Raja Ampat Aggressor - Banda Sea & Raja Ampat (11 nights)

Oversikt

The Banda Sea will treat divers to an explosion of marine life on the pristine reefs, as well as steep drop-offs, huge schools of fish, a plethora of pelagic species, sea mounts and critters galore. The Banda Sea is covers a huge area in the Eastern part of Indonesia and include some of the archipelagos most remote islands.

Reiserute Vis detaljert reiserute

Day 1: Join the Raja Ampath Aggressor in Ambon
Day 2-11: Up to 4 dives daily in South Raja Ampat, Banda Islands and Ambon
Day 12: Disembark at Sorong

Banda Sea, with its spice islands, played an important role in history during the 15th to 17th century. For centuries the indigenous people traded with nutmeg and thus came into focus of the Europeans, because this special seasoning was found only on these islands.

The islands were first colonized by the Portuguese before the Dutch took over the colony in fierce fighting. Meanwhile, the islands are again visited by sailors, fishermen and divers, especially due to the extraordinary amount of fish. Many remains of the colonies are still visible, so this area is especially exciting to visit

The Banda Sea will treat divers to an explosion of marine life on the pristine reefs, as well as steep drop-offs, huge schools of fish, a plethora of pelagic species, sea mounts and critters galore. Expect to see schools of jacks and tuna, turtles, Napolean wrasse, grouper, various species of rays, sharks, whales and dolphin. 

Enjoy an unique dive at Gunung Api volcano where sea snakes abound, and incredible pelagic encounters at the Lucipara atolls, where five seamounts rise up over a mile from the ocean floor, and which are also home to green turtle nesting sites.

Sample Banda Sea 10 Night Itinerary (33 Dives)

This trip combines the best dive sites of Banda Sea, and South Raja Ampat (Misool). The great highlights are the amazing macro sites in Ambon Bay, large pelagics in Banda Islands, manta cleaning stations near Mansuar and the huge schools of fish near Farondi. The Dampier Straight separates the Birdhead Peninsula from Waigeo and Mansuar. The name comes from the Dutch colonial times. It refers to the shape of the peninsula on the map, but it is also a paradise for many rare bird species.

Here the Pacific Ocean meets the Halmahera Sea, with an explosion of marine life. With regular strong currents, big fish feel especially comfortable. Manta rays, reef sharks, different schools of mackerel, tuna and barracuda are seen again and again.

Diving in the endless maze of the islands of Misool is very special.  It is paradise for macro enthusiasts, but encounters with larger fish such as manta rays happens. Misool is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world with fish, corals, sponges, soft corals, shrimps, crabs and countless nudibranchs and other invertebrates. Huge schools of sardines are a definite highlight. Soft corals and sea fans (diameter of 3-4 meters) in all sizes and colors dominate the underwater landscape.

Nusa Laut. Varied reef scapes with beautiful coral gardens and loads of fish. Schools of surgeon fish, big eye jacks, and a variety of reef fish including barracudas sweeten the dive. With some luck you can even see hammerhead sharks. Another highlight is the night dive under the pier, where we "hunt" critters. Angler fish, scorpion fish, pipe fish and many other creatures are on display.

Banda Neira is the main island of "Banda Islands", which are part of the Maluku archipelago. The "Banda Islands" consists of 10 small volcanic islands. Visit the old fortress of the Dutchman on Banda Neira, or climb a volcano is part of our program. Over 20 years ago lava flowed into the sea and formed a hard coral garden which is amazing!

Everything a diver could wish for can be seen in this canal which flows towards the Banda Sea. It guarantees a unique spectacle of schooling fish; giant groupers, large schools of barracudas, snapper, surgeon fish, sweet lips in the midst of beautiful coral. This is an underwater photographers haven, there are so many things to photograph, it becomes confusing. The sometimes violent currents cannot guarantee the best visibility, but there is a big chance to see large fish such as manta rays, sharks and even mobulas.

Bilder

Viktig Informasjon Vis detaljert viktig informasjon

• Included:
  

  • Up to 4 dives per day will be offered including night dives (conditions permitting)
  • 12 nights live-aboard cruise on Raja Ampath Aggressor in air-conditioned and fitted with private bathrooms staterooms and a porthole or picture window. The yacht is equipped with hairdryers and bathrobes in
    each stateroom. Linens are changed mid-week and fresh towels are placed in each stateroom
    as needed.
  • Full board while on cruise including
  • Breakfast (cooked to order), buffet lunch and an elegant chef prepared dinner with tableside service are served in addition to mid-afternoon snacks.
  • Beverages (soft beverages, local beer and wine with dinner) are complimentary while onboard.
  • Filled tanks, weights and weight belts are included.
  • DAN Europe dive insurance (only apply when purchasing flights from DYKKEbazaar/DIVEplanet or for members of the Norwegian Dive Federation)

  
  Not included:
  

  • Port fees USD260 per person
  • Tips (normally 10-15% is suggested)
  • Travel to / from joining point
  • Travel and cancellation insurance

  
  Other useful information:
  Single surcharge: on request
  Price: is based on twin or deluxe shared cabin. Upgrade to Master cabin USD450
  Destination is known for: Turtles, schooling fish & big pelagics, great macro life/ marine diversity.
  Best time to visit this destination: We recommend the period between March to April and then September to December as the best time to visit this area. Outside of these periods the weather tends to be a little inconsistent and the surface conditions can be pretty rough. In this period the marine live is reasonably constant with large schools of fish, the seasnakes at Gunung Api to the great macro life aorund Ambon. 
  Water Temperature: do not vary much during the periods that we visit the area so normally from 26 to 29°C
  Visibility: Normally it starts clear up from August and then during the best months it can reach the higher end of the range (15 to 30m).
  

  National Park Important Info: The Indonesia National Park Authority requires each guest’s passport information 7 days prior to departure to process a required diving permit. No name changes can be made less than 7 days prior to departure. Your passport information will be taken from the GIS and sent to the yacht. Failure to complete the GIS during this time frame will result in being denied permission to dive on the charter start date.
  Arrival/Boarding/Departure: For all itineraries, the flight arrival times are in the morning and afternoon. We highly recommend guests overnight the day before departure at a local hotel then guests will be picked up at 12 pm upon checkout (on day of charter departure) and transferred to the yacht as long as guests are staying in the vicinity of where the yacht docks.

  • Sorong/Sorong: Boarding 1 pm with yacht departure 4 pm; Check Out 8 am
  • Sorong/Ambon: Boarding 1 pm with yacht departure 4 pm; Check Out 8 am
  • Sorong/Biak:Boarding 1 pm with yacht departure 4 pm; Check Out 8 am
  • Ambon/Sorong: Boarding 3 pm with yacht departure 4 pm; Check Out 8 am

  Dinner is served onboard the last evening of the charter. The morning of check out and departure from the yacht in Sorong, guests are provided complimentary entrance to the MEC (Misool Filling Station), a restaurant/cafe resting place in Sorong while waiting for a flight when departing. They offer complimentary snacks, drink, Wi-Fi, comfortable armchairs in ac room, luggage storage and porterage from and to the taxi.

  
  

  Yacht Specification - click here
  See dive map for this departure - click here
  
  See our video from this destination:
  

  
  

Priser / Datoer

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