Banda Sea Ambon to Alor Seamounts Liveaboard Expedition

• VAT
• Local airport transfers at the embarkation and disembarkation ports
• Full board: breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks
• Drinking water, tea and coffee
• Welcome cocktail
• Diving package with 3 to 4 guided dives per day (no diving on arrival and departure days), plus the extra dives in the program
• 12L tanks (DIN or INT) and weights
• Land excursions listed in the program
• Cabin towels, deck towels and complimentary toiletries

Day 1: Embark in Ambon
Board Iliké in Ambon port, settle in and prepare your gear.

Day 2: Ambon Bay
Muck diving in Ambon Bay at sites such as Laha, plus the soft coral arch of Pintu Kota.

Day 3: Pulau Suanggi
Dives at Pulau Suanggi as the trip heads into the Banda Sea.

Day 4: Nusa Laut
Village-protected reefs with schools of jacks, rainbow runners, tuna and Spanish mackerel.

Day 5: Banda Neira and Banda Api
Dive Banda Api's lava formations with friendly sea snakes and visit Banda Neira, a nutmeg plantation and Fort Belgica.

Day 6: Manuk Island
An active volcano ringed by seabirds, where hundreds of sea snakes cruise over coral-covered lava ridges.

Day 7: Nil Desperandum and Serua
The seamount rising to about 3 m in the middle of the Banda Sea, then Serua, a hammerhead area from September to November.

Day 8: Nil Desperandum and Dusborg
A second seamount day at Nil Desperandum and Dusborg, watching the blue for tuna, rainbow runners and Spanish mackerel.

Day 9: Damar Island
Steep walls topped with coral gardens around Damar and the deserted Terbang islands.

Day 10: Nyata, Reong and Wetar
Drop-offs and walls covered in black coral bushes and massive barrel sponges.

Day 11: Alor Pantar Strait: Pulau Buya and Takpala
Dive the Pantar Strait around Pulau Buya and visit the traditional village of Takpala.

Day 12: Alor Pantar Strait: Kalabahi and Pura
Volcanic bubbles and anemone slopes around Pura, then muck diving in Kalabahi Bay for ghost pipefish and rhinopias.

Day 13: Disembark in Alor
Disembark in Alor port after breakfast and transfer to the airport.

• AIDA
• Apnea Academy
• Apnea Total
• CMAS
• FII
• Molchanovs
• PADI
• PFI
• RAID
• SSI
• NAUI
• SDI
• ADIP

• English

Click to view the location.

The crew meets you at Pattimura Airport in Ambon and takes you to Iliké; enter your flight details in the booking system. Embarkation in Ambon is between 06:00 and 13:00 and the boat sails the same day once everyone is on board (or early the next morning if flights land late). At the end of the trip disembarkation in Alor is between 04:00 and 11:30, followed by a transfer to the local airport. Domestic flights are needed to reach Ambon and to leave Alor; Iliké can help find connections.

Requirements

• Advanced Open Water certification (CMAS** or equivalent) and a minimum of 75 logged dives. Divers with 50 to 75 dives may join only with a private dive guide at extra cost, booked at least 1 month ahead and subject to availability.
• Dive insurance is mandatory; you cannot dive without it. Comprehensive travel, medical and cancellation insurance is strongly recommended because the route is remote, with recompression chambers and hospitals hours or days away.
• A personal dive computer is mandatory for every diver. Dives are no-decompression and within your certification limits; no dive courses run on board.
• Passport valid for at least 6 months; bring your certification card, logbook and Nitrox card. Check visa rules with your consulate.
• Complete the online guest form (passport, certification and logged dives, rental, Nitrox, diet, medical details, emergency contact, flights) at least 2 weeks before departure.
• Strong currents are possible; bring motion sickness medication if you need it.

Mandatory fees (paid on board in cash)

• Trip fee (fuel surcharge, port fees, eco projects): $434 (EUR 390) per person ($33 (EUR 30) per day x 13 days)
• Marine Park fee Banda Sea: $67 (EUR 60) per person per trip
• Cash only on board (EUR, USD or IDR); no credit cards and ATMs are often unavailable

Optional extras

• Nitrox: $110 (EUR 99) per trip
• Full equipment (regulator, BCD, wetsuit, mask, fins, computer, SMB): $429 (EUR 385) per trip
• Regulator: $122 (EUR 110) per trip
• BCD: $122 (EUR 110) per trip
• Wetsuit: $86 (EUR 77) per trip
• Dive computer: $86 (EUR 77) per trip
• Fins, mask and snorkel: $49 (EUR 44) per trip
• Torch: $86 (EUR 77) per trip
• 15L tank (subject to availability): $61 (EUR 55) per trip
• Sidemount 12L extra tank (specific rules apply): $73 (EUR 66) per trip
• SMB: $11 (EUR 10) per trip
• Starlink WiFi (24/7), 5GB: $28 (EUR 25) per package
• Crew tips: recommended minimum $18 (EUR 16) per guest per day (EUR 1 per crew member per day)
• Book rental gear at least 1 month before departure

Not included

• Domestic and international flights to the embarkation port and from the disembarkation port
• Visa, airport taxes and excess baggage
• Hotels and meals ashore
• Soft drinks, juices, beer, wine and spirits
• Espresso and specialty coffee
• Laundry and massage
• Dive and travel insurance
• Dive courses
• Satellite calls
• Souvenirs

Life happens, so we keep cancellations simple. Enjoy free cancellation for 14 days from the time of booking, or find an equally qualified replacement up to 30 days before your departure.