Liveaboard Diving in the Banda Sea is one of the most thrilling experiences you can have in Indonesia. It grants access to some of the most remote reefs of the archipelago, reachable only by boat. Discover the Banda Sea’s underwater marvels, where volcanic activity shapes stunning dive sites. From vibrant coral reefs to elusive hammerhead sharks or sea snakes colonies, experience Indonesia’s Ring of Fire like never before.
Our team charters a Pinisi boat on specific dates and creates a unique diving itinerary just for you. Divers book a cabin and share the boat with other guests. Our routes include numerous land excursions, providing an adventurous and immersive diving cruise experience. Our Expedition are led by our Banda Sea diving expert.
THE HAMMERHEADS EXPERIENCE
ALOR - AMBON | THE RING OF FIRE
29th Sept- 11th Oct 2025 | 5400 Euros / Person
Exploring the Banda Sea on a private diving cruise is an extraordinary experience. The Banda Sea offers unparalleled options for creating exclusive itineraries. It allows for off-the-beaten-path routes and access to the most remote islands in the archipelago. Our yacht charter specialist will design a personalized route tailored to your preferences. Upon request, we can assign a Konjo Leader to oversee the journey and provide expert insights into the destination.
Can’t join one of our Signature Expeditions or looking for a different type of cruise and boat? With our expertise, find another shared cruise that perfectly matches your budget, availability, and activities. Depending on your needs, we leverage our strong network of trusted partners to offer you various cruising options in Raja Ampat.
Upwellings are vertical water movements in the oceans where cold, nutrient-rich waters rise from the depths to the surface. In the Banda Sea, this phenomenon typically occurs when coastal winds in July and August push surface waters away from the shore, allowing deep waters to rise and replace them. These cold, nutrient-rich waters boost marine productivity, attracting a wealth of fish and other marine organisms, including large predators like hammerhead sharks.
October and November are the best months for Liveaboard Diving in the Banda Sea, as schools of hammerhead sharks migrate up from the depths and become visible to divers. Sea conditions begin to improve by late September. Thermoclines are typically around 25 meters deep, and water temperatures can drop to 25 degrees Celsius. October offers optimal conditions for diving with hammerhead sharks in Indonesia, with schools potentially numbering up to a hundred individuals. However, sightings are not guaranteed on every cruise. Have a look to our list of best dive sites at the bottom of this page.
There are two exceptional places in Indonesia: Gunung Api and Manuk, which annually attract videographers from BBC and National Geographic. These islands are home to unique sea snake colonies. If you’re lucky, you might witness their unique hunting scenes, where sea snakes flush out small fish from crevices, creating an opportunity for lurking trevallies. Although venomous, these sea snakes are not aggressive towards divers.
The Banda Sea continually delights wide-angle diving enthusiasts and hunting scene observers. You’ll encounter numerous schools of barracudas, bigeye trevallies, and snappers regularly. Dogtooth tunas and giant groupers patrol the blue, while schools of blue triggerfish and butterflyfish offer a mesmerizing dance to divers. Additionally, leopard moray eels are a common sighting in these waters.
Bandaneira Harbor is one of the best places in the world to observe mandarin fish. They are particularly abundant at sunset, where they gather to perform a stunning mating display in just three meters of water. It’s arguably one of the top locations globally to see these mesmerizing fish.
The Banda Sea is a migration and feeding ground for numerous marine mammals. Keep a sharp lookout on the horizon as you move away from the islands for a chance to spot whales surfacing. You may also see a pod of dolphins playing at the bow of your ship.
Unlike Raja Ampat or Komodo, there isn’t a specific site for manta ray diving in the Banda Sea. However, oceanic mantas are regularly observed at certain sites. While whale shark diving is not a specificity of the Banda Sea, sightings are still possible! We have previously encountered whale sharks, thresher sharks, and silvertip sharks in these waters.
For critter dive enthusiasts, make the most of your Banda Sea diving trip by stopping at one of Ambon’s dive resorts before or after your cruise. Some boats even offer muck diving days in Ambon Bay. Be sure that the departure is not from Tulehu (another homeport in Ambon island).
