Sep 20 – Oct 2, 2026

Day 1 - SORONG, EMBARKATION (1 check dive)

Guests are welcomed aboard KLM Mari at Sorong harbour following a short transfer from the airport or hotel. After a full safety briefing and cabin orientation, Mari sets course south toward Misool.Dive sites:Matam — Check dive. A gentle reef slope offering excellent visibility, healthy coral formations and abundant reef fish. An ideal setting to fine-tune equipment and buoyancy before the expedition begins in earnest. Hawksbill turtles, schools of fusiliers and sweetlips are common sightings.Mari departs on her overnight crossing toward northern Misool.

Day 2- NORTHERN MISOOL — BOO & BEYOND (4 dives)

Entering Misool from the north, Mari arrives at some of the archipelago's most iconic reef structures. Four dives to make the most of the extraordinary diversity on offer as the expedition opens in earnest. Dive sites: Boo Windows — One of Raja Ampat's most photographed dive sites. Natural limestone "windows" carved through the island frame a reef of swim-throughs, overhangs and coral-covered ridges blanketed in soft corals and sea fans, with clouds of anthias throughout. Boo West — A continuation of the Boo reef system with vibrant hard and soft corals, turtles, schooling fish and regular reef shark sightings. The interplay of light through limestone formations creates exceptional underwater scenery. Romeo — A colorful ridge of sea fans and soft corals with anthias swarming above the reef and schools of fusiliers streaming through the current. Dunia Kecil — A compact rock on the western side of the Wayil Channel, small enough to circumnavigate in a single dive. The top section is filled with wonderful soft corals while the walls are covered in large sea fans, home to several species of pygmy seahorse.

Day 3 - FIABACET & TOMOLOL (3 dives + night dive + cultural visit)

Dive sites: Fiabacet — Multiple coral-covered pinnacles rising from deep water and attracting immense schools of fusiliers, jacks and snappers. Reef sharks are frequently encountered hunting in the currents. Often considered among the finest dive sites in Raja Ampat. Tank Rock — A dramatic reef structure known for both fish action and exceptional coral growth. Barracuda, trevallies and surgeonfish gather around the site's exposed sections. Whale Rock — Steep walls, overhangs and flourishing coral gardens. Napoleon wrasse, turtles and reef sharks are common visitors. Nudi Rock — Night dive. Octopus, crustaceans, flatworms and walking sharks become active across the reef after dark. Guests visit the ancient rock paintings of Tomolol in the afternoon — cultural markings believed to have been created centuries ago by the region's earliest inhabitants, set among towering limestone cliffs and narrow waterways.

Day 4 - FARONDI (3 dives + afternoon lagoon excursion)

The dramatic limestone landscapes of Farondi reveal another side of Misool. Above the surface, towering karst cliffs conceal hidden lagoons and narrow waterways. Below, ancient geological formations create some of Raja Ampat's most singular dive sites. Dive sites: Goa Farondi — A dive through caverns, tunnels and natural swim-throughs carved into limestone. Sunlight filtering through rock openings creates an extraordinary atmosphere for photography. Farondi Wall — A vertical reef wall covered in sea fans, black corals and soft corals, with excellent opportunities for pygmy seahorses, leaf scorpionfish and other cryptic species. Nudi Rock — One of Misool's premier macro sites, supporting a remarkable diversity of nudibranchs and small marine creatures alongside healthy coral growth and schooling reef fish. Afternoon excursion through Farondi's hidden lagoons and limestone caves by tender.

Day 5 - THE HEART OF MISOOL (3 dives + night dive)

The reefs that have made Misool famous worldwide. Nutrient-rich waters attract everything from sought-after macro subjects to manta rays and large pelagic fish. Dive sites: Magic Mountain — Misool's most iconic dive site. A submerged seamount that functions as a cleaning station for both reef and oceanic manta rays, with multiple individuals frequently encountered circling above the reef. Barracuda, giant trevallies and tuna cruise the surrounding blue water. Four Kings — A collection of submerged pinnacles covered in soft corals and sea fans. Converging currents create ideal conditions for large schools of fusiliers, snappers and surgeonfish, with reef sharks as regular visitors. Warna Berwarna — Meaning "many colours," this site offers one of Misool's most concentrated displays of coral diversity. Brilliant soft corals in pink, orange and purple blanket the reef above a dense community of reef fish. Harapan Jetty — Night dive. A macro-rich jetty dive where patient observers may discover bobtail squid, pipefish, juvenile reef fish and crustaceans.

