Day 1: Ambon
Embarkation & Welcome Briefing
Day 2: Suanggi & Run Island
Day 3: Manuk Island.
Day 4: Serua Island
Day 5: Hatta Reef & Hatta Island
Day 6 & 7: Islands of Banda Neira
Fortress Land Tour
Day 8: Nusa Laut
Day 9: Ambon
Disembarkation
Banda Sea
(9 Days, 8 Nights)
** Route Itinerary subject to change due to inclement weather, sea conditions, and/or restrictions posed by local authorities.
Day 1 – (Embarkation Day) Our crew will be waiting to greet you at the Airport in Ambon. After you are comfortably settled onboard and have completed registration, we will have the 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 Sea.
Day 2 – 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 today around the islands of Suanggi and Run. We sail overnight to Manuk island.
Day 3 – 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. Again, we sail overnight, this time to the island of Serua.
Day 4 – Today we focus on a distinct area around Serua island. We dive here to search for Hammerhead sharks. Shallow reef tops give way to sloping reefs and walls that plunge into the deep. Abundant coral, giant sponges, and schooling fish such as Trevally, Surgeonfish, and fusiliers fill the water around the island. Always keep your eye out in the blue water for schooling Hammerhead sharks. Sea snakes can also be seen on most dives. The currents here can be strong and exciting. We will have 3-4 dives this day. Overnight we sail to Hatta Reef.
Day 5 – We spend the day diving at Hatta Reef and Hatta island. There are many dive sites here again packed with schooling fish and beautiful coral. There are walls, sloping reef, schools of fish, turtles, and also macro. Once again, there’s another chance to spot Hammerhead sharks. We will have 3-4 dives today and then sail to Banda Neira to anchor overnight.
Day 6 & 7 – We spend the next 2 days exploring the reefs and islands surrounding Banda Neira. There are tunnels, coral gardens, mini walls, and pinnacles. After the third dive on one of the days, there is an optional land tour to a Dutch Fort and small museum to learn about the Dutch occupation of the Banda islands, also known as the “Spice Islands”. Abundant coral, macro critters, schools of reef fish, and pelagic species thrive here. Late afternoon on Day 7 we will sail overnight to Nusa Laut. We will have 3-4 dives each day.
Day 8 – Our last day of diving. We will have 2 dives in the morning. A sloping wall with a beautiful coral reef full of schooling fish, and a macro site with a multitude of nudibranch species, pygmy seahorses, and many more interesting critters. After our last dive please allow our crew to wash your equipment and hang it to dry as we cruise during the afternoon back to Ambon. Relax that evening and prepare for your next day’s departure.
Day 9 – (Disembarkation) Our crew will transport you to the airport for your departure. Thank you, and see you next time!
Safety
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:
- Emergency Position-Indicating Radiobeacon (EPIRB)
- Life Rafts
- Emergency Survival Packs
- Semi-Automated Fire Suppression Sprinkler System
- VHF/SB Radios
- Fleet Broadband Satellite Phone & Internet
- Inmarsat-C
- Local Navigation Maps with Furuno GPS Chart Plotter
- Radar (Long/Short)
- Weather Plotter
- Depth Sounder
- 6,000L Water Storage with On-board Water-Maker capable of producing 15,000L of fresh water per day.
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
FAQ
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?
- Additional 12L/80cuft cylinder with air: US $10 per cylinder per diving day
- Additional 12L/80cuft cylinder with EANitrox: US $18 per cylinder per diving day. Whole Trip Use discount applies. Please check with your cruise directors or our sales and reservation staff.
Rebreather Diving? Twins?
No, We do not have support for Rebreather or Twin Tank Configuration.
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