The Banda Sea is home to some of Indonesia’s premier dive sites. Explore breathtaking underwater landscapes, from Christmas Ridge to The Deep Plateau. Learn about each site’s unique features and marine inhabitants. These sites are richly adorned with magnificent gorgonians and massive barrel sponges. The underwater landscapes of the Banda Sea are truly breath-taking, captivating both divers and photographers who specialize in wide-angle shots.
Located in the south, Christmas Ridge is a stunning underwater ridge teeming with life. As an extension of a submerged reef, it is best dived by entering upstream of the current. Start on the west side of the reef, then follow it with the reef on your left to reach the end of the ridge, where all the action happens. Silvertip sharks are frequently observed here.
Start at the southeast tip of the island and keep the reef to your left. You’ll find a stunning wall here, featuring several pinnacles and exceptional soft coral quality. The island’s seismic activity creates gas that escapes from the seabed, enveloping you in a bubble field within the last 5 meters, along with a yellowish cloud associated with a sulfur source. A colony of sea snakes resides here, often accompanying divers during their dive. It’s quite an unusual spectacle.
This ridge plunges into the eastern depths of Manuk Island. As divers descend, they are greeted by the site’s richness, including schools of blue-spotted trevally, triggerfish, fusiliers, and barracudas. A reef hook might come in handy while waiting for the potential arrival of a school of hammerhead sharks.
This submerged horseshoe-shaped reef, isolated in the middle of the Banda Sea, attracts a rich array of marine life. Rising from the abyss, it is especially renowned for drawing schools of hammerhead sharks. Trevallies, groupers, and other predators mingle with schools of surgeonfish and fusiliers.
This plateau with its fish-rich walls is often bustling with schools of bigeye trevallies, barracudas, and red and black snappers. Keep an eye on the blue for sightings of dogtooth tuna and other pelagics. Shark Republik, located on Serua Island, has long been a favorite spot for liveaboard boats seeking schools of hammerhead sharks. However, it has recently been overshadowed by the more accessible Suanggi.
Located 3 hours from Bandaneira Port, Suanggi is a stunning rock formation. The Deep Plateau is the site where the highest number of hammerhead sharks have been observed in the past three years. Now very popular, it’s interesting to note that it wasn’t dived at all 4 or 5 years ago. There are still great discoveries to be made in Indonesia.
Get practical tips on reaching the Banda Sea, with details on flight options and cruise departure points.
To reach the Banda Sea, you’ll need to take one or more domestic flights from Jakarta (the most straightforward option) or Bali. Depending on the cruise you choose, there are several ports of departure with rather exotic names where boats can refuel.
Ambon is the most well-known departure point for Banda Sea cruises. Other departure or arrival points include Saumlaki, Kalabahi (Alor), Kaimana (Triton Bay), and Tual (Kei Islands), all of which have airports. These locations are served to varying degrees by local airlines.
November typically offers the best sailing conditions and the clearest visibility. However, shark action tends to occur at depths of around 50 meters, making them more difficult to spot. Therefore, if your primary goal is to see hammerhead sharks, it’s better to choose early October. For maximum enjoyment of the underwater scenery, opt for a cruise at the end of the season.
At the beginning of the season, the water temperature ranges between 24°C (75°F) and 26°C (79°F). By November, the Banda Sea warms up significantly, with temperatures ranging from 28°C (82°F) to 30°C (86°F).
Known as the “Ring of Fire,” the Banda Sea islands are entirely volcanic. Cruises navigate between these islands, which have risen at the junction of the Indo-Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates. Each sunrise reveals a new volcanic island, with its crater rising on the horizon.
Diving in the Banda Sea offers the opportunity to explore one of the deepest seas on the planet. With an average depth of around 5,000 meters, its deepest point reaches 7,400 meters. This oceanic basin is known as the Weber Basin.
THE HAMMERHEADS EXPERIENCE
ALOR - AMBON | THE RING OF FIRE
29th Sept- 11th Oct 2025 | 5400 Euros / Person
