Day 1: Ambon
Day 2 & 3: Banda Sea
Suanggi, Banda Neira, Hatta Island
Day 4: Manuk Island
Day 5: Kurkap Island
Day 6: Koon Island
Day 7 & 8: Misool
Day 9, 10 & 11: Central Raja Ampat
Day 12: Sorong
Day 1: Ambon
Day 2 & 3: Banda Sea
Suanggi, Banda Neira, Hatta Island
Day 4: Manuk Island
Day 5: Kurkap Island
Day 6: Koon Island
Day 7 & 8: Misool
Day 9, 10 & 11: Central Raja Ampat
Day 12: Sorong
** Route Itinerary subject to change due to inclement weather, sea conditions, and/or restrictions posed by local authorities.
Day 1 – Ambon (Embarkation Day) Our crew will be waiting to greet you at Pattimura Airport in Ambon. After you are comfortably settled onboard and have completed registration, there will be a safety/orientation briefing. After lunch, schedule allowing, we will have a check dive at one of the famous macro dive sites in Laha, Ambon. Black sand slopes full of strange and interesting marine critters await you! During the night we will sail to the Banda islands.
Day 2 & 3 – We wake up in the Banda Sea! Today you begin to experience the beauty of the Banda Sea with its healthy corals and giant sponges. The reefs and walls are packed full of fish, and there’s a chance to encounter the Hammerhead shark! We will have 3-4 dives each day around the islands of Suanggi, Banda Neira and Hatta island. There’s also an optional land tour to visit an old Dutch fort and learn a little history of the Spice Islands. On the third night, we sail to Manuk island.
Day 4 – We wake up to the sight of a volcano in the middle of nowhere! Several species of sea birds circle overhead. We dive 3-4 dives around Manuk island today. Beautiful corals and a multitude of fish species call this place home. You will have a chance to dive with many sea snakes today, as Manuk island is also called “Snake Island”. The occasional smell of sulfur and the sight of smoke rising from this active volcano gives you a sense that you are in the land of the lost. Keep your fingers crossed for Hammerhead sharks. Overnight we sail to Kurkap island.
Day 5 – Today we dive around the island of Kurkap and the surrounding reefs. Beautiful reefs and clear water make for beautiful dives. Tornadoes of Big Eye Trevally and Barracuda can be found off the white sand slopes of the large reef adjacent to the island. Red toothed triggerfish fill the water column feeding on passing plankton. Keep your eye out in the blue for passing tuna and sharks. As you continue along the reef the landscape transforms into steep walls with abundant coral. The top of the reef is shallow and covered in an impressively healthy coral reef. The island itself gives many possibilities for exploratory diving. We will have 3-4 dives today. We sail overnight to Koon island.
Day 6 – Today we dive at Koon island. The reef is a mixture of sloping white sand with patch reef and coral-covered walls descending into the deep. Currents can be strong here and all the dives are drift dives. Schools of Big Eye Trevally, snapper, sweetlips and many other small reef fish crowd the reefs. White tip and grey reef sharks can also be seen patrolling the area. Big Napoleon wrasse and even Goliath groupers can sometimes be found in this here. We have 3-4 dives here today. Overnight we sail to Misool, where we enter from Raja Ampat from the south.
Day 7 & 8 – We continue our adventure in the south of Raja Ampat around the big island of Misool. Misool is full of vibrant coral reefs teeming with marine life. A variety of Pygmy seahorse species can be found hiding on the Giant Gorgonia fans. The area is comprised of countless limestone islands, which give shelter to an array of reef-dwelling fish. The reefs are abundant with a rainbow of healthy soft and hard corals, and pelagic species can be seen patrolling the reefs looking for a meal. If you’re lucky you may encounter the endemic Raja Ampat Epaulette Shark (walking shark) or Manta Ray. We have 3-4 dives each day.
Day 9 to 11 – We spend the next few days diving on lively reefs, pinnacles, and slope walls. Now in the middle of Raja Ampat, we can see a number of different shark species including the Wobbegong shark (carpet shark) which can be found camouflaging on the reef. There are White and Black tip reef sharks on most dives and the occasional Grey Reef shark as well. As we make our way through the Fam islands, Gam island, and along Mansuar island we have a chance to see mangroves and panoramas of lush green tree-covered islands while exploring an array of dives sites. We will have 3-4 dives each day, and an optional land excursion one of the days. On the last day of diving, we have two morning dives. After we have finished, enjoy your lunch as we cruise back to Sorong.
Day 12 – Sorong (Disembarkation) – We say our goodbyes and our crew will transport you to the airport in Sorong. We hope to see you again.
From the very beginning, safety has always been the most important aspect of Solitude and at the forefront of all decision making. Given the remote areas we operate in, it is vital to us that our crew are well trained and we are equipped to handle any scenario should it occur.
During your stay onboard we provide our guests with a complimentary Nautilus Marine Rescue GPS to provide that peace of mind when out diving in the remote parts of Indonesia
Our Features & Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) equipped with:
We know that time and investment in holidays are valuable and you want to dive as much as you can. We fully understand that, as we take diving holidays too! Be assured that we are committed to providing you with as many dives as we safely can. Besides the obvious reasons why we would not let you go for a dive (stated in your registration form declaration), being well-rested and rehydrated for your first dive is a good first step.
This is why we need to ensure that you have at least 6 hours of proper rest after your arrival before making your first dive. We know you learned about safety during your scuba course(s) but sometimes the excitement and anticipation of a diving holiday can get the better of us and we tend to overlook our own condition for a dive.
Our commitment to safety also includes our crew which is why we limit a maximum of 4 dives (including a night dive) in a day so that they too get ample rest to minimise fatigue, ergo minimise the risk of working on a vessel.
As always, itineraries are subject to weather, logistics, and also, importantly, where sites are better during the week of your cruise. Your cruise directors will constantly be updating you on the schedule/plans on board during your cruise.
For more information or clarification, please do not hesitate to write to emailus@solitude-liveaboards.com
Enriched Air Nitrox
Although the standard mix for EAN is 32%, on most dives we have made an educated decision to provide in the proximity of EAN30 instead, to allow a safer M.O.D. EAN30% would provide some degree of depth buffer if you are caught especially in a down current, but will still allow ample extended length of bottom time (compared to normal air). EANitrox prices are as follows: US $8 per dive OR US $135 for 7 days/6 nights Indonesia itinerary, with subsequent additional use US $20 per day.
DIN or International?
We have both.
15L/100cuft Scuba Cylinders?
Yes, we have. It is an additional US $8 per cylinder per diving day.
Side-mount Diving?
Rebreather Diving? Twins?
No, We do not have support for Rebreather or Twin Tank Configuration.