Banda Sea
This journey cruises through a wide range of geological landscapes and formations of Indonesia, from volcanic islands to limestone pinnacles developed from ancient coral reefs. As we cruise along the natural migratory paths and playgrounds of marine mammals such as whales and dolphins, this trip is guaranteed to provide amazing diversity and beauty both above and below the water. The Banda Sea is blessed with some of the finest diving in the country. Banda Islands Banda had an important place in Indonesian and world history. Dominated by a 2.000 feet active volcano, for more than three hundred years these tiny islands were the centre of wealth for the Dutch colonies. They were the only source of the rare spices of nutmeg and mace for centuries and the Dutch, after capturing them from the Portuguese, guarded them jealously from all comers including the English. For centuries, a kilo of these spices held more value than the same weight in gold. The old fort, the governor's house, the church, nutmeg plantations, are well worth visit and bring us back to colonial era. Let's not forget the diving, both Pulau Run and Pulau Ai have pristine clear waters, lovely walls and good fish life, we might go a bit deeper in search of more hammerheads, big fish can be seen here as well, napoleons, schools of black snappers, bumpheads, etc. The outer reefs of Bandaneira are full of marine fauna of all colors and shapes. Schooling fish gather and the macro life is rich. A really unique area is the dive under the pier of Bandaneira. The size of the mandarin fish are just out of this world and if you are looking for other critters, cockatoo wasp fish, flying gurnards, frog fish, juvenile barramundis, juvenile emperor angle fish, juvenile sweetlips. Of course diving is our main focus and the dive site Lava Flow is not to be missed. Twenty years ago Gunung Api erupted and the lava poured into the ocean and in the short time since a hard coral garden grew which is unrivalled in the world. Table corals are over 5m width, staghorn corals as far as the eye can see and even endemic species found nowhere else is just a sample of what you can see here. Gunung Api It’s a volcano that’s summit breaks the sea’s surface by 800 feet yet which has its base on the seabed some 13.000 feet below. The island created by the volcano is 120 miles from the next nearest landfall and is therefore home to the reef fish that populate its steep drop offs and walls, occasional visiting pelagics, and extraordinarily an uncountable population of banded and olive sea snakes. These marine reptiles have found a sanctuary here among the warm volcanic vents and reef fish that live in the area. It is truly a unique spot that never ceases to amaze divers. In some shots there are over thirty snakes in the frame and they make inquisitive yet docile subjects. Lucipara In the north of Gunung Api is a remote archipelagic atoll named Lucipara. These atolls are also surrounded by a seafloor that is 3.000 feet below and consisting of three large islands and a few tiny reefs that just break the surface. The islands offer vertical walls and visibility of over 120 feet with very mild currents. They are also home to a population of the large sponges. Some barrel sponges can swallow a diver in their orifice without difficulty. Wetar The west coast of Wetar boasts amazing dive sites with drop-offs, colorful reefs and abundant fish life. Here there is a good chance to see some pelagics. Mind your depth as you swim over the edge in deep blue water as we are many miles away from civilization! Along the north coast we have regular sightings of dolphins and whales, often just a few meters away from the dive site!
