Route Description - Raja Ampat, Misool & Banda Sea (12 Nights)
The Ambon to Misool Expedition combines exceptional muck diving with thrilling pelagic encounters and pristine coral reefs across Indonesia’s Banda Sea and Raja Ampat. Search for rare frogfish and Rhinopias in Ambon Bay, explore the current-swept walls of the Banda Sea, and discover Misool’s spectacular pinnacles, vibrant soft corals and manta cleaning stations. Highlights include manta encounters at Magic Mountain and the iconic limestone formations of Boo Windows.
Day 1 – Ambon Bay
Laha — Black sand slopes rich in macro life, including frogfish, ghost pipefish, thorny seahorses and nudibranchs. Famous for the endemic psychedelic frogfish.
Rhino City — A sandy muck-diving site renowned for rare Rhinopias scorpionfish, including red, lacy and green varieties.
Day 2 – Nusa Laut
Akon — A wall and slope featuring excellent hard coral coverage, schooling jacks and reef sharks along the deeper sections.
Ameth — A current-swept reef known for seasonal scalloped hammerhead sightings, turtles, Napoleon wrasse and schooling fish.
Nusa Laut East Wall — A steep wall facing the open sea, where tuna, eagle rays and occasional hammerheads pass through the currents.
Ameth (Night Dive) — Explore the reef after dark, when octopus, crustaceans and nocturnal reef fish emerge among the corals.
Day 3 – Suanggi
Suanggi North Wall — A dramatic wall dive with schooling barracuda, giant trevallies, dogtooth tuna and possible hammerhead and mobula ray encounters.
Suanggi South Point — A current-swept point attracting barracuda, jacks and tuna, with reef sharks patrolling the surrounding waters.
Suanggi Plateau — A calmer submerged plateau featuring coral bommies, large gorgonian fans and abundant reef fish.
Day 4 – Serua
Serua Wall — A steep, current-swept drop-off adorned with gorgonian fans, black corals and barrel sponges, with hammerheads possible in deeper water.
Serua Corner — A pelagic hotspot where barracuda, giant trevallies, tuna and reef sharks gather around the island's current-exposed walls.
Serua South Reef — A sheltered reef with extensive hard coral gardens, schooling fusiliers and anthias, alongside Napoleon wrasse and hawksbill turtles.
Day 5 – Hatta and Karang Hatta
Karang Hatta — A coral plateau with dense schools of triggerfish and fusiliers, alongside young silky sharks, Napoleon wrasse and occasional hammerheads.
Hatta Wall — A deep wall descending towards the Banda Trench, featuring barrel sponges, sea fans and reef fish, with possible hammerhead, eagle ray and thresher shark encounters.
Day 6 – Banda Neira
Banda Neira Harbour — A historic harbour surrounded by volcanic islands, colonial-era architecture and views of the imposing Banda Api volcano.
Fort Belgica — A well-preserved 17th-century Dutch fortress offering panoramic views of Banda Neira, the surrounding islands and the volcanic landscape.
Banda Maritime Museum — Discover the region’s maritime history, including its role in the historic spice trade and European colonial rivalry.
Nutmeg Plantations — Explore traditional nutmeg plantations and learn about the cultivation practices that have shaped the Banda Islands for centuries.
Day 7 – Pulau Koon
Koon North Wall — A sweeping wall covered in sea fans and soft corals, with huge schools of fusiliers, surgeonfish and snappers, plus reef sharks and trevallies.
Koon Plateau — A sheltered reef plateau with healthy hard corals and abundant reef fish, where Napoleon wrasse, groupers and turtles are frequent visitors.
Day 8 – Southern Misool, Daram Islands
Andiamo — Coral-covered ridges adorned with soft corals and sea fans, attracting schooling fusiliers, snappers and reef sharks.
Candy Store — A current-swept reef with vibrant soft corals and large schools of barracuda, giant trevallies and tuna.
Yillet Kecil — A diverse reef of coral bommies and hard coral gardens, with pygmy seahorses, nudibranchs and other macro life.
Day 9 – The Heart of Misool
Magic Mountain — An iconic submerged seamount and manta cleaning station, attracting reef and oceanic mantas, barracuda, giant trevallies and tuna.
Four Kings — A group of coral-covered pinnacles with abundant sea fans, schooling fusiliers, snappers and surgeonfish, alongside reef sharks.
Warna Berwarna — A colourful reef renowned for its exceptional coral diversity, with pink, orange and purple soft corals and abundant reef fish.
Harapan Jetty (Night Dive) — A macro-rich jetty dive offering opportunities to spot bobtail squid, pipefish, juvenile reef fish and crustaceans.
Day 10 – Fiabacet and Tomolol
Fiabacet — Spectacular coral-covered pinnacles rising from deep water, attracting huge schools of fusiliers, jacks and snappers, with reef sharks hunting in the currents.
Tank Rock — A dramatic reef formation with excellent coral growth and schools of barracuda, trevallies and surgeonfish.
Whale Rock — A reef of steep walls, overhangs and coral gardens, frequently visited by Napoleon wrasse, turtles and reef sharks.
Day 11 – Northern Misool, Boo and Beyond
Boo Windows — A photogenic reef featuring natural limestone windows, swim-throughs, overhangs, soft corals, sea fans and clouds of anthias.
Boo West — A vibrant continuation of the Boo reef system, with healthy hard and soft corals, turtles, schooling fish and reef sharks.
Romeo — A colourful reef ridge covered in sea fans and soft corals, with abundant anthias and schools of fusiliers moving through the currents.
Dunia Kecil — A compact rock in Wayil Channel with soft coral-covered shallows, walls adorned with large sea fans and several pygmy seahorse species.
Day 12 – Northern Misool
Two final morning dives — The itinerary does not specify individual sites for the final two dives, so their names will depend on the operator's schedule and conditions.