Liveaboard Diving in Indonesia

Scuba diving in the Komodo Islands is something that should be on every diver's bucket list. Unique biodiversity and exciting, colourful & diverse dive sites are on offer, plus of course trekking to see the world-famous Komodo Dragons. Not really suitable for new or novice divers, due to currents, but if you're advanced with some experience, you will never forget your Komodo liveaboard diving safari.

Ambon is among the best places in the world for muck diving, in particular to see species which exist nowhere else on earth. It's not all much diving, but the muck diving at Ambon is so good, so varied and the area so large, that it makes sense to enjoy as much as you can while there. There are healthy reefs at Ambon that attract large pelagic species, and even a wreck, but the main draw is truly world-class muck diving, mainly in Ambon Bay, which is huge and very deep.

Maumere is a town on the island of Flores, East Nusa Tenggara. It's located on the northern coast of the island, along the eastern peninsula. It has recently become very popular for scuba diving. There are approximately 30 separate dive sites around the bay of Maumere, the large island of Kodia and the surrounding smaller islands. The dive sites nearer to the 'main island' of Flores island are excellent for 'muck diving' with reduced visibility and shallower depths but made up for with a vast range of marine life. Away from the main island and around the smaller islands the dive sites are deeper and have better visibility. The reefs have plenty of health corals, which attract passing pelagic species and are home to reef fish, invertebrates and marine reptiles. The surrounding seas are incredibly deep in places, and this means that there are some excellent drop-offs in places.

Alor is a remote island in south-central Indonesia. It is 80km wide and 20km from north to south. Diving at Alor can be done from a few dive resorts which run day trips, single-dive trips and offer shore diving. In addition, several Indonesian liveaboard cruises stop off at Alor to visit the more than twenty world-class dive sites. Most of the best diving at Alor takes place at the island’s west side, which also has shelter and protection from any unpleasant seasonal weather conditions.

Raja Ampat is a vast area of north-eastern Indonesia that offers some of the best diving in the world. Its remote location, sparsely-populated islands, and the currents from the deepwater of the three surrounding oceans all make for the most diverse marine life on the planet.

Banda is used to refer to Banda Island and the Banda Sea in general. Banda Islands is one of what were once known as The Spice Islands, which were extremely important in Euro-Asian trade in past centuries. The area is vast, and the surrounding Banda Sea very deep and rich in nutrients. It's also home to many unique and endemic species of all shapes and sizes. Due to the size and location, it's impossible to ever be at a busy dive site. All kinds of tropical diving experiences are on offer in The Banda Sea.

The Forgotten Islands are a 1,000km.-long chain of islands on the southeast perimeter of the Banda Sea and the northwest edge of The Arafura Sea. Officially known as The South-East Moluku Islands / Moluccas or Maluku Tenggara, the chain of islands stretches from Timor in its southwest to West Papua in its north. Largely unexplored or exploited by humans, this vast area is full of virgin reefs.

Cenderawasih Bay in the north of Papua is famous for being the best place in the world to guarantee diving and snorkelling with several Whale Sharks at the same time. But the bay is not just about these majestic giants. There are plenty of WWII wrecks and lots of other exciting marine life. Visit from July to October for the best conditions.

Lembeh is an island very close to Sulawesi's northernmost peninsula. The narrow channel between Lembeh & Sulawesi is known as Lembeh Strait. This is considered by many as the best place in the world for muck diving. Nutrient-rich water and black volcanic sand enables many species to flourish. Some species here are found nowhere else on earth.

Bali is in the heart of southern Indonesia and a world-famous tropical holiday island. Scuba diving is a very popular activity there for complete novices up to daring professionals. There are lots of dive sites around the island, including reefs, wrecks and muck diving. You can go to Bali for diving all year round, but the weather & sea is not as nice from December to March.

Misool is one of The Four Kings that makes up Raja Ampat. It's the second-largest & southernmost of the four islands and located 70km southwest from The Bird's Head Peninsula. During the diving season Misool offers the very best diving in Raja Ampat, and possibly the world. The island has no major towns or large roads. The natural environment, both above and below the water's surface, is arguably the most unspoilt and special in the world.

Lombok is a large island just east of Bali. Although the same size as Bali and having an ineternational airport (LOP), it receives far fewer tourists than its world-famous neighbour. There are plenty of wonderful places to dive around Lombok, and the most popular are around the Gili Islands in the northwest. However, there are other great dive spots around Lombok, and some are very exciting and challenging.