Day 6 - DARAM ISLANDS, SOUTHERN MISOOL (3 dives)

Our final day in Misool explores the Daram reefs — among the most pristine and least-visited in the archipelago, a fitting finale before Mari turns east toward the open ocean. Dive sites: Andiamo — A series of coral-covered ridges draped in soft corals and sea fans. Currents attract large schools of fusiliers and snappers, with reef sharks regularly patrolling the deeper water beyond the reef edge. Candy Store — Strong currents deliver nutrient-rich water supporting dense schools of barracuda, giant trevallies and tuna above a reef blanketed in vibrant soft corals. Yillet Kecil — A well-balanced reef system of coral bommies and hard coral gardens with sheltered sections ideal for photography. Macro subjects including pygmy seahorses, nudibranchs and cryptic reef creatures are well represented. Mari departs at approximately 11:30 on her overnight crossing toward Koon Island, across the open Seram Sea.

Day 7 - PULAU KOON (3 dives)

After an overnight crossing of the Seram Sea, Mari arrives at Koon Island by early morning. Koon is a small island off the southeastern tip of Seram — neither Banda nor Raja Ampat, as divers who know it well say — a natural aggregation point where tidal currents concentrate extraordinary fish biomass at the island's eastern tip. It is the bridge between the coral gardens of Misool and the open volcanic waters of the Banda Sea. Dive sites: Too Many Fish — The site's name is a statement of fact. A fast tidal current sweeps across a coral-covered slope and concentrates vast schools of fusiliers, surgeonfish, snapper and batfish in numbers that are difficult to process. Giant trevallies, dogtooth tuna and reef sharks hunt actively through the schools. A resident school of over 150 batfish shelters in the calm inshore shallows. Leopard sharks rest in overhangs along the northern wall. Macro life — hairy shrimp, pygmy seahorses, robust ghost pipefish — fills every quiet corner. Few dive sites anywhere deliver this range in one location. Mari departs overnight toward Banda Neira.

Day 8 - BANDA NEIRA & GUNUNG API (2 dives + land excursion + mandarinfish dusk dive)

The Banda Islands are among the most historically charged places in Indonesia. Once the world's only source of nutmeg, these tiny volcanic islands were fought over by European colonial powers for two centuries — the Dutch, British and Portuguese all vying for control of a spice trade that shaped the modern world. Today the Banda Islands have returned to their quiet volcanic beauty, and the diving is extraordinary. Gunung Api, the active volcano that dominates the harbor of Banda Neira, last erupted in 1988. Its lava flows, reclaimed by reef over three decades, have produced some of the most pristine hard coral growth in the Banda Sea — a remarkable example of nature's resilience. Dive sites: Lava Flow — Gunung Api's 1988 eruption sent rivers of molten rock into the sea, destroying the reef entirely. What has grown back over the past three decades is astonishing: a mosaic of delicate table corals, hard coral gardens and dense reef fish life on a volcanic slope unlike anything else in Indonesia. Schools of fusiliers and surgeonfish swarm across the new reef while reef sharks patrol the deeper sections. Land excursion: In the afternoon, guests come ashore at Banda Neira for a walking tour of one of Indonesia's most fascinating islands. Fort Belgica, a well-preserved 17th-century Dutch fortress perched above the harbor, offers sweeping views of the volcano and the archipelago. The tour continues through colonial-era streets to the maritime museum, where the history of the nutmeg trade is laid out in extraordinary detail, and through working nutmeg plantations still cultivated using techniques unchanged in centuries. The afternoon concludes at the jetty bar — one of the quieter pleasures of the Banda Islands, watching the harbor from the water's edge with Gunung Api as backdrop. Mandarinfish — Dusk dive at 17:00 along the Banda Neira harbor walls. Each evening as the light fades, mandarinfish emerge briefly from the coral rubble to perform their vivid, fleeting mating display — an encounter as intimate and memorable as any in the Banda Sea, and a compelling counterpoint to the day's wide-angle diving.

Day 9 - HATTA & KARANG HATTA (3 dives)

Hatta Island lies in the outer arc of the Banda group, flanked by the 6,000m-deep Banda Trench. The open-ocean character of the diving here is distinct from the volcanic inner islands — deep walls, pristine coral plateaus swept by productive currents, and the ever-present possibility of hammerhead sharks cruising in from the deep. Dive sites: Karang Hatta — A coral plateau just off Hatta Island, quietly protected from fishing for decades and showing it. Sweeping curtains of red-toothed triggerfish and schools of fusiliers pack the reef in numbers that rival the best fish-density diving in the region. Young silky sharks, Napoleon wrasse and solitary hammerheads regularly patrol the outer edge. An outstanding wide-angle dive from a reef that rewards those who look carefully at both the spectacle above and the macro life below. Hatta Wall — A deep wall along the island's outer face drops into the Banda Trench with barrel sponges, large gorgonian sea fans and dense reef fish life covering the upper sections. The proximity of deep water makes pelagic encounters a reliable feature — hammerheads, eagle rays and occasional thresher sharks have all been documented here on productive dives. The outer reef of Pulau Ai.)

Day 10 - SUANGGI (3 dives)

Suanggi is a small, uninhabited rocky outcrop rising from the open Banda Sea, its sheer walls plunging into the abyss and its position in the open ocean making it one of the most reliably spectacular pelagic diving destinations in Indonesia. The currents that sweep past Suanggi carry nutrient-rich water from the deep Banda Sea — and with it, the fish and sharks that define this diving. During the peak season from September to November, schooling scalloped hammerhead sharks are the defining encounter, arriving in numbers from the deep to cruise the current-swept walls. Outside peak season, the pelagic action — barracuda, mobula rays, trevallies, dogtooth tuna — remains exceptional.Dive sites:Suanggi North Wall — Drop in on the up-current side and drift along the wall, keeping one eye on the reef and the other trained on the blue water beyond. Large schools of blackfin barracuda form shimmering vortexes while giant trevallies and dogtooth tuna patrol the edges. Schooling hammerheads cruise past in the deeper water during favorable conditions, with squadrons of mobula rays an additional highlight on productive days.Suanggi Plateau — A submerged plateau on the island's sheltered side where the current eases and the reef reveals a different character — coral bommies, large gorgonian fans and an abundance of reef fish moving in calmer water. An ideal second dive after the adrenaline of the north wall.Suanggi South Point — The southern tip of the island where two current streams converge, creating a focal point for pelagic life. Barracuda, jacks and tuna gather at the convergence while the wall below offers excellent coral growth and the possibility of additional hammerhead sightings from a different angle.Mari departs overnight toward Nusa Laut.

Day 11 - NUSA LAUT (3 dives)

Nusa Laut is a small island east of Ambon whose diving stands as one of the most compelling arguments for community-led marine conservation in Indonesia. Decades of strict local protection have produced reef health and fish biomass that grow visibly year on year — an inspiring contrast to the open-ocean pelagic drama of the previous days, and a fitting final chapter before the crossing to Ambon. Dive sites: Akon — A wall and slope dive on Nusa Laut's southern shore. Schools of jacks move in sweeping formations above excellent hard coral coverage, with reef sharks patrolling the deeper sections and a variety of reef fish in numbers that speak directly to the effectiveness of the community's no-take protection. Ameth — The reef system on Nusa Laut's southeastern coast combines clean walls, healthy hard and soft corals and a relaxed character distinct from the island's more current-exposed sites. Turtles are regular visitors and macro life rewards patient divers who slow down between the schooling fish. Nusa Laut East Wall — A less-visited aspect of the island facing the open Seram Sea, where the wall drops steeply into blue water and occasional pelagics — tuna, eagle rays and lone hammerheads — pass through on the current. A reminder, on the final dive day before Ambon, of the oceanic scale of this crossing. Mari departs in the late afternoon on her final crossing toward Ambon, arriving in the early hours of the morning.

Day 12 - AMBON BAY (2 dives)

Ambon Bay is one of the finest muck diving destinations in Asia — second only to Lembeh among Indonesia's critter-hunting grounds. The black sand slopes and rubble fields of Laha on the bay's northern shore are home to an astonishing cast of rare and cryptic creatures, including the psychedelic frogfish found nowhere else on Earth. After the wide-angle spectacle of the Banda Sea, Ambon offers a compelling final chapter: slow down, look carefully, and discover a different kind of extraordinary. Dive sites: Laha — The signature muck diving site of Ambon Bay. Black sand slopes and rubble fields teem with macro subjects that reward patient, unhurried diving. Ambon scorpionfish, frogfish in multiple species, ghost pipefish, thorny seahorses and nudibranchs are common sightings. The endemic psychedelic frogfish — first described to science from this exact location — is the site's most celebrated resident. Rhino City — Named after the Rhinopias scorpionfish that make this site famous. A sandy slope west of Laha hosting an enormous variety of critters. Red, lacy and the rare green Rhinopias have all been documented here, often in the same dive. Consistently saved by local guides as the highlight of the Ambon sequence and a fitting final dive for any expedition crossing that began in the coral gardens of Misool. Following the dives, Mari returns to the Ambon harbour for the final night aboard.

Day 13 - DISEMBARKATION AMBON

Following breakfast, guests disembark in Ambon at the conclusion of one of Indonesia's great maritime crossings — from the legendary soft coral reefs of Misool, through the extraordinary fish aggregations of Koon, into the volcanic drama and Spice Islands history of the Banda Islands, and finally into the world-class critter diving of Ambon Bay. