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Banda Sea and Spice Islands Liveaboard
Banda Sea and Spice Islands Liveaboard
8 Days • Monthly
Dive with Cachalo Liveaboard
Price per person:
Regular price
$5,382.00 AUD
Sale price
$5,382.00 AUD
Regular price
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Eight days and seven nights out of Ambon and back, crossing into the Banda Sea and the old nutmeg islands. The trip opens with muck diving at Laha in Ambon Bay, moves to Hila and Nusa Laut Corner, then heads offshore to Suanggi and Jackpot. Days four and five are spent around Rhun, Pulau Ai and Hatta, and day six on the Rumah Kuning sites of Pohon Miring, Batu Kapal and Mandarin City. A second visit to Jackpot comes before the return to Ambon. Plan on up to four dives a day.
The Banda Sea is deep, open water, and you feel it. Walls drop past your fins into blue with no bottom in sight, and the main job on the offshore dives is to hang off the reef and watch the open water for whatever comes in. Back near the islands the pace slows right down: a frogfish that looks exactly like a sponge, a sea snake working through the coral, a nudibranch the size of a fingernail. Between dives the islands that once supplied the world's nutmeg sit on the horizon, and the surface interval becomes a lesson in how far you are from anywhere.
Trip Highlights & Key Regional Features
- Search the muck slopes of Laha in Ambon Bay for frogfish, nudibranchs and unusual macro life.
- Dive the reefs of Nusa Laut, with steep walls and soft coral.
- Head offshore to Suanggi and Jackpot for schooling fish, sea snakes and a chance of hammerhead or thresher sharks.
- Drop down the walls of Rhun, Pulau Ai and Hatta in the Banda Islands.
- Watch mandarinfish court and spawn at dusk at Mandarin City.
- Explore Pohon Miring and Batu Kapal on the Rumah Kuning day.
- Return to Jackpot on day seven for a second look at the pelagics.
What's Included
What's Included
- Seven nights' accommodation with full board
- Five meals a day, plus drinking water, tea and coffee
- Guided diving, up to four dives a day
- Tanks, weights and weight belts
- Nitrox for certified Nitrox divers
- An ENOS GPS locator beacon for each diver
- Multilingual dive guides and a cruise director
- Land excursions
- Transfers between the airport or your hotel and the boat in Ambon
Itinerary
Itinerary
Day 1: Ambon.
- Transfer from the airport or your hotel, board the boat and make your first dives at Laha in Ambon Bay, a muck site known for frogfish and nudibranchs.
Day 2: Nusa Laut.
- Dive Hila and Nusa Laut Corner, reefs with walls and soft coral.
Day 3: Suanggi.
- Offshore to Jackpot and Suanggi Reef, where schooling fish and sea snakes are common and hammerhead or thresher sharks are possible.
Day 4: Rhun.
- Dive Rhun Village and Pulau Ai in the Banda Islands.
Day 5: Hatta.
- Dive Hatta and Tanjung Buton, with steep drop-offs and soft corals.
Day 6: Rumah Kuning.
- Pohon Miring and Batu Kapal by day, then Mandarin City at dusk to watch mandarinfish court and spawn.
Day 7: Suanggi.
- A return to Jackpot for another chance at the pelagics.
Day 8: Ambon.
- Disembark in Ambon and transfer to the airport or your hotel.
Agencies
Agencies
- PADI
- SSI
- CMAS
- AIDA
- Apnea Academy
- Apnea Total
- FII
- Molchanovs
- PFI
- RAID
- NAUI
- SDI
- ADIP
Languages
Languages
- English
Meeting Point
Meeting Point
Important
Important
Requirements
- Certification: Advanced Open Water Diver, or an equivalent from another agency, is required.
- Age: You must be 16 or older.
- Recent experience: If you have not dived in the last 12 months, you must complete a refresher before the trip.
- Medical: You must complete a diver medical statement. Any ""yes"" answer requires a doctor's written clearance.
- Health: This trip is not suitable during pregnancy or for guests with conditions affecting breathing, circulation, or the nervous system, such as severe asthma, epilepsy, heart conditions, or recent major surgery.
- Nitrox: Included only for certified Nitrox divers. Nitrox is listed at USD 120 per trip in the optional extras, so confirm whether this applies to certified divers only or is an additional charge.
Mandatory fees (per person)
- Fuel surcharge: USD 200–500 per trip.
- National Park fees: USD 100 per trip.
Optional extras (per person)
- Gratuities: Amount not specified.
- Alcoholic beverages: Price not specified.
- Nitrox: USD 120 per trip.
-
Rental gear: Prices per day unless otherwise stated:
- 15L tank: USD 5
- BCD: USD 15
- Dive computer: USD 10
- Dive light: USD 5
- Fins: USD 5
Cancellations
Cancellations
Life happens so we keep cancellations simple. Enjoy free cancellation for 14 days from the time of booking or find an equally qualified suitable replacement up to 30 days prior to diving.
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