Pindito Itinerary

Whale - Macro Cruise (AMQ) 11N

12 days / 11 nights

About Pindito

  • Sublime service with a nearly 1:1 crew to guest ratio
  • Outstanding facilities for divers, plus a dedicated camera room and support for rebreathers
  • Unique themed itineraries for citizen scientists and families with children
  • Smooth and stable sailing with a traditional Phinisi design

MV Pindito has been cruising Indonesia’s remote locations for over 25 years, pioneering much of the now-famous diving in Komodo, Raja Ampat, Banda Sea and Alor. The recently refurbished vessel features updated amenities inside and out, as well as professional diving facilities, a modern camera room and technical diving support. Choose from a stunning variety of scheduled itineraries or create your own custom charter. The Pindito offers some of Indonesia’s most exciting voyages, including citizen science-themed trips, family-friendly cruises, and other unique expeditions focused on whales, macro, and more!

Learn more about Pindito

Itinerary details

12 days / 11 nights
24
Open Water - Minimum 50 dives
Required

Highlights

  • Round trip focussing on the Banda Sea’s largest and smallest marine life
  • Dive the world-famous ‘muck’ sites of Ambon
  • Seek the elusive psychedelic frogfish - found only in Ambon Bay
  • Visit the pristine coral colonies of Nusa Laut
  • Track, monitor and learn about whales and dolphins
  • Search for hammerheads on current-swept dive sites in the Banda Sea
  • Explore the Banda Sea's swim-throughs and deep walls
  • Share a sunset dive with colourful, mating mandarinfish
  • Land visit to the former capital of the global spice trade, Banda Neira

The whale-macro trips are guided by Dr. Heike Vester, an ecologist specialising in social behaviour and bio-acoustics of marine animals. In addition to her constant visual watches from the upper deck, Heike also uses hydrophones to locate the whales and dolphins by picking up their unique sounds. 

The crew is organised into "observation teams" who also keep a sharp eye on the water surface for blows or other signs of whale activity, as some species can't be located by acoustics alone. Heike knows the areas that are preferred by these large marine mammals (including sperm, Bryde's and orcas or killer whales) and her long experience and trained eyes do the rest.

At the beginning of the journey, Heike Vester will present a special briefing to inform the guests about the process. When animals are sighted, Heike will give us detailed information about the species and the occurrence, its routines and hunting behaviour. Morning until noon will be planned for whales and dolphin tracking and monitoring. In the afternoon and evening, Pindito offers "normal" dives - if you can call diving here normal. As we deal with nature, this sequence might be reversed, i.e. diving in the morning, whale watching in the afternoon. 

Day 1:
The crew will pick you up at the airport in Ambon and transfer you to the vessel for boarding. After a refreshing welcome drink, we will prepare all our dive gear and start our cruise.

Day 2-11: 
Diving in Ambon, Nusa Laut, Suanggi, Manuk, Serua, Pulau Hatta and Banda Neira.

Dive 1: Early morning (around 7:30 AM)
Dive 2: Late morning
Dive 3: Afternoon (around 2:30 PM)
Dive 4: After dinner – an exciting dusk or nighttime dive

Day 12: 
Disembark in Ambon and transfer to the airport or hotel.

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

Transfer details

Departure

06:00pm

Ambon

Pattimura Airport: AMQ

Return

07:00am

Ambon

Pattimura Airport: AMQ

Choose your trip