Banda Sea Transit Trips
Banda Sea transit trips reposition liveaboards between Indonesia's major diving regions, combining the historic Spice Islands with world-class diving. Routes include Raja Ampat through the Banda Sea to Ambon, Banda Islands and Flores, and Komodo to Alor via the Banda Sea. Diving highlights may include schooling hammerheads, mobula rays, Napoleon wrasse, dog-toothed tuna, plus the critter haven of Ambon and the remote atolls of Lucipara, Serua and Manuk. Shore visits to old Dutch forts add historical interest to each cruise.
Trips are typically scheduled for April/May and October/November, timed to coincide with seasonal changes in climate and sea conditions. The Banda Islands themselves are best dived in March, April, and September to December when seas are calmer.
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Banda Sea Transit Trips]
Forgotten Islands Transit Trips
The Forgotten Islands, also known as the Southeast Moluccas, stretch across the eastern Banda Sea from Wetar to Tanimbar, and see very few liveaboards, making this one of Indonesia's most exploratory regions. Transit trips here combine these remote islands with other world-class destinations such as Alor, Raja Ampat, Triton Bay, and the Banda Sea. Diving includes drop-offs, reef flats and pinnacles, often with excellent visibility. Marine life reflects the region's position between the Banda Sea and the Arafura Sea, with hammerhead sharks sometimes sighted between September and November, plus whale sharks, bumphead parrotfish, and large schools of trevally and barracuda.
Trips are scheduled once or twice per year, timed to coincide with seasonal changes in climate and sea conditions, typically April/May and October/November. The best window for hammerhead sightings in the Forgotten Islands is September to November.
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Forgotten Islands Transit Trips]
Halmahera Transit Trips
Halmahera, the largest island in the Maluku Islands, remains one of Indonesia's least-visited dive regions. Sitting between Raja Ampat and Sulawesi, it is a natural inclusion on transit routes between these 2 major destinations, with most trips continuing to the Lembeh Strait. Diving here is varied, with reefs, walls and critter-rich muck sites all possible within a single itinerary. Species range from pygmy seahorses and frogfish to reef sharks and schooling fish, and the relative lack of dive pressure means the reefs are in strong condition. For divers who have already visited Raja Ampat and Komodo, Halmahera offers a genuine sense of exploration in waters that are still being documented.
Trips on this route are less seasonal and there are usually options in most months with good forward planning.
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Halmahera Transit Trips]
