On the Seven Seas liveaboard 13D12N trip, you can go from the historic Banda Sea to the exciting currents of Alor. Experience pelagic action, beautiful reefs, and the best diving in East Indonesia.
The Seven Seas liveaboard 13D12N Banda & Alor excursion is a one-way safari from Ambon to Alor. It will take you on an exciting journey from the famous Spice Islands to the wild waters of East Indonesia. This longer trip is made for divers who want the best mix of history, pelagic action, and exploring beautiful reefs. Start your trip at the Banda Sea, which is far away and has a lot of history. There, dramatic volcanic peaks erupt from deep seas, making them great places for marine species to live. Dive into famous places like Gunung Api’s buried peak and Banda Neira’s lava flows, where nutrient-rich currents draw in schools of hammerhead sharks, beautiful eagle rays, dogtooth tuna, and patrolling reef sharks against a backdrop of stunning underwater geology. The Seven Seas liveaboard knows how to cruise these famous waters, so you can see the Banda Sea’s spectacular pelagic encounters at their best.
As the trip moves east to Alor, the underwater experience gets more exciting with some of Indonesia’s most amazing current diving. The narrow straits of Alor let in nutrient-rich waters that make a great place for pelagic action. Schooling hammerheads, enormous trevally, and majestic eagle rays patrol the currents, while colorful soft coral walls cling to steep drop-offs. In addition to the rush of excitement, Alor has beautiful reefs, secret bays, and black sand slopes where macro lovers can look for uncommon creatures including rhinopias, flamboyant cuttlefish, ornate ghost pipefish, and the hard-to-find Ambon scorpionfish. The generous 13-day time limit lets you fully explore both areas, including night dives that show you a world of hunting octopus and glowing displays. Above the water, the trip takes you to typical Banda nutmeg plantations and Alorese communities, as well as stunning vistas of volcanic hills towering from the blue sea. On the Seven Seas liveaboard, professional guides who know these isolated waters inside and out, excellent accommodations, and a love of discovery all come together to make for an amazing trip to two of Indonesia’s most famous and rewarding diving spots.
More about Seven SeasDives: Approximately 33 dives in total
Experience: Advanced Open Water – 30 minimum logged dives required.
Marine Life: The Banda Sea’s open-ocean influence supports encounters with schooling jacks, giant tuna, reef sharks, manta and eagle rays, turtles, Napoleon wrasse, and rare macro species hidden among pristine coral and volcanic rock.
On the first day of the trip, guests attend a safety briefing followed by a crew introduction. They will need to complete the necessary dive paperwork and become familiar with the cabin allocation and orientation of the ship before setting sail from the harbor.
For the following days, guests experience 3 to 4 dives each day, including a night dive as permitted by the authorities.
Dive Sites:
The Banda Sea is surrounded by islands, from the large islands of Buru, Halmahera, Ambon, and Seram in the north towards Gorom, Kei, and Aru in the east; the islands of Tanimbar, Wetar, and Reong; and a series of smaller islands such as Babar and Moa, touching East Timor in the south.
Ambon Bay is host to some of Indonesia’s best critter diving. The nearby island of Halmahera is still largely unexplored and has recently produced some stunning sites.
Gunung Api is an isolated volcanic peak rising from the heart of the Banda Sea. Surrounded by crystal clear waters, this uninhabited island is home to thousands of nesting seabirds.
Exuding sulfur both above and below the landmark, the water is also home to extraordinary numbers of banded kraits (sea snakes), which have become a special attraction for divers. It’s not unusual to have swarms of these non-aggressive sea snakes around you while diving on Gunung Api.
The 5 tiny atolls of Lucipara in the middle of the Banda Sea are the tops of undersea mountains rising up over a mile from the ocean floor. y 13:
The uninhabited beaches are ideal green turtle nesting sites, while the reef’s breathtaking drop-off to ocean waters is ideal for diving and snorkeling. A highlight here is night diving with the rare Photoblepheron bandanensis, more commonly known as the “flashlight fish.”
Activities:
On the last day, check-out is after breakfast or at 9:00 AM. The incredible journey comes to an end as guests disembark The Seven Seas. For early flights, please inform our team to accommodate earlier disembarkation.
Triton Bay
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Certificate: Advanced Open Water
50 minimum logged dives required
Sumbawa, Bima, Komodo Island
29 dives
Certificate: Open Water
30 minimum logged dives required
Alor, Flores, Forgotten Islands
43 dives
Certificate: Open Water
30 minimum logged dives required
Komodo Island, Sumbawa
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Certificate: Advanced Open Water
30 minimum logged dives required
Maumere, Komodo, Sumbawa
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Certificate: Advanced Open Water
30 minimum logged dives required
Alor, Maumere
30 dives
Certificate: Advanced Open Water
50 minimum logged dives required
Seven Seas is among the best; I have done liveaboards all around. Excellent food, spotless rooms, and unique diving locations.
