on factors such as weather conditions, dive conditions, requests of guests and schedules of other liveaboards, which we are trying to stay away from.

There are however certain constants on every cruise which are:

Three day dives of minimum 1 hour duration

One sunset/night dive (unless we have to cover a serious amount of miles over night)

Activities during the surface intervals such as:

scenic rides through lagoons and coves in our tenders

trekking to breathtaking view points

visits of secluded perfect beaches

excursions to traditional villages

whale watching

water action such as wake boarding and kayak

Based upon that, here is a potential itinerary for an 11 nights /12 days cruise from

Maumere (Flores)

back to

Maumere (Flores)

. This is just to give you a general idea and is subject to change due to weather and other conditions. Popular dive sites are named. We do however have our secret spots as well, which you will learn about during the cruise.

Arrival with plane to Maumere. You will be picked up by crew members at the airport. A general orientation follows.

After an initial general dive briefing, we will do our check dive at an easy and protected dive site. Check dive in the sense of you checking your gear and weights, making sure the camera housings are proper sealed and our guides checking your buoyancy. No skill demonstrations are required.

Check dive in the morning at a pretty, easygoing and protected dive site. A wall south of the tiny island of Serbete. We will offer two more macro focussed dives this day, at two of our secret spots south of the island of Adonara.

Sandy critter diving par excellence. One spot is at a pier, the other ones a bit further to the

east. Critter hunting at it’s best: Seahorses, different species of Rhinopias, sometimes even

side by side, frogfish, all sorts of cephalopods. Truly a world class dive spot.

Time for some action packed diving in the morning. We have two great dive sites here. One

of them is a secret cavern which is home to several White Tip Reef Sharks. The other one, ‘Pulau Suangi’ is a rock, exposed to the open ocean. Stunning coral growth on the reef, very

good fish life, but don’t forget to look out in the blue as we’ve often got pelagic fish passing by.

In the afternoon we offer a visit to the traditional whaling village of Lamalera. The people of this village are fundamental animists and are living their ancient traditions until today in our modern world. Alternatively we offer a dive for you, of course.

We finish this day with a night dive at an excellent secret spot of ours, ‘The Corner Shop’ - we named it like that because it has a little something of everything.

Facing the Savu Sea the southern coast of Pantar and Pulau Kambing are exposed to strong

upwellings and swells full of nutrition from the deep. Hence the marine life here is mind boggling with potential for large pelagics. Besides the known sites around Pulau Kambing our favourites here are our secret spots.

Days 6: Beangabang

A protected bay which is said to have a better macro life than the famous Lembeh Strait. Be

prepared for some cold water upwellings which will not stop you from having extended bottom times if you are a critter lover. No time limit here on the night dive.

An excerpt of the spotting list from 1 (one!) dive we recently did there: Wonderpus, Blue Ring

Octopus, Coconut Octopus, Pegasus, Frogfish, Rhinopias, Ambon Scorpionfish, Robust Ghostpipefish, Roughsnout Ghostpipefish, Thorny Seahorse, Melibe…..

Time for some action packed current drift dives with potential for big stuff. All our dives are

going to be either slope or wall dives. We have spotted here in the past: Oceanic Sunfish, Big Dogtooth Tuna and Thresher Sharks.

Popular dive sites here: School’s Out, Anemone City, The Great Wall of Pantar

Today we spent all day hunting critters in the protected bay of Alors capital Kalabahi.

With a little bit of luck our dive guides might show you the ‘Holy Grail of Critter Hunters’, the

Rhinopias. Other than that you can expect: Frogfish, Ghostpipefish, all sorts of cephalopods

and Crustaceans as well as colourful Nudibranchs. Popular dive sites here: Mucky Mosque, Black Rhino, Pertamina Pier

Before we leave the area around Alor to head back west again, we will offer you three more dives here. Either wide-angle wall and slope dives or some more macro dives. Maybe a blend of both. We make this depending on the preferences of our guests.

We will do three dives in daytime. Either at a spot we call ‘The Shark Wall’ or alternatively at a fantastic critter spot. This depends on the preferences of the group. In the afternoon we will head north towards the active vulcano of Komba, which erupts every 15 to 20 minutes. A

spectacular display of nature’s power and free fireworks for us.

Our last day before disembarkation we will spend at a beautifully quiet and protected anchorage in the bay of Maumere. In the morning we offer you a wreck dive (Wodong Wreck) that turns in the shallows into a critter heaven: Pipehorses, Ghostpipefish, Nudibranchs. A beautiful dive with no time limit to finish this cruise. If your flight schedule permits our guides will happy take you on a second dive as well.

The afternoon we spend at this anchorage, filled with some in-water fun such as wake boarding and waterskiing and the famous Floating Bar.

Depending on your flight schedule, our crew will check your luggage in for you in advance so you can rest on board and let us shuttle you to the airport when your plane is ready to leave.

No cruise on MV Samambaia is like the other. Every single trip is tailor-made to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The decision on the itinerary is made by the cruise director as we cruise along and is based on factors such as weather conditions, dive conditions, requests of guests and schedules of other liveaboards, which we are trying to stay away from.

There are however certain constants on every cruise which are:

Three day dives of minimum 1 hour duration

One sunset/night dive (unless we have to cover a serious amount of miles over night)

Activities during the surface intervals such as:

scenic rides through lagoons and coves in our tenders

trekking to breathtaking view points

visits of secluded perfect beaches

excursions to traditional villages

whale watching

water action such as wake boarding and kayak

Based upon that, here is a potential itinerary for an 11 nights /12 days cruise from

Maumere (Flores)

back to

Ambon (Maluku)

. This is just to give you a general idea and is subject to change due to weather and other conditions. Popular dive sites are named. We do however have our secret spots as well, which you will learn about during the cruise.

Arrival with plane to Maumere. You will be picked up by crew members at the airport.

Embarkation in the port of Maumere. A general orientation follows.

After an initial general dive briefing, check dive in the morning at a pretty, easygoing and protected dive site. A wall south of the tiny island of Serbete. We will offer two more macro focussed dives this day, at two of our secret spots south of the island of Adonara.

Sandy critter diving par excellence. One spot is at a pier, the other ones a bit further to the east. Critter hunting at it’s best: Seahorses, different species of Rhinopias, sometimes even side by side, frogfish, all sorts of cephalopods. Truly a world class dive spot.

We will do three dives in daytime at a spot we call ‘The Shark Wall’ (the name says it all) and two other fantastic wall dives. In the afternoon we will head north towards the active vulcano of Komba, which erupts every 15 to 20 minutes. A spectacular display of nature’s power and free fireworks for us.

Time for some action packed current drift dives with potential for big stuff. All our dives are going to be either slope or wall dives. We have spotted here in the past: Oceanic Sunfish, Big Dogtooth Tuna and Thresher Sharks.

Popular dive sites here: School’s Out, Anemone City, The Great Wall of Pantar

Days 6: Beangabang

A protected bay which is said to have a better macro life than the famous Lembeh Strait. Be prepared for some cold water upwellings which will not stop you from having extended bottom times if you are a critter lover. No time limit here on the night dive.

We are back for three more day dives around Alor, with many great spots to pick from. Depending on the preferences of our guests, we’re able to choose here between action packed, current fused diving, or calm and protected critter hunting.

We conclude the day with an afternoon dive at a pretty wall, that has a few rare secrets to it

Our last stop before heading out into the Banda Sea will be Reong, a small island just off the coast of Wetar. Very fishy wall diving with small caverns and overhangs in which nurse sharks like to chill out during the day. In the shallows we find a hard coral heaven that will delight every snorkeler.

Also referred to as one of the two Snake Islands in the Banda Sea. Be prepared to meet dozens of sea snakes. In a single dive. Besides snakes we have seen Silvertip Sharks and Hammerheads here. Usually the waters around here are gin clear so make sure you look out into the blue not to miss something big passing by.

A group of seven paradise islands in the middle of the Banda Sea. All dives are steep wall dives. The Dutch seafarers named this island group the Schildpad Islands as we have not only find nesting grounds but also a healthy population of sea turtles here.

All of these days will be muck dives. World class critter hunting. That’s what Ambon is famous for. Rhinopias, Frogfish, Ghostpipefish, Harlequin Shrimps and if you are really lucky: the Psychedelic Frogfish that has been very recently found here again. Two more dives here before lunch. If you have planned a land based extension in Ambon after the cruise and are not flying out straight away the next day, our dive guides will happily go diving again with you in the afternoon.

Depending on your flight schedule, our crew will check your luggage in for you in advance so

you can rest on board and let us shuttle you to the airport when your plane is ready to leave.

The chances to have close encounters with whales (Blue Whales, Sperm Whales, Pilot Whales and others) are very good whilst cruising the Banda Sea.

The combination of Macro Life and action packed current dives combined with a cultural experience make this itinerary very unique.

No cruise on MV Samambaia is like the other. Every single trip is tailor-made to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The decision on the itinerary is made by the cruise director as we cruise along and is based on factors such as weather conditions, dive conditions, requests of guests and schedules of other liveaboards, which we are trying to stay away from.

There are however certain constants on every cruise which are:

Three day dives of minimum 1 hour duration

One sunset/night dive (unless we have to cover a serious amount of miles over night)

Activities during the surface intervals such as:

scenic rides through lagoons and coves in our tenders

trekking to breathtaking view points

visits of secluded perfect beaches

excursions to traditional villages

whale watching

water action such as wake boarding and kayak

Based upon that, here is a potential itinerary for an 11 nights / 12 days cruise from

Maumere (Flores)

back to

Labuan Bajo (Flores)

. This is just to give you a general idea and is subject to change due to weather- and other conditions. Popular dive sites are named. We do however have our secret spots as well, which you will learn about during the cruise.

Arrival with plane to Maumere. You will be picked up by crew members at the airport.

Embarkation in the port of Maumere. A general orientation follows. We move to Pulau Babi where, after an initial general dive briefing, we will do our check dive with you at an easy and protected dive site. Check dive in the sense of you checking your gear and weights, making sure the camera housings are proper sealed and our guides checking your buoyancy. No skill demonstrations are required.

In the morning we offer three dives there before move to the National Park of Komodo. On a stunning wall with very good coral growth and overhangs. We will stay here until the afternoon and snorkelling is always a good option here.

Day 3 & 4: Komodo - The North

We arrive in the morning in the northern part of the famous Komodo National Park. And straight away hit the signature dive sites ‘Crystal Rock’ and ‘Castle Rock’. Sharks, Jacks, Fish Soup. Action fuelled by current. In the afternoon and at night two more world-class dives at famous site like ‘The Golden Passage’, ‘The Cauldron’ or ‘Lighthouse’. Komodo National Park diving at it’s best.

We Just outside the National Park of Komodo this island makes you feel as if you were already inside the park. We will spend the whole day in a great variety of dive sites. ‘Banta Wall’ also known as ‘The Rollercoaster’ is a spectacular wall - however, the timing with the currents and the swell is key to a safe and satisfying dive. And we get our timing right. GPS point is a reef more than half a mile north of Banta. Very fishy with the potential for Grey Reef Sharks and other big boys passing by. Again the timing here is key. One of our favourite spots here is our secret spot which happens to be a Manta cleaning station. For sunset we offer some trekking on a hill which will reward you with an epic view over the bay, the sun setting behind the vulcano of Sangeang. After Dinner we take you on a night dive on a sandy slope, where Stargazers will make an angry face at you.

Days 6: Komodo Central

Dive site: ‘Sebayor Kecil’. Over the day we are heading south through the National Park and look into doing an easy drift dive over an impeccable reef, like ‘Tatawa Besar’. To cap this first day of diving we offer a night dive at Wai Nilu, which ranks within the Top 5 favorite night dive spots allover Indonesia of our Cruise Director.

Days 7: Rinca Trekking, then heading for Nusa Kode

Trekking with Komodo dragons in the morning before it gets too hot in the sun. Expect to be eye in eye with the last dragons on this planet. A must when coming here. Local rangers take care of our safety. After this adventure we will be heading to the south of Rinca, also known as Nusa Kode or Horseshoe Bay. Some of the lushest diving Komodo National Park has to offer. During the months of May until October however, the waters are quite cold (down to 23°C) and the visibility is rather poor. You will be, however, rewarded with critter galore: Ambon Scorpionfish, Rhinopias, Frogfish, Wonderpus, Coconut Octopus paired with an overwhelming growth of soft and hard coral on the reefs. A very common sight at the beach are Komodo Dragons, Deer, Wild Boar and up in the trees you might spot a sea eagle

We offer three more day dives in the Horseshoe Bay. Some of our favourite dive sites here include: ‘Cannibal Rock’, ‘The Yellow Wall of Texas’, ‘Devil’s Corner’ and ‘Torpedo Alley’. In the afternoon we will leave this truly spectacular place and head back up north. For a night dive we will pull into the island of Pantar. Starry Night Octopus, Frogfish, rare Nudibranchs - this dive site never disappoints..

A perfect place to meet big stuff, Manta ,Shark,Giant Trevalies, Big Grouper etc…..Our prefered spot ‘Manta Alley’,’Germang Flag’. Overlunch we will move to Padar wher we can dive in ‘Thee Sister,’ after we can visit the pink beach in the afternoon and with a little climbing we get a spectacular breathtaking view of the Komodo Park at the sunset.

Working our way back up north, we’ve got a few secret spots to offer or we may go instead for some of the popular highlights if the conditions allow us to do so. Potential dive sites for the day: ‘Batu Bolong’, ‘Manta Point’.

We spend the last day of the trip in two small island that have nice dive site with a resident school of Bumhead Parrotfish, garden Eels in the white sandy bottom and colorful softcoral.

Depending of your flight schedule of the day after we dive one or two time in the morning and in the afternoon you can try the wakeboard & kayak to the beach.

Depending on your flight schedule, our crew will check your luggage in for you in advance so

you can rest on board and let us shuttle you to the airport when your plane is ready to leave.

No cruise on MV Samambaia is like the other. Every single trip is tailor-made to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The decision on the itinerary is made by the cruise director as we cruise along and is based on factors such as weather conditions, dive conditions, requests of guests and schedules of other liveaboards, which we are trying to stay away from.

There are however certain constants on every cruise which are:

Three day dives of minimum 1 hour duration

One sunset/night dive (unless we have to cover a serious amount of miles over night)

Activities during the surface intervals such as:

scenic rides through lagoons and coves in our tenders

trekking to breathtaking view points

visits of secluded perfect beaches

excursions to traditional villages

whale watching

water action such as wake boarding and kayak

Based upon that, here is a potential itinerary for an 11 nights / 12 days cruise from

Labuan Bajo (Flores)

back to

Labuan Bajo (Flores)

. This is just to give you a general idea and is subject to change due to weather- and other conditions. Popular dive sites are named. We do however have our secret spots as well, which you will learn about during the cruise.

Day 1 & 2 : Embarkation – Komodo Central & Rinca

Arrival with plane to Labuan Bajo. You will be picked up by crew members at the airport.

Embarkation in the port of Labuan Bajo. A general orientation follows. After an initial general dive briefing, we will do our check dive with you at an easy and protected dive site. Check dive in the sense of you checking your gear and weights, making sure the camera housings are proper sealed and our guides checking your buoyancy. No skill demonstrations are required.

Dive site: ‘Sebayor Kecil’. Over the day we are heading south through the National Park and look into doing an easy drift dive over an impeccable reef, like ‘Tatawa Besar’. To cap this first day of diving we offer a night dive at Wai Nilu, which ranks within the Top 5 favorite night dive spots allover Indonesia of our Cruise Director.

In the beautiful natural amphitheatre of Nusa Code we offer three more day dives and a night dive in the Horseshoe Bay. Some of our favourite dive sites here include: ‘Cannibal Rock’, ‘The Yellow Wall of Texas’, ‘Devil’s Corner’ and ‘Torpedo Alley’.

During the months of May until October however, the waters are quite cold (down to 23°C) and the visibility is rather poor. You will be, however, rewarded with critter galore: Ambon Scorpionfish, Rhinopias, Frogfish, Wonderpus, Coconut Octopus paired with an overwhelming growth of soft and hard coral on the reefs.

A very common sight at the beach are Komodo Dragons, Deer, Wild Boar and up in the trees you might spot a sea eagle.

In a setting of incomparable beauty, we will have the opportunity here to dive with a large number of manta rays, but the presence of other large pelagics is almost guaranteed by the proximity of the Indian Ocean.

Our prefered spot “ Manta Alley” and “German Flag”.

Just outside the National Park of Komodo this island makes you feel as if you were aleeady inside the park. We will spend the whole day in a great variety of dive sites. ‘Banta Wall’ also known as ‘The Rollercoaster’ is a spectacular wall - however, the timing with the currents and the swell is key to a safe and satisfying dive. And we get our timing right. GPS point is a reef more than half a mile north of Banta. Very fishy with the potential for Grey Reef Sharks and other big boys passing by. Again the timing here is key. One of our favourite spots here is our secret spot which happens to be a Manta cleaning station.

For sunset we offer some trekking on a hill which will reward you with an epic view over the bay, the sun setting behind the vulcano of Sangeang.

With the array of critters, macro photographers might never want to leave this dive site with seahorses and ghost pipefish nestled all over the reef. There are also many different kinds of squid and octopus, including the fascinating blue-ringed and mimic octopus. There is a deeper drop-off further along the coast from Bima Strait where you can see white tips and eagle rays.

Our prefered spot “Bethlehen” and “Tanjung Batu putih.

We arrive in the morning early morning inside the Saleh Bay where have a lot of Bagan

( Fishing platforms) where the local fishermans work all the night lifting up and putting back the nets with the help of lamps to attract small fish (sardines, anchovies, etc.) that will later be dried and distributed in the various local markets.

lifting up and putting back the nets with the help of lamps to attract small fish (sardines, anchovies, etc.) that will later be dried and distributed in the various local markets.

when the lamps go out early in the morning, whale sharks arrive, who are very fond of these small fish, so we spend the whole morning in their company, both snorkelling and diving. on the way back we do the afternoon dive at the mouth of the bay, this time looking for critters

At the double caldera active vulcano of Sangeang you can expect superb black sand critter hunting. But it’s not only the critters like Nudibranchs, Ghostpipefish, Frogfish and Pygmy Seahorses that make the diving here so exciting, but also the stark contrast of colourful Black- and Whipcoral against the black sand. On the dive site ‘Bubble Reef’ you can see and feel the volcanic activity - gas bubble fields as well as hot water springs under water are the highlights here.We propose also a excursion to the local village of Bontoh after the third dive.

Working our way back to Labuan Bajo, we arrive in the morning in the northern part of the famous Komodo National Park. And straight away hit the signature dive sites ‘Crystal Rock’ and ‘Castle Rock’. Sharks, Jacks, Fish Soup. Action fuelled by current. In the afternoon and at night two more world-class dives at famous site like ‘The Golden Passage’, ‘The Cauldron’ or ‘Lighthouse’. Komodo

National Park diving at it’s best.

Arriving in the centre of the park, we are truly spoilt for choice when it comes to dive sites:

"Batu Bolong", "Karang Makassar", "Tatawa Besar", "Tarawa Kecil", "Siaba Besar" etc..

Overlunch we will move to Padar wher we can dive in ‘Thee Sister,’ after we can visit the pink beach in the afternoon and with a little climbing we get a spectacular breathtaking view of the Komodo Park at the sunset.On the night we will move to Rinca Island.

Trekking with Komodo dragons in the morning before it gets too hot in the sun. Expect to be eye in eye with the last dragons on this planet. A must when coming here. Local rangers take care of our safety. For the guest that want to dive we can propose a critters dive very nice before or after the trekking with the Komodo dragon.

At sunset, we will instead be waiting for the flight of the giant bats (flying foxes) that depart from the islet of Kaba for the hinterland of Flores in search of fruit to feed on. They will only return in the early hours of the morning.

Depending on your flight schedule,our crew will check your luggage in for you in advance so you can rest on board and let us shuttle you to the airport when your plane is ready to

leave.

No cruise on MV Samambaia is like the other. Every single trip is tailor-made to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The decision on the itinerary is made by the cruise director as we cruise along and is based on factors such as weather conditions, dive conditions, requests of guests and schedules of other liveaboards, which we are trying to stay away from.

There are however certain constants on every cruise which are:

Three day dives of minimum 1 hour duration

One sunset/night dive (unless we have to cover a serious amount of miles over night)

Activities during the surface intervals such as:

scenic rides through lagoons and coves in our tenders

trekking to breathtaking view points

visits of secluded perfect beaches

excursions to traditional villages

whale watching

water action such as wake boarding and kayak

Based upon that, here is a potential itinerary for an 11 nights /12 days cruise from

Ambon (Maluku)

back to

Maumere (Flores)

. This is just to give you a general idea and is subject to change due to weather and other conditions. Popular dive sites are named. We do however have our secret spots as well, which you will learn about during the cruise.

Arrival in Ambon. You will be picked up by crew members at the airport. After an initial general dive briefing, we will do our check dive with you at an easy and protected dive site. Check dive in the sense of you checking your gear and weights, making sure the camera housings are proper sealed and our guides checking your buoyancy. No skill demonstrations are required. We will thereafter offer two more dives in the bay of Ambon. One in the afternoon and one for sunset. All of these days will be muck dives. World class critter hunting. That’s what Ambon is famous for. Rhinopias, Frogfish, Ghostpipefish, Harlequin Shrimps and if you are really lucky: the Psychedelic Frogfish that has been very recently found here again.

A beautiful small island in the middle of Banda Sea reached by liveaboard only. Is a oasis for birds and fish. We dive between the pristine hard coral reef full of pelagics, huge school of barracuda or tuna, fusiliers and banner fish etc. We meet hammerhead shark too in this spot in the past.

The famous Spice Islands, the island group around Banda Neira, which is also historically very interesting. Wars were fought over these islands by colonial powers as these islands used to be the only islands in the world were nutmeg grew.

A historical walk through the town of Banda Neira with it’s museum and two forts is a must. An interesting option for ambitious challenge seekers is to climb the vulcano Gunung Api, which raises ‘only’ 600 m above sea level. Which in the tropics however turns into a strenuous climb.

The diving here is very diverse and spectacular. As these volcanic islands raise up to the surface surrounded by deep sea water, the chances for sightings of large pelagics are very good. In the past we’ve often encountered schooling hammerheads here. A dive site called ‘Lava Flow’ is one of the most pristine hard coral reefs you will ever see. After the last eruption of Gunung Api in 1988 a flow of lava made it’s way down into the ocean and destroyed the whole reef. What has grown back ever since will boggle your mind. In the harbour of Banda Neira we’ve got a beautiful Mandarin Fish dive waiting for you.

Other highlights include: ‘The Cathedral’, ‘Batu Kapal’ and ‘Karang Hatta’. And on top of all we will take you on potential Hammerhead Shark dives at Pulau Run.

This place is also known by the name ‘Snake Island’. If you’ve got a phobia of snakes you should definitely go diving here to face your fear and thereby cure it. You may encounter dozens of sea snakes in one single dive. These graceful creatures, though highly venomous, are very peaceful, sometimes even curious. Despite these reptiles there is plenty of reef fish but also pelagics around. On top of all thousands and thousands of seabirds are nesting here. A very unique and spectacular place.

Our favourite dive site is called: ‘Smoking Hot’

Days 5: Nil Desperandum - Serua

An atoll with steep walls rising from the deep. Weather conditions permitting we will spend a whole day here. Mainly steep walls all around and some sloppy parts. Very nice growth of fans and sponges. But we are in for the big pelagic stuff. Schooling sharks have been often seen here in the past.

Five miles from the small island of Nila we find an atoll and even prettier coral growths along the walls. Again the focus lies here on large pelagic fish passing by out in the blue.

The close-by island of Nila offers us protection for the night’s anchorage and gives us the possibility for a night dive. We may also choose to visit the local village, located at the foot of a active vulcano, where people live exclusively out of the harvest of cloves.

This secluded spot is hardly ever visited by outsiders (on the average once every six months) and is a rare treat for those who want the know the true hidden nature of Indonesia.

Gentle slopes offer some beautiful and relaxed diving around the island group of Romang.

Huge Gorgonians in various colours and big barrel sponges all around. Besides many reef fish, you may see some reef sharks or tuna passing by.in Niata island the dive is caracterized by nice wall and overhanging ,very fishy. As we have got a long crossing ahead over night, there will be three day dives only.

Our last stop before heading out into the Banda Sea will be Reong, a small island just off the coast of Wetar. Very fishy wall diving with small caverns and overhangs in which nurse sharks like to chill out during the day. In the shallows we find a hard coral heaven that will delight every snorkeler.

A protected bay which is said to have a better macro life than the famous Lembeh Strait. Be prepared for some cold water upwellings which will not stop you from having extended bottom times if you are a critter lover A protected bay which is said to have a better macro life than the famous Lembeh Strait.After we will move to Alor and is time for some action packed current drift dives with potential for big stuff. All our dives are going to be either slope or wall dives. We have spotted here in the past: Oceanic Sunfish, BigDogtooth Tuna and Thresher Sharks.

Popular dive sites here: School’s Out, Anemone City, The Great Wall of Pantar

Sloopy area with boomies and very fishy because many corrent in this area, maybe some sunfish on snorkeling if we are lucky. Another secret spot not many divers got this place.

Unforgettable

After an initial general dive briefing, check dive in the morning at a pretty, easygoing and protected dive site. A wall south of the tiny island of Serbete. We will offer two more macro focussed dives this day.

Depending on your flight schedule,our crew will check your luggage in for you in advance

so you can rest on board and let us shuttle you to the airport when your plane is ready to

leave.

No cruise on MV Samambaia is like the other. Every single trip is tailor-made to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The decision on the itinerary is made by the cruise director as we cruise along and is based on factors such as weather conditions, dive conditions, requests of guests and schedules of other liveaboards, which we are trying to stay away from.

There are however certain constants on every cruise which are:

Three day dives of minimum 1 hour duration

One sunset/night dive (unless we have to cover a serious amount of miles over night)

Activities during the surface intervals such as:

scenic rides through lagoons and coves in our tenders

trekking to breathtaking view points

visits of secluded perfect beaches

excursions to traditional villages

whale watching

water action such as wake boarding and kayak

Based upon that, here is a potential itinerary for an 11 nights /12 days cruise from

Sorong (West Papua)

back to

Kaimana ( West Papua)

. This is just to give you a general idea and is subject to change due to weather and other conditions. Popular dive sites are named. We do however have our secret spots as well, which you will learn about during the cruise.

Arrival with plane to Kaimana. You will be picked up by crew members at the airport.

Embarkation in the port of Kaimana and start to sailing to Pulau Dramai.

This island group is one of our favourite area to dive in SE Misool. Since 2010 declared as the second no take zone in the area the marine life here is abundant and most colourful.

We will spend the whole day here and offer four world class dives.We have very nice diving spot there like “Andiamo”,”Camel Rock” and “Candy Store”. Fuziliers, batfish, black tip sharks, eagle rays and other pelagics are the possibility of meeting there and we find also a nice macrolife.

Raja Ampat means ‘Four Kings’ and this is also the name of a dive site on the way to the island group of Sel Pele. Four pinnacles that are not only connected by their topography but also a fish soup surrounding them. After the morning dive here we will show you some of our secret spots.

Barracuda Rock, Wedding Cake and Dunia Kecil are the dive sites which we will spend this day at.

In the afternoon we offer a two hour speedboat ride into hidden coves to let you enjoy the stunning topside of the limestone islands. At the end we will get to a pristine white sand beach where you can cool of with a little swim.

The swim through at ‘Boo Windows’ is one of the signature dive sites of SE Misool. The surrounding reef is covered in sea fans. Even bigger sea fans you will see at our second dive here at ‘Hidung Boo’. We combine this impressive day of diving with at least one dive at ‘Magic Mountain’. Being a cleaning station for Oceanic Mantas makes this place truly magic.

Right in the heart of the No-Take-Zone. ‘Tank Rock’, ‘Nudi Rock’ & ‘Whale Rock’ are the famous and commonly dived sites here. There is five more dive sites in the very proximity which are as good, if not even better. We prefer to go a bit off the beaten track here.

The reefs are covered in soft coral in all colours you can imagine. Surrounded by most colourful reef fish. More Fusiliers than one could possibly count. Jacks, Trevallies, Barracudas, Sharks.

And if you happen to dive here on a day with bad visibility. Just face the reef. It’s packed with macro life. Several species of Pygmy Seahorses, Nudibranchs, tiny Crustaceans – every niche in these reefs is filled with life.

This particular area of SE Misool is just too good to only spend one day here. And the dive sites we know of here are plenty to offer a great variety of world class diving.

Located just half way between Triton Bay and Raja Ampat South, Pulau Pisang offer a nice diving stop on the way,the condition of the reef are very good and the marine life is plentiful.Here there are excellent condition for sighting pelagic like barracudas, eagle rays, bumhead , napoleon wrasse and sometime manta rays. We can find also many macro animals

Like hippocampus bargibanti.The diving is most along a wall, some areas are dense cover of black coraland sponges, and some big boomies witch a good cover of fans where we can find the pigmy seahorses.Close to the surface there is a spectacular cave whichis full of glassfish

Around Pulau Namatota, there are floating fishing platform ( bagan ) with a bright light on it. The bagan only start to operate in the night to attract fishes with the light, and trap the fishes on the net, which very early in the morning the fisherman will come and lift the full net of fishes before the sunrise. So, it is a good timing to attract the whale shark to stay around the bagan. On this day we have to wake up early before the fisherman pull out the net or the sunrise.

In the afternoon, we will move to Tanjung Papisoi, here we will dive in “335sp Pinnacle”, which means that in this place was counted 335 different species of fishes and corals.

With a little navigation we will reach in “Pulau Aiduma”. Which is the most beautiful dive spot in Triton Bay. We will dive in a very famous spot of “Larry’s Heaven”North and South, once you dive in you will stunned with the colors and the biodiversity of this dive spot. “Black Forest” which has nice boulder formations covered in black coral. And night dive will be a first class dive with a good potential to see walking shark.

Kaimana Regency start to declared a 6000 sq km Marine Protected Area in 2008, and it’s area is around the waters of Kaimana and Triton Bay. The marine biodiversity here is beyond fantastic and continues to surprise us with new finds every time we go diving.

Some called it “the next frontier of Indonesian Diving” or “the last best place”, Triton Bay offers something for everyone both above and below the waves.

Even though the visibility in Triton Bay is generally quite poor; due to the incredibly nutrient-rich water, means that it has tremendous soft coral growth and lots of schooling fish.

And best of all you will be one of only few divers enjoying the waters in this very remote area.

After an initial general dive briefing, we will do our check dive with you at an easy and protected dive site. Check dive in the sense of you checking your gear and weights, making sure the camera housings are proper sealed and our guides checking your buoyancy. No skill demonstrations are required.

We will spend our day diving in the area of “Pulau Dramai”. Our prefered dive spot is “Batu Jeruk”, “Tim Rock”, “Goby Gully” and “7th Heaven”.

For this first dive, we will expect to see a school of Fusilier, Giant Grouper, Turtles, Bump Heads, Wobbegongs, Jacks, Sweet Lips and for sure some beautiful soft corals.

Depending on your flight schedule, our crew will check your luggage in for you in advance so you can rest on board and let us shuttle you to the airport when your plane is ready to leave

No cruise on MV Samambaia is like the other. Every single trip is tailor-made to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The decision on the itinerary is made by the cruise director as we cruise along and is based on factors such as weather conditions, dive conditions, requests of guests and schedules of other liveaboards, which we are trying to stay away from.

There are however certain constants on every cruise which are:

Three day dives of minimum 1 hour duration

One sunset/night dive (unless we have to cover a serious amount of miles over night)

Activities during the surface intervals such as:

scenic rides through lagoons and coves in our tenders

trekking to breathtaking view points

visits of secluded perfect beaches

excursions to traditional villages

whale watching

water action such as wake boarding and kayak

Based upon that, here is a potential itinerary for an 11 nights /12 days cruise from

Sorong (West Papua)

back to

Sorong (West Papua)

. This is just to give you a general idea and is subject to change due to weather and other conditions. Popular dive sites are named. We do however have our secret spots as well, which you will learn about during the cruise.

For a cruise in Raja Ampat there is three potential scenarios:

- North only

- South only

- North and South combined

In any of these Itineraries we visited what is considered Central Raja Ampat whre famous areas like Penemu and Dampier Strait are located:

Arrival with plane to Sorong. You will be picked up by crew members at the airport.

Embarkation in the port of Sorong. This day we don´t dive due to the long way to the diving areas. Instead we use it to relax and rest, set up the dive equipment and talk with the Cruise Director so he could arrange the diving groups.

After an initial general dive briefing, we will do our check dive with you at an easy and protected dive site. Check dive in the sense of you checking your gear and weights, making sure the camera housings are proper sealed and our guides checking your buoyancy. No skill demonstrations are required.

Barracuda Rock, Wedding Cake and Dunia Kecil are the dive sites which we will spend this day at.

In the afternoon we offer a two hour speedboat ride into hidden coves to let you enjoy the stunning topside of the limestone islands. At the end we will get to a pristine white sand beach where you can cool of with a little swim.

Right in the heart of the No-Take-Zone. ‘Tank Rock’, ‘Nudi Rock’ & ‘Whale Rock’ are the famous and commonly dived sites here. There is five more dive sites in the very proximity which are as good, if not even better. We prefer to go a bit off the beaten track here.

The reefs are covered in soft coral in all colours you can imagine. Surrounded by the most colourful reef fish. More Fusiliers than one could possibly count. Jacks, Trevallies, Barracudas, Sharks. And if you happen to dive here on a day with bad visibility. Just face the reef. It’s packed with macro life. Several species of Pygmy Seahorses, Nudibranchs, tiny Crustaceans - every niche in these reefs is filled with life.

The swim through at ‘Boo Windows’ is one of the signature dive sites of SE Misool. The surrounding reef is covered in sea fans. Boo east and Boo West are also the picture that every diver is looking for in Misool, the impressive soft coral gradens that almost break the surface. We combine this impressive day of diving with at least one dive at ‘Magic Mountain’. Being a cleaning station for Oceanic Mantas makes this place truly magic.

This island group is one of our favourite area to dive in SE Misool. Since 2010 declared as the second no take zone in the area the marine life here is abundant and the most colourful. Again the reef is totally covered with a Soft Coral garden and the walls are all about Sea Fans.

We will spend the whole day here and offer three world class dives. No night dive today as we will head overnight to the north.

Depending on conditions, visibility, weather or under demand of all the guests we could expend more days in Misool as there are other diving areas as good as these previous ones. Places like Pele, Sagof, Balbulol or Farondi are worth it to expend one more day.

Also the last day could be combined with a long activitie around Tomulol area where we would spend all the afternoon visiting the famous cave , the jellyfish lake and, at the sunset we will climbing in a spectacular viewpoint called Tannga Seribu ( 1000 steps stair) , after this we start to sailing to the North.

Our first stop in Central Raja Ampat could be a muck dive at the only black sand slope of Raja Ampat, Algae Patch, where the amount of cretures can compite with some dive sites of Lembeh or Ambon. Nudibranchs, shrimps, crabs, seahorses…and always a new encounter. For the second dive we will back to the coral gardens as this is for what most of the divers come to this Paradise. This time would be one of the pristine shallow coral gardens that cover the south west coast of Batanta. The day will finish in Dayang looking for Reef Mantas in his famous cleanning station.

In the morning you will find yourself in the north of Raja Ampat. The main difference to Misool are the pristine hard coral, whilst the south is famous for the soft variation.

Penemu is a breathtaking diving site located in Central Raja Ampat, renowned for its vibrant coral reefs and diverse marine life. Divers are enchanted by the kaleidoscope of colors as they explore the crystal-clear waters, encountering an array of marine species including colorful reef fish, reef sharks, and majestic manta rays. Penemu's underwater topography features stunning coral formations, swim-throughs, and drop-offs, offering an exhilarating diving experience. Dive sites like Melissa´s Garden, My Reef, Keruo Channel and Batu Rufus are a must in a Raja Ampat trip.

In the afternoon after the third dive we will vivit the Penemu viewpoint to admire the lagoon as you probably have seen in so many pictures.

‘Mayhem’ is an action packed dive which we will hit when there is enough current to keep the fish life going without being to challenging for the divers. Citrus ridge is another colorful reef with soft coral and hard coral that can be pack of fishes in certain currents.

But the highlight of Yanggefo are the mangroves. Here we have the oportunity of dive in a blue water mangrove. We will be able to swim between the roots of the mangrove enjoy this unique landscape at the same time that thedive guides spot the archer fish, the pijama cardinal fish or diferent juveniles of reef fishes that use the mangroves as protection.

It’s time for more close encounters with the majestic Manta Rays of Raja Ampat. ‘Manta Sandy’ is one of the most popular dive sites out here and therefore we avoid. Just because we know about even better spots where we will take you.

In the afternoon we will dive the jetty of the small island of Arborek. The pillars are covered in soft coral and all around we find very attractive macro life. Afterwards we will go and visit the little village here on the island.

The dive- and snorkel sites in the Dampier Strait stand for action packed dives in our favourite kind of fish soup - the one that is still alive and surrounds us in the water. Encounters with Manta Rays are very common here. The reef of the island of Kri is the current world record holder with the highest number of fish species ever counted by a scientist in a single dive - Dr. Gerry Allen came up with 374 different fish species counted. Again: in one single dive.

Dive sites here are exposed to current so it’s all about the right timing to get the most out of it. And we know how to time it here. Popular dive sites here: ‘Cape Kri’, ‘Chicken’, ‘Sardine’, ‘Mike’s Point’ and ‘Blue Majic’.

The last day we will have one or two dives depending what time is your flight next day. In this two dives we will cover some of the dive site we didn´t do the previous day as Dampier has plenty of dive sites. For the last one usually we look for one easy and shallow although sometimes guests a re moreadventurous and ask for have a more challenging Dampier style dive site looking for splint points and current to ensure a fish soup around us.

On our way back our crew will keep an eye out onto the ocean for you and alert you in time for whale and dolphin encounters. Which are quite common here. As long as you are on the watch out.

And we are…

Depending on your flight schedule, our crew will check your luggage in for you in advance so you can rest on board and let us shuttle you to the airport when your plane is ready to leave.

No cruise on MV Samambaia is like the other. Every single trip is tailor-made to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The decision on the itinerary is made by the cruise director as we cruise along and is based on factors such as weather conditions, dive conditions, requests of guests and schedules of other liveaboards, which we are trying to stay away from.

There are however certain constants on every cruise which are:

Three day dives of minimum 1 hour duration

One sunset/night dive (unless we have to cover a serious amount of miles over night)

Activities during the surface intervals such as:

scenic rides through lagoons and coves in our tenders

trekking to breathtaking view points

visits of secluded perfect beaches

excursions to traditional villages

whale watching

water action such as wake boarding and kayak

Based upon that, here is a potential itinerary for an 11 nights /12 days cruise from

Kaimana (West Papua)

back to

Sorong ( West Papua)

. This is just to give you a general idea and is subject to change due to weather and other conditions. Popular dive sites are named. We do however have our secret spots as well, which you will learn about during the cruise.

Arrival with plane to Kaimana. You will be picked up by crew members at the airport.

Embarkation in the port of Kaimana and start to sailing to Pulau Dramai.

Kaimana Regency start to declared a 6000 sq km Marine Protected Area in 2008, and it’s area is around the waters of Kaimana and Triton Bay. The marine biodiversity here is beyond fantastic and continues to surprise us with new finds every time we go diving.

Some called it “the next frontier of Indonesian Diving” or “the last best place”, Triton Bay offers something for everyone both above and below the waves.

Even though the visibility in Triton Bay is generally quite poor; due to the incredibly nutrient-rich water, means that it has tremendous soft coral growth and lots of schooling fish.

And best of all you will be one of only few divers enjoying the waters in this very remote area.

