Banda Islands / BANDA SEA

Ambon

Ambon is probably one of Indonesia's best kept secrets for macro lovers. Some of the highlight encounters may be Psychedelic, Giant and Painted frogfish, Flamboyant cuttlefish, Rhinopias, Psychedelic Batwing nudibranch and countless well-disguised crabs and shrimps.

• Ambon Bay -

  Critters, Muck Diving, famous Psychedelic Ambon Frogfish

  
  

• Ambon Wreck -

  The wreck of the SS Aquila (built as SS Duke of Sparta) lies on a slope with her stern at about 45 feet below the surface, with the bow lying at more than 100 feet. At the end of April 1958, Aquila was anchored off Ambon City when a Douglas B-26 Invader bomber aircraft bombed and damaged her. She stayed afloat for a month but finally sank on May 27, 1958. The wreck is deep inside Ambon Bay and close to the city so the visibility can be pretty poor. It is covered in soft corals and sponges and attracts a good deal of fish life.

Banda Islands

Set in the heart of Indonesia in splendid isolation are the Banda Islands, which have a rich and important history. These islands are blessed with some of the finest scuba diving in Indonesia.

• Pohon Miring -

  The impressive rock structure of Pohon Miring is located on the northern tip of Banda Besar. A deep swim-through has been created by a large crack in the reef – ideal for a picturesque drift dive to view the sponge-covered walls. Southern and northern currents meet here, attracting a host of different fish including bump-head parrotfish.

• Batu Kapal -

  Batu Kapal, which means 'Ship Rock' in Indonesian, has a plateau top reef full of soft coral, that slopes down to a sandy bottom from around 20m. A pleasant drift dive that lets you enjoy schooling jacks, trevallies, snappers, fusiliers, barracuda and sweet lips.

  
  

• Batu Kapal Pinnacle -

  Batu Kapal Pinnacle is a rock sticking out above the water. The dive site is a vast plateau at about 5 meters that has beautiful corals and sea fans, and two more pinnacles at 12 and 15 meters. There can be strong currents around here so keep your eyes open for the bigger pelagics in the blue.

• Banda Neira Jetty -

  Located at the pier of the Banda Neira airport, this dive site offer a shelter for many juvenile fish. Covered with sponges and soft coral, the columns welcome schools of small fish, juvenile batfish, and many small critters like moery eel, lion fishs, nudis and sometimes Rhinopias.

• Lava Flow -

  Gunung Api is a small volcanic island located to the west of Banda Neira and is another “highlight” of the Banda Sea. During the last eruption of the volcano in 1988, lava flows destroyed the reef. But since then the regeneration of the hard coral reef on top of the solid lava platform has been phenomenal. Large schools of fish cover the reef including snapper, fusilier, butterflyfish and batfish.

• Ai Island -

  An isolated limestone island surrounded by deep water, Pulau Ai is on the western side of Banda Neira group of Islands. Attracted by the strong currents hitting the islands reef, large Pelagic such as Barracuda, trevally and tuna all school here. Look out into the blue as you never know when there might be schooling hammerheads, thresher sharks and silvertip sharks. 

  
  

• Run Island

Ambon Port

Nil Desperandum

Nil Desperandum, which when translated means “don’t despair”, possibly refers to the ship that was wrecked here centuries ago. A big atoll with a very steep drop off, schooling sharks including hammerheads, silky and gray reef sharks can be spotted in the deep.

Manuk Island

The island of Manuk possesses two very exceptional highlights, both above and below the water. Myriads of beautiful seabirds, including frigates and boobies, glide overhead, looking to take advantage of Manuk’s rich sea-life. Below the shoreline, however, large numbers of sea snakes can be found undulating through the waters. It is believed that the geothermal vents present in these waters attract the cold-blooded serpents in droves. In addition to these distinct natural marvels, the island’s reefs are a stunning combination of coral covered walls and slopes in all sizes and colors. Outstanding arrays of reef fish congregate on the reef, including tuna, jacks, and sharks.