Ambai Itinerary

Raja Ampat, Banda Sea and Triton Bay (SOQ - KNG) 12N

Day 1: Our staff will welcome you at your arrival at Sorong airport or will pick you up from your hotel if you are already in Sorong. A short ride (20 minutes) will transfer you to the boat. Welcome drink. Departure to the Dampier strait as soon as clearance documents are ready: most probably around 14:00.

Day 2: Dampier Strait, a channel with sloping sides covered with soft corals and life-then with a reliable manta ray congregation at Manta Sandy. Chicken Reef and Sardine Reef. Cape Kri, one of the largest concentrations of big fish on the northern Raja Ampat; schools of trevally, barracudas, bannerfish, sweetlips. Night dive. 

Day 3: Penemu: great aggregations of fishes (barracudas, fusiliers and bannerfish), Galaxy, a great reef with excellent fish life, an excellent site for its hard corals. Land excursion for a fantastic view point at "Little Wayag". Overnight Navigation to Misool.

Day 4: In east Misool you will discover 3 fantastic dives: No Contest, Love potion, 3 Rocks. Rocks with vertical walls and fantastic coverage of soft corals, lots of fishes with schools of Platax, aggregations of snappers, bump head parrotfishes. We spend the night in the hidden lagoon, a very special anchorage inside an almost closed bay surrounded by high rocks. From the boat, we can hear and see the cachants before the night falls. We will go with the dinghies to have a look at another lagoon. 

Day 5: After a short morning navigation, we will go southeast and start another day of diving in the vicinity of Misool eco-resort: Boo Rocks with 2 large openings in the rock that completely pierce the island from the surface to 5 metres deep, Fiabacet, Fantasea. Again an explosion of colours and fish density. In the evening, we organise a dinner on the beach of a small island. 

Day 6: Today we will dive around east Misool at sites such as Yellit Kecil and Nudi rock. Overnight navigation to Koon.

Day 7: Enjoy 3 dives around Koon - a very fishy spot with giant groupers, schools of batfish, schools of jacks, and possibly hammerheads. 

Day 8: Our next step is the Banda Islands. In the centre of the Banda Sea, those islands have been at the centre of the spice trade and war in the 16th century. The diving around those islands is very good. One of the highlights is a dive along the lava flow of the “Gunung Api” (the fire mountain); the last eruption was in 1988 and we can see how the corals and huge sponges did grow back since then. We will do a land visit to Banda Neira in the afternoon, visiting the village, the museum and the fort.

Day 9: Take part in 3 dives on Manuk, where the signs of volcanic activity are clearly visible underwater. We have seen hammerhead sharks a few times here, but the highlight of the dives are the abundant sea snakes that are everywhere. Night dive.

Day 10: At Momon we will undertake a land excursion in the jungle looking for tree kangaroos. On the way back, we will bath in a waterfall falling right into the sea. 2 dives in this area which is pretty good for critters, a night dive. Night navigation Triton Bay.

Days 11-12: Make the most of 9 dives in Triton Bay, including at least one night dive. Black coral forests, groups of sweetlips everywhere, lots of groupers and other fishes, amazing soft corals up to the surface, impressive critters. Diving with whale sharks near the fishing platforms (Bagan). Optional short excursion with the dinghies in the early morning to see the incredible beaches, lagoons, and birds of the area.

Day 13: Traditional photos with the crew before farewell. Disembarkation after breakfast. Transfer to Kaimana airport. Looking forward to having you back on our board soon!

Sample itineraries are for guidance only. Actual itineraries may differ slightly due to factors such as weather, wildlife, logistics and local regulations.