After an initial general dive briefing, we will do our check dive with you at an easy and protected dive site. Check dive in the sense of you checking your gear and weights, making sure the camera housings are proper sealed and our guides checking your buoyancy. No skill demonstrations are required.

We will spend our day diving in the area of “Pulau Dramai”. Our prefered dive spot is “Batu Jeruk”, “Tim Rock”, “Goby Gully” and “7th Heaven”.

For this first dive, we will expect to see a school of Fusilier, Giant Grouper, Turtles, Bump Heads, Wobbegongs, Jacks, Sweet Lips and for sure some beautiful soft corals.

With a little navigation we will reach in “Pulau Aiduma”. Which is the most beautiful dive spot in Triton Bay. We will dive in a very famous spot of “Larry’s Heaven”North and South, once you dive in you will stunned with the colors and the biodiversity of this dive spot. “Black Forest” which has nice boulder formations covered in black coral. And night dive will be a first class dive with a good potential to see walking shark.

Around Pulau Namatota, there are floating fishing platform ( bagan ) with a bright light on it. The bagan only start to operate in the night to attract fishes with the light, and trap the fishes on the net, which very early in the morning the fisherman will come and lift the full net of fishes before the sunrise. So, it is a good timing to attract the whale shark to stay around the bagan. On this day we have to wake up early before the fisherman pull out the net or the sunrise.

In the afternoon, we will move to Tanjung Papisoi, here we will dive in “335sp Pinnacle”, which means that in this place was counted 335 different species of fishes and corals.

We will not having a night dive at this night, due to long navigation to “Pulau Koon”.

Located just half way between Triton Bay and Raja Ampat South, Pulau Pisang offer a nice diving stop on the way,the condition of the reef are very good and the marine life is plentiful.Here there are excellent condition for sighting pelagic like barracudas, eagle rays, bumhead , napoleon wrasse and sometime manta rays. We can find also many macro animals

Like hippocampus bargibanti.The diving is most along a wall, some areas are dense cover of black coraland sponges, and some big boomies witch a good cover of fans where we can find the pigmy seahorses.Close to the surface there is a spectacular cave whichis full of glassfish

Right in the heart of the No-Take-Zone. ‘Tank Rock’, ‘Nudi Rock’ & ‘Whale Rock’ are the famous and commonly dived sites here. There is five more dive sites in the very proximity which are as good, if not even better. We prefer to go a bit off the beaten track here.

The reefs are covered in soft coral in all colours you can imagine. Surrounded by most colourful reef fish. More Fusiliers than one could possibly count. Jacks, Trevallies, Barracudas, Sharks.

And if you happen to dive here on a day with bad visibility. Just face the reef. It’s packed with macro life. Several species of Pygmy Seahorses, Nudibranchs, tiny Crustaceans – every niche in these reefs is filled with life.

This particular area of SE Misool is just too good to only spend one day here. And the dive sites we know of here are plenty to offer a great variety of world class diving.

The swim through at ‘Boo Windows’ is one of the signature dive sites of SE Misool. The surrounding reef is covered in sea fans. Even bigger sea fans you will see at our second dive here at ‘Hidung Boo’. We combine this impressive day of diving with at least one dive at ‘Magic Mountain’. Being a cleaning station for Oceanic Mantas makes this place truly magic.

Barracuda Rock, Wedding Cake and Dunia Kecil are the dive sites which we will spend this day at.

In the afternoon we offer a two hour speedboat ride into hidden coves to let you enjoy the stunning topside of the limestone islands. At the end we will get to a pristine white sand beach where you can cool of with a little swim.

Raja Ampat means ‘Four Kings’ and this is also the name of a dive site on the way to the island group of Sel Pele. Four pinnacles that are not only connected by their topography but also a fish soup surrounding them. After the morning dive here we will show you some of our secret spots.

This island group is one of our favourite area to dive in SE Misool. Since 2010 declared as the second no take zone in the area the marine life here is abundant and most colourful.

We will spend the whole day here and offer four world class dives.We have very nice diving spot there like “Andiamo”,”Camel Rock” and “Candy Store”. Fuziliers, batfish, black tip sharks, eagle rays and other pelagics are the possibility of meeting there and we find also a nice macrolife.

Depending on your flight schedule, our crew will check your luggage in for you in advance so you can rest on board and let us shuttle you to the airport when your plane is ready to leave.

AMBON – MAUMERE

No cruise on MV Samambaia is like the other. Every single trip is tailor-made to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The decision on the itinerary is made by the cruise director as we cruise along and is based on factors such as weather conditions, dive conditions, requests of guests and schedules of other liveaboards, which we are trying to stay away from.

There are however certain constants on every cruise which are:

Three day dives of minimum 1 hour duration

One sunset/night dive (unless we have to cover a serious amount of miles over night)

Activities during the surface intervals such as:

scenic rides through lagoons and coves in our tenders

trekking to breathtaking view points

visits of secluded perfect beaches

excursions to traditional villages

whale watching

water action such as wake boarding and kayak

Based upon that, here is a potential itinerary for an 11 nights /12 days cruise from

Maumere (Flores)

to Ambon (Maluku) . This is just to give you a general idea and is subject to change due to weather and other conditions. Popular dive sites are named. We do however have our secret spots as well, which you will learn about during the cruise.

Arrival with plane to Maumere. You will be picked up by crew members at the airport.

Embarkation in the port of Maumere.

A general orientation follows.

After an initial general dive briefing, check dive in the morning at a pretty, easygoing and protected dive site. A wall south of the tiny island of Serbete. We will offer two more macro focussed dives this day.

Sloopy area with boomies and very fishy because many corrent in this area, maybe some sunfish on snorkeling if we are lucky. Another secret spot not many divers got this place.

Unforgettable

A protected bay which is said to have a better macro life than the famous Lembeh Strait. Be prepared for some cold water upwellings which will not stop you from having extended bottom times if you are a critter lover A protected bay which is said to have a better macro life than the famous Lembeh Strait.After we will move to Alor and is time for some action packed current drift dives with potential for big stuff. All our dives are going to be either slope or wall dives. We have spotted here in the past: Oceanic Sunfish, BigDogtooth Tuna and Thresher Sharks.

Popular dive sites here: School’s Out, Anemone City, The Great Wall of Pantar

Our last stop before heading out into the Banda Sea will be Reong, a small island just off the coast of Wetar. Very fishy wall diving with small caverns and overhangs in which nurse sharks like to chill out during the day. In the shallows we find a hard coral heaven that will delight every snorkeler.

Gentle slopes offer some beautiful and relaxed diving around the island group of Romang.

Huge Gorgonians in various colours and big barrel sponges all around. Besides many reef fish, you may see some reef sharks or tuna passing by.in Niata island the dive is caracterized by nice wall and overhanging ,very fishy. As we have got a long crossing ahead over night, there will be three day dives only.

Five miles from the small island of Nila we find an atoll and even prettier coral growths along the walls. Again the focus lies here on large pelagic fish passing by out in the blue.

The close-by island of Nila offers us protection for the night’s anchorage and gives us the possibility for a night dive. We may also choose to visit the local village, located at the foot of a active vulcano, where people live exclusively out of the harvest of cloves.

This secluded spot is hardly ever visited by outsiders (on the average once every six months) and is a rare treat for those who want the know the true hidden nature of Indonesia.

Days 8: Nil Desperandum - Serua

An atoll with steep walls rising from the deep. Weather conditions permitting we will spend a whole day here. Mainly steep walls all around and some sloppy parts. Very nice growth of fans and sponges. But we are in for the big pelagic stuff. Schooling sharks have been often seen here in the past.

This place is also known by the name ‘Snake Island’. If you’ve got a phobia of snakes you should definitely go diving here to face your fear and thereby cure it. You may encounter dozens of sea snakes in one single dive. These graceful creatures, though highly venomous, are very peaceful, sometimes even curious. Despite these reptiles there is plenty of reef fish but also pelagics around. On top of all thousands and thousands of seabirds are nesting here. A very unique and spectacular place.

Our favourite dive site is called: ‘Smoking Hot’

The famous Spice Islands, the island group around Banda Neira, which is also historically very interesting. Wars were fought over these islands by colonial powers as these islands used to be the only islands in the world were nutmeg grew.

A historical walk through the town of Banda Neira with it’s museum and two forts is a must. An interesting option for ambitious challenge seekers is to climb the vulcano Gunung Api, which raises ‘only’ 600 m above sea level. Which in the tropics however turns into a strenuous climb.

The diving here is very diverse and spectacular. As these volcanic islands raise up to the surface surrounded by deep sea water, the chances for sightings of large pelagics are very good. In the past we’ve often encountered schooling hammerheads here. A dive site called ‘Lava Flow’ is one of the most pristine hard coral reefs you will ever see. After the last eruption of Gunung Api in 1988 a flow of lava made it’s way down into the ocean and destroyed the whole reef. What has grown back ever since will boggle your mind. In the harbour of Banda Neira we’ve got a beautiful Mandarin Fish dive waiting for you.

Other highlights include: ‘The Cathedral’, ‘Batu Kapal’ and ‘Karang Hatta’. And on top of all we will take you on potential Hammerhead Shark dives at Pulau Run.

A beautiful small island in the middle of Banda Sea reached by liveaboard only. Is a oasis for birds and fish. We dive between the pristine hard coral reef full of pelagics, huge school of barracuda or tuna, fusiliers and banner fish etc. We meet hammerhead shark too in this spot in the past.

Depending on your flight schedule, our crew will check your luggage in for you in advance so you can rest on board and let us shuttle you to the airport when your plane is ready to leave.

No cruise on MV Samambaia is like the other. Every single trip is tailor-made to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The decision on the itinerary is made by the cruise director as we cruise along and is based on factors such as weather conditions, dive conditions, requests of guests and schedules of other liveaboards, which we are trying to stay away from.

There are however certain constants on every cruise which are:

Three day dives of minimum 1 hour duration

One sunset/night dive (unless we have to cover a serious amount of miles over night)

Activities during the surface intervals such as:

scenic rides through lagoons and coves in our tenders

trekking to breathtaking view points

visits of secluded perfect beaches

excursions to traditional villages

whale watching

water action such as wake boarding and kayak

Based upon that, here is a potential itinerary for an 11 nights /12 days cruise from

Sorong (West Papua)

back to

Sorong (West Papua)

. This is just to give you a general idea and is subject to change due to weather and other conditions. Popular dive sites are named. We do however have our secret spots as well, which you will learn about during the cruise.

For a cruise in Raja Ampat there is three potential scenarios:

- North only

- South only

- North and South combined

In any of these Itineraries we visited what is considered Central Raja Ampat whre famous areas like Penemu and Dampier Strait are located:

Arrival with plane to Sorong. You will be picked up by crew members at the airport.

Embarkation in the port of Sorong. This day we don´t dive due to the long way to the diving areas. Instead we use it to relax and rest, set up the dive equipment and talk with the Cruise Director so he could arrange the diving groups.

After an initial general dive briefing, we will do our check dive with you at an easy and protected dive site. Check dive in the sense of you checking your gear and weights, making sure the camera housings are proper sealed and our guides checking your buoyancy. No skill demonstrations are required.

‘Mayhem’ is an action packed dive which we will hit when there is enough current to keep the fish life going without being to challenging for the divers. Citrus ridge is another colorful reef with soft coral and hard coral that can be pack of fishes in certain currents.

But the highlight of Yanggefo are the mangroves. Here we have the oportunity of dive in a blue water mangrove. We will be able to swim between the roots of the mangrove enjoy this unique landscape at the same time that thedive guides spot the archer fish, the pijama cardinal fish or diferent juveniles of reef fishes that use the mangroves as protection.

The shallows of the reefs that surround Yeben are some of the richest hard coral gardens in Raja Ampat. On the slopes the the fusiliers congregate and if the current is running the soft coral will be open to give a note of color within the hard coral.

In the afternoon we will lead to Wofoh where we know a dive site with schools of anchovies and silver sides and a black coral forest, Wofoh has also one of the best night dives of all Raja Ampa, Taman Wofoh, where we will dive after an stunning sunset behind the island

The bay of Alyui is home to some of the most spectacular macro diving in all of Raja Ampat. Be prepared for a magical experience. At some point during the day we will visit the pearl farm of Atlas South Sea Pearls, who produce some of the world’s best pearls and get a tour.

Eagle Rocks is known for being a Manta Ray cleaning station. We head north afterwards. Right before crossing the equator we do one more dive at another secret spot of ours. Again good potential for Manta Ray encounters but also beautiful coral and great fish life. After crossing the equator we enter the island group of Wayag. In the afternoon we will climb Mt. Pindito as the view down from Mt. Pindito is probably the signature photo of Raja Ampat. We will spend the sunset sailing on the tender boats inside this unique lagoon.

When we wake up we will still be in Wayag ready to dive in a cleanning station not far from the anchor place. Aferwards we will be to the group of islands known as Equator Islands where we will dive right over the equator in a characteristic North Raja Ampat dive sites, with less coral due his exposure to open ocean but with with swim throughs, crevaces, and canyons of the dimensions of a Cathedral.

In the morning you will find yourself in the north of Raja Ampat. The main difference to Misool are the pristine hard coral, whilst the south is famous for the soft variation.

Penemu is a breathtaking diving site located in Central Raja Ampat, renowned for its vibrant coral reefs and diverse marine life. Divers are enchanted by the kaleidoscope of colors as they explore the crystal-clear waters, encountering an array of marine species including colorful reef fish, reef sharks, and majestic manta rays. Penemu's underwater topography features stunning coral formations, swim-throughs, and drop-offs, offering an exhilarating diving experience. Dive sites like Melissa´s Garden, My Reef, Keruo Channel and Batu Rufus are a must in a Raja Ampat trip.

In the afternoon after the third dive we will vivit the Penemu viewpoint to admire the lagoon as you probably have seen in so many pictures.

It’s time for more close encounters with the majestic Manta Rays of Raja Ampat. ‘Manta Sandy’ is one of the most popular dive sites out here and therefore we avoid. Just because we know about even better spots where we will take you.

In the afternoon we will dive the jetty of the small island of Arborek. The pillars are covered in soft coral and all around we find very attractive macro life. Afterwards we will go and visit the little village here on the island.

The northern coast of the island of Batanta gives us several opportunities for excellent dive sites to pick from. Beautiful coral reefs, more Manta opportunities or rather some critter diving?

For sunset we will pull into a bay where Hornbills come in to sleep.

The dive- and snorkel sites in the Dampier Strait stand for action packed dives in our favourite kind of fish soup - the one that is still alive and surrounds us in the water. Encounters with Manta Rays are very common here. The reef of the island of Kri is the current world record holder with the highest number of fish species ever counted by a scientist in a single dive - Dr. Gerry Allen came up with 374 different fish species counted. Again: in one single dive.

Dive sites here are exposed to current so it’s all about the right timing to get the most out of it. And we know how to time it here. Popular dive sites here: ‘Kap Kri’, ‘Chicken’, ‘Sardine’, ‘Mike’s Point’ and ‘Blu Majik’.

The last day we will have one or two dives depending what time is your flight next day. In this two dives we will cover some of the dive site we didn´t do the previous day as Dampier has plenty of dive sites. For the last one usually we look for one easy and shallow although sometimes guests a re moreadventurous and ask for have a more challenging Dampier style dive site looking for splint points and current to ensure a fish soup around us.

On our way back our crew will keep an eye out onto the ocean for you and alert you in time for whale and dolphin encounters. Which are quite common here. As long as you are on the watch out.

And we are…

Depending on your flight schedule, our crew will check your luggage in for you in advance so you can rest on board and let us shuttle you to the airport when your plane is ready to leave.

No cruise on MV Samambaia is like the other. Every single trip is tailor-made to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The decision on the itinerary is made by the cruise director as we cruise along and is based on factors such as weather conditions, dive conditions, requests of guests and schedules of other liveaboards, which we are trying to stay away from.

There are however certain constants on every cruise which are:

Three day dives of minimum 1 hour duration

One sunset/night dive (unless we have to cover a serious amount of miles over night)

Activities during the surface intervals such as:

scenic rides through lagoons and coves in our tenders

trekking to breathtaking view points

visits of secluded perfect beaches

excursions to traditional villages

whale watching

water action such as wake boarding and kayak

Based upon that, here is a potential itinerary for an 11 nights /12 days cruise from

Kaimana (West Papua)

back to

Ambon (Maluku)

. This is just to give you a general idea and is subject to change due to weather and other conditions. Popular dive sites are named. We do however have our secret spots as well, which you will learn about during the cruise.

Arrival with plane to Kaimana. You will be picked up by crew members at the airport.

Embarkation in the port of Kaimana and start to sailing to Pulau Dramai.

Kaimana Regency start to declared a 6000 sq km Marine Protected Area in 2008, and it’s area is around the waters of Kaimana and Triton Bay. The marine biodiversity here is beyond fantastic and continues to surprise us with new finds every time we go diving.

Some called it “the next frontier of Indonesian Diving” or “the last best place”, Triton Bay offers something for everyone both above and below the waves.

Even though the visibility in Triton Bay is generally quite poor; due to the incredibly nutrient-rich water, means that it has tremendous soft coral growth and lots of schooling fish.

And best of all you will be one of only few divers enjoying the waters in this very remote area.

After an initial general dive briefing, we will do our check dive with you at an easy and protected dive site. Check dive in the sense of you checking your gear and weights, making sure the camera housings are proper sealed and our guides checking your buoyancy. No skill demonstrations are required.

We will spend our day diving in the area of “Pulau Dramai”. Our prefered dive spot is “Batu Jeruk”, “Tim Rock”, “Goby Gully” and “7th Heaven”.

For this first dive, we will expect to see a school of Fusilier, Giant Grouper, Turtles, Bump Heads, Wobbegongs, Jacks, Sweet Lips and for sure some beautiful soft corals.

With a little navigation we will reach in “Pulau Aiduma”. Which is the most beautiful dive spot in Triton Bay. We will dive in a very famous spot of “Larry’s Heaven”North and South, once you dive in you will stunned with the colors and the biodiversity of this dive spot. “Black Forest” which has nice boulder formations covered in black coral. And night dive will be a first class dive with a good potential to see walking shark.

Around Pulau Namatota, there are floating fishing platform ( bagan ) with a bright light on it. The bagan only start to operate in the night to attract fishes with the light, and trap the fishes on the net, which very early in the morning the fisherman will come and lift the full net of fishes before the sunrise. So, it is a good timing to attract the whale shark to stay around the bagan. On this day we have to wake up early before the fisherman pull out the net or the sunrise.

In the afternoon, we will move to Tanjung Papisoi, here we will dive in “335sp Pinnacle”, which means that in this place was counted 335 different species of fishes and corals.

We will not having a night dive at this night, due to long navigation to “Pulau Koon”.

At the south-eastern tip of Seram there is a little island named Koon. It’s basically three dive sites in one, performing best always at one spot, depending on the current. The name of the site says it all: ‘Too Many Fish’. You will have a hard time to focus on what to look at. A fish soup of Fusiliers and Surgeonfish is divided by hunting Giant Trevallies and Jacks, enormous Giant Groupers are all of a sudden looking at you whilst a school of hundreds of Batfish is passing by. Mobula and Manta rays might fly by. Leopard Sharks like to relax in overhangs of the wall on the north side. Macro life is plenty as well. Hairy Shrimp, Pygmie Seahorses, Tiny Frogfish, Robust Ghostpipefish.

This place is also known by the name ‘Snake Island’. If you’ve got a phobia of snakes you should definitely go diving here to face your fear and thereby cure it. You may encounter dozens of sea snakes in one single dive. These graceful creatures, though highly venomous, are very peaceful, sometimes even curious. Despite these reptiles there is plenty of reef fish but also pelagics around. On top of all thousands and thousands of seabirds are nesting here.

A very unique and spectacular place. Our favourite dive site is called: ‘Smoking Hot’.

Day 7 & Day 8: Banda Islands

The famous Spice Islands, the island group around Banda Neira, which is also historically very interesting. Wars were fought over these islands by colonial powers as these islands used to be the only islands in the world were nutmeg grew. A historical walk through the town of Banda Neira with it’s museum and two forts is a must. An interesting option for ambitious challenge seekers is to climb the vulcano Gunung Api, which raises ‘only’ 600 m above sea level. Which in the tropics however turns into a strenuous climb.

The diving here is very diverse and spectacular. As these volcanic islands raise up to the surface surrounded by deep sea water, the chances for sightings of large pelagics are very good. In the past we’ve often encountered schooling hammerheads here. A dive site called ‘Lava Flow’ is one of the most pristine hard coral reefs you will ever see. After the last eruption of Gunung Api in 1988 a flow of lava made it’s way down into the ocean and destroyed the whole reef. What has grown back ever since will boggle your mind. In the harbour of Banda Neira we’ve got a beautiful Mandarin Fish dive waiting for you. Other highlights include: ‘The Cathedral’, ‘Batu Kapal’ and ‘Karang Hatta’.

A beautiful small island in the middle of Banda Sea reached by liveaboard only. Is a oasis for birds and fish. We dive between the pristine hard coral reef full of pelagics, huge school of barracuda or tuna, fusiliers and banner fish etc. We meet hammerhead shark too in this spot in the past.

In the early morning we will arrive at the island of Nusa Laut, which is a great example for how active conservation by the local community can not only preserve the reefs but actually make them even better. We see here for many years a proper growth in biomass. We have four spectacular dive sites here, either wall or slope diving.

Great variety of reef fish as well as large schools of jacks. Bumphead Parrotfish like to pass by here also. A lot of macro life can be found in the wall as well.

We will offer two more dives in the bay of Ambon. Both of these dives will be muck dives. World class critter hunting. That’s what Ambon is famous for. Rhinopias, Frogfish, Ghostpipefish, Harlequin Shrimps and if you are really lucky: the Psychedelic Frogfish that has been very recently found here again.

Depending on your flight schedule, our crew will check your luggage in for you in advance so you can rest on board and let us shuttle you to the airport when your plane is ready to leave.

No cruise on MV Samambaia is like the other. Every single trip is tailor-made to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The decision on the itinerary is made by the cruise director as we cruise along and is based on factors such as weather conditions, dive conditions, requests of guests and schedules of other liveaboards, which we are trying to stay away from.

There are however certain constants on every cruise which are:

Three day dives of minimum 1 hour duration

One sunset/night dive (unless we have to cover a serious amount of miles over night)

Activities during the surface intervals such as:

scenic rides through lagoons and coves in our tenders

trekking to breathtaking view points

visits of secluded perfect beaches

excursions to traditional villages

whale watching

water action such as wake boarding and kayak

Based upon that, here is a potential itinerary for an 11 nights / 12 days cruise from

Labuan Bajo (Flores)

back to

Maumere (Flores)

. This is just to give you a general idea and is subject to change due to weather- and other conditions. Popular dive sites are named. We do however have our secret spots as well, which you will learn about during the cruise.

Arrival with plane to Labuan Bajo. You will be picked up by crew members at the airport. Embarkation in the port of Labuan Bajo. A general orientation follows.

After an initial general dive briefing, we will do our check dive with you at an easy and protected dive site. Check dive in the sense of you checking your gear and weights, making sure the camera housings are proper sealed and our guides checking your buoyancy.

No skill demonstrations are required. Dive site: ‘Sebayor Kecil’. Over the day we are heading south through the National Park and look into doing an easy drift dive over an impeccable reef, like ‘Tatawa Besar’. To cap this first day of diving we offer a night dive at Wai Nilu, which ranks within the Top 5 favorite night dive spots allover Indonesia of our Cruise Director.

Trekking with Komodo dragons in the morning before it gets too hot in the sun. Expect to be eye in eye with the last dragons on this planet. A must when coming here. Local rangers take care of our safety. After this adventure we will be heading to the south of Rinca, also known as Nusa Kode or Horseshoe Bay. Some of the lushest diving Komodo National Park has to offer. During the months of May until October however, the waters are quite cold (down to 23°C) and the visibility is rather poor. You will be, however, rewarded with critter

galore: Ambon Scorpionfish, Rhinopias, Frogfish, Wonderpus, Coconut Octopus paired with an overwhelming growth of soft and hard coral on the reefs. A very common sight at the beach are Komodo Dragons, Deer, Wild Boar and up in the trees you might spot a sea eagle.

We offer three more day dives in the Horseshoe Bay. Some of our favourite dive sites here include: ‘Cannibal Rock’, ‘The Yellow Wall of Texas’, ‘Devil’s Corner’ and ‘Torpedo Alley’. In the afternoon we will leave this truly spectacular place and head back up north. For a night dive we will pull into the island of Pantar. Starry Night Octopus, Frogfish, rare Nudibranchs - this dive site never disappoints.

A perfect place to meet big stuff, Manta ,Shark,Giant Trevalies, Big Grouper etc…..Our prefered spot ‘Manta Alley’,’Germang Flag’. Overlunch we will move to Padar wher we can dive in ‘Thee Sister,’ after we can visit the pink beach in the afternoon and with a little climbing we get a spectacular breathtaking view of the Komodo Park at the sunset.

Working our way back up north, we’ve got a few secret spots to offer or we may go instead for some of the popular highlights if the conditions allow us to do so. Potential dive sites for the day: ‘Batu Bolong’, ‘Manta Point’.

Day 7-8: Komodo - The North

We arrive in the morning in the northern part of the famous Komodo National Park. And straight away hit the signature dive sites ‘Crystal Rock’ and ‘Castle Rock’. Sharks, Jacks, Fish Soup. Action fuelled by current. In the afternoon and at night two more world-class dives at famous site like ‘The Golden Passage’, ‘The Cauldron’ or ‘Lighthouse’. Komodo National Park diving at it’s best.

Just outside the National Park of Komodo this island makes you feel as if you were already inside the park. We will spend the whole day in a great variety of dive sites. ‘Banta Wall’ also known as ‘The Rollercoaster’ is a spectacular wall - however, the timing with the currents and the swell is key to a safe and satisfying dive. And we get our timing right. GPS point is a reef more than half a mile north of Banta. Very fishy with the potential for Grey Reef Sharks and other big boys passing by. Again the timing here is key. One of our favourite spots here is our secret spot which happens to be a Manta cleaning station. For sunset we offer some trekking on a hill which will reward you with an epic view over the bay, the sun setting behind the vulcano of Sangeang. After Dinner we take you on a night dive on a sandy slope, where Stargazers will make an angry face at you.

We will be at the island of Pulau Raja, north of Flores. On a stunning wall with very good coral growth and overhangs. We will stay here overnight and snorkelling is always a good option here.

In the morning we offer two dives to give your body time before flying out the next day.

Depending on your flight schedule, our crew will check your luggage in for you in advance so you can rest on board and let us shuttle you to the airport when your plane is ready to leave

No cruise on MV Samambaia is like the other. Every single trip is tailor-made to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The decision on the itinerary is made by the cruise director as we cruise along and is based on factors such as weather conditions, dive conditions, requests of guests and schedules of other liveaboards, which we are trying to stay away from.

There are however certain constants on every cruise which are:

Three day dives of minimum 1 hour duration

One sunset/night dive (unless we have to cover a serious amount of miles over night)

Activities during the surface intervals such as:

scenic rides through lagoons and coves in our tenders

trekking to breathtaking view points

visits of secluded perfect beaches

excursions to traditional villages

whale watching

water action such as wake boarding and kayak

Based upon that, here is a potential itinerary for an 11 nights /12 days cruise from

Sorong (West Papua)

back to

Ambon (Maluku)

. This is just to give you a general idea and is subject to change due to weather and other conditions. Popular dive sites are named. We do however have our secret spots as well, which you will learn about during the cruise.

Arrival with plane to Sorong. You will be picked up by crew members at the airport.

Embarkation in the port of Sorong . A general orientation follows.

After an initial general dive briefing, we will do our check dive with you at an easy and protected dive site. Check dive in the sense of you checking your gear and weights, making sure the camera housings are proper sealed and our guides checking your buoyancy. No skill demonstrations are required. We will offer three easy dives to start with close to the Dampier Strait. But easy don’t mean not attractive. You will get a very good impression what lies ahead of you the next few days: the biggest marine biodiversity on this planet.

The dive- and snorkel sites in the Dampier Strait stand for action packed dives in our favourite kind of fish soup - the one that is still alive and surrounds us in the water. Encounters with Manta Rays are very common here. The reef of the island of Kri is the current world record holder with the highest number of fish species ever counted by a scientist in a single dive - Dr. Gerry Allen came up with 374 different fish species counted. Again: in one single dive.

Dive sites here are exposed to current so it’s all about the right timing to get the most out of it. And we know how to time it here.

Popular dive sites here: ‘Kap Kri’, ‘Chicken’, ‘Sardine’, ‘Mike’s Point’ and ‘Blu Majik’.

This is a very exciting part of SE Misool. A lot of life and colours. Combined with a very special topography. Caverns, caves, swim thru’s. And if you happen to hit this area at the right time (which changes every season) you will find yourself amidst a bloom of small silvery fish, Silversides, and the hunters are just nearby: Mobula Rays. In the dozens.

There’s four popular dive sites here. We’ve got another six spots that are hardly ever dived. A nice big variety to pick and choose from.

Right in the heart of the No-Take-Zone. ‘Tank Rock’, ‘Nudi Rock’ & ‘Whale Rock’ are the famous and commonly dived sites here. There is five more dive sites in the very proximity which are as good, if not even better. We prefer to go a bit off the beaten track here.

The reefs are covered in soft coral in all colours you can imagine. Surrounded by most colourful reef fish. More Fusiliers than one could possibly count. Jacks, Trevallies, Barracudas, Sharks.

And if you happen to dive here on a day with bad visibility. Just face the reef. It’s packed with macro life. Several species of Pygmy Seahorses, Nudibranchs, tiny Crustaceans – every niche in these reefs is filled with life.

The first dive site today is called ‘Magic Mountain’. Yes. It is magic. Situated in a ‘No-Take- Zone’, which was ten years ago established by our friends of the Misool Eco Resort, the amount of biomass is just off the scale. Blacktip, Whitetip and Grey Reef Sharks. Napoleon Wrasses. Stonefish. Wobbegong Sharks. Barracudas. Not to forget about the Mantas who come in to get cleaned.

You will have a hard time focussing on a particular scene on this reef. It’s happening everywhere. Magic.

We will offer two more day dives around the eastern part of the island of Boo. One of the signature dive sites of this area is ‘Boo Windows’ - a spectacular swim through gave the dive site it’s fame, the marine life surrounding it will keep us busy watching during the whole dive.

Another great dive site in this area is ‘Hidung Boo’ where you might sea the biggest sea fans you’ve ever seen in your life.

At the south-eastern tip of Seram there is a little island named Koon. It’s basically three dive sites in one, performing best always at one spot, depending on the current. The name of the site says it all: ‘Too Many Fish’. You will have a hard time to focus on what to look at. A fish soup of Fusiliers and Surgeonfish is divided by hunting Giant Trevallies and Jacks, enormous Giant Groupers are all of a sudden looking at you whilst a school of hundreds of Batfish is passing by. Mobula and Manta rays might fly by. Leopard Sharks like to relax in overhangs of the wall on the north side. Macro life is plenty as well. Hairy Shrimp, Pygmie Seahorses, Tiny Frogfish, Robust Ghostpipefish.

This dive site literally has it all.

Day 8 & Day 9: Banda Islands

The famous Spice Islands, the island group around Banda Neira, which is also historically very interesting. Wars were fought over these islands by colonial powers as these islands used to be the only islands in the world were nutmeg grew. A historical walk through the town of Banda Neira with it’s museum and two forts is a must. An interesting option for ambitious challenge seekers is to climb the vulcano Gunung Api, which raises ‘only’ 600 m above sea level. Which in the tropics however turns into a strenuous climb.

The diving here is very diverse and spectacular. As these volcanic islands raise up to the surface surrounded by deep sea water, the chances for sightings of large pelagics are very good. In the past we’ve often encountered schooling hammerheads here. A dive site called ‘Lava Flow’ is one of the most pristine hard coral reefs you will ever see. After the last eruption of Gunung Api in 1988 a flow of lava made it’s way down into the ocean and destroyed the whole reef. What has grown back ever since will boggle your mind. In the harbour of Banda Neira we’ve got a beautiful Mandarin Fish dive waiting for you. Other highlights include: ‘The Cathedral’, ‘Batu Kapal’ and ‘Karang Hatta’.

In the early morning we will arrive at the island of Nusa Laut, which is a great example for how active conservation by the local community can not only preserve the reefs but actually make them even better. We see here for many years a proper growth in biomass. We have four spectacular dive sites here, either wall or slope diving.

Great variety of reef fish as well as large schools of jacks. Bumphead Parrotfish like to pass by here also. A lot of macro life can be found in the wall as well.

We will offer two more dives in the bay of Ambon. Both of these dives will be muck dives. World class critter hunting. That’s what Ambon is famous for. Rhinopias, Frogfish, Ghostpipefish, Harlequin Shrimps and if you are really lucky: the Psychedelic Frogfish that has been very recently found here again.

Depending on your flight schedule, our crew will check your luggage in for you in advance so you can rest on board and let us shuttle you to the airport when your plane is ready to leave.

No cruise on MV Samambaia is like the other. Every single trip is tailor-made to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The decision on the itinerary is made by the cruise director as we cruise along and is based on factors such as weather conditions, dive conditions, requests of guests and schedules of other liveaboards, which we are trying to stay away from.

There are however certain constants on every cruise which are:

Three day dives of minimum 1 hour duration

One sunset/night dive (unless we have to cover a serious amount of miles over night)

Activities during the surface intervals such as:

scenic rides through lagoons and coves in our tenders

trekking to breathtaking view points

visits of secluded perfect beaches

excursions to traditional villages

whale watching

water action such as wake boarding and kayak

Based upon that, here is a potential itinerary for an 11 nights /12 days cruise from

Ambon (Maluku)

back to

Sorong (West Papua)

. This is just to give you a general idea and is subject to change due to weather and other conditions. Popular dive sites are named. We do however have our secret spots as well, which you will learn about during the cruise.

Arrival with plane to Ambon. You will be picked up by crew members at the airport.

Embarkation in the port of Ambon. A general orientation follows.

After an initial general dive briefing, we will do our check dive with you at an easy and protected dive site. Check dive in the sense of you checking your gear and weights, making sure the camera housings are proper sealed and our guides checking your buoyancy. No skill demonstrations are required. We will thereafter offer two more dives in the bay of Ambon. One in the afternoon and one for sunset. All of these days will be muck dives. World class critter hunting. That’s what Ambon is famous for. Rhinopias, Frogfish, Ghostpipefish, Harlequin Shrimps and if you are really lucky: the Psychedelic Frogfish that has been very

recently found here again.

In the early morning we will arrive at the island of Nusa Laut, which is a great example for how active conservation by the local community can not only preserve the reefs but actually make them even better. We see here for many years a proper growth in biomass.

We have four spectacular dive sites here, either wall or slope diving. Great variety of reef fish as well as large schools of jacks. Bumphead Parrotfish like to pass by here also. A lot of macro life can be found in the wall as well.

Day 4 & Day 5: Banda Islands

The famous Spice Islands, the island group around Banda Neira, which is also historically very interesting. Wars were fought over these islands by colonial powers as these islands used to be the only islands in the world were nutmeg grew. A historical walk through the town of Banda Neira with it’s museum and two forts is a must. An interesting option for ambitious challenge seekers is to climb the vulcano Gunung Api, which raises ‘only’ 600 m above sea level. Which in the tropics however turns into a strenuous climb.

The diving here is very diverse and spectacular. As these volcanic islands raise up to the surface surrounded by deep sea water, the chances for sightings of large pelagics are very good. In the past we’ve often encountered schooling hammerheads here. A dive site called ‘Lava Flow’ is one of the most pristine hard coral reefs you will ever see. After the last eruption of Gunung Api in 1988 a flow of lava made it’s way down into the ocean and destroyed the whole reef. What has grown back ever since will boggle your mind. In the harbour of Banda Neira we’ve got a beautiful Mandarin Fish dive waiting for you. Other highlights include: ‘The Cathedral’, ‘Batu Kapal’ and ‘Karang Hatta’.

At the south-eastern tip of Seram there is a little island named Koon. It’s basically three dive sites in one, performing best always at one spot, depending on the current. The name of the site says it all: ‘Too Many Fish’. You will have a hard time to focus on what to look at. A fish soup of Fusiliers and Surgeonfish is divided by hunting Giant Trevallies and Jacks, enormous Giant Groupers are all of a sudden looking at you whilst a school of hundreds of Batfish is passing by. Mobula and Manta rays might fly by. Leopard Sharks like to relax in overhangs of the wall on the north side. Macro life is plenty as well. Hairy Shrimp, Pygmie Seahorses, Tiny Frogfish, Robust Ghostpipefish. This dive site literally has it all.

After two dives in before lunch we will head north towards Raja Ampat whilst on the way we will do a wall dive along the pretty walls of Madorang.

Coming into Raja Ampat from the south, we start our diving here around the islands of SE Misool. The first dive site we reach is called ‘Magic Mountain’. Yes. It is magic. Situated in a ‘No-Take-Zone’, which was ten years ago established by our friends of the Misool Eco Resort, the amount of biomass is just off the scale. Blacktip, Whitetip and Grey Reef Sharks. Napoleon Wrasses. Stonefish. Wobbegong Sharks. Barracudas. Not to forget about the Mantas who come in to get cleaned. You will have a hard time focussing on a particular scene on this reef. It’s happening everywhere. Magic!

We will offer two more day dives around the eastern part of the island of Boo. One of the signature dive sites of this area is ‘Boo Windows’ - a spectacular swim through gave the dive site it’s fame, the marine life surrounding it will keep us busy watching during the whole dive. Another great dive site in this area is ‘Hidung Boo’ where you might sea the biggest sea fans you’ve ever seen in your life.

Right in the heart of the No-Take-Zone. ‘Tank Rock’, ‘Nudi Rock’ & ‘Whale Rock’ are the famous and commonly dived sites here. There is five more dive sites in the very proximity which are as good, if not even better. We prefer to go a bit off the beaten track here.

The reefs are covered in soft coral in all colours you can imagine. Surrounded by most colourful reef fish. More Fusiliers than one could possibly count. Jacks, Trevallies, Barracudas, Sharks.

And if you happen to dive here on a day with bad visibility. Just face the reef. It’s packed with macro life. Several species of Pygmy Seahorses, Nudibranchs, tiny Crustaceans – every niche in these reefs is filled with life.

This is a very exciting part of SE Misool. A lot of life and colours. Combined with a very special topography. Caverns, caves, swim thru’s. And if you happen to hit this area at the right time (which changes every season) you will find yourself amidst a bloom of small silvery fish, Silversides, and the hunters are just nearby: Mobula Rays. In the dozens.

There’s four popular dive sites here. We’ve got another six spots that are hardly ever dived. A nice big variety to pick and choose from.

The dive- and snorkel sites in the Dampier Strait stand for action packed dives in our favourite kind of fish soup - the one that is still alive and surrounds us in the water. Encounters with Manta Rays are very common here. The reef of the island of Kri is the current world record holder with the highest number of fish species ever counted by a scientist in a single dive - Dr. Gerry Allen came up with 374 different fish species counted. Again: in one single dive.

Dive sites here are exposed to current so it’s all about the right timing to get the most out of it. And we know how to time it here.

Popular dive sites here: ‘Kap Kri’, ‘Chicken’, ‘Sardine’, ‘Mike’s Point’ and ‘Blu Majik’.

Towards the end of the week and the end of the cruise for some other liveaboards it can get a bit busy here. We don’t like that and therefore move away to some sites less dived yet very attractive. A WW 2 plane wreck. ‘Larry’s Promise’. Wruzwarez Slope. There is many possibilities. And to conclude our in-water activities we aim to snorkel with feeding Mantas. On our way back our crew will keep an eye out onto the ocean for you and alert you in time for whale and dolphin encounters. Which are quite common here. As long as you are on the watch out. and we are…

Depending on your flight schedule, our crew will check your luggage in for you in advance so

you can rest on board and let us shuttle you to the airport when your plane is ready to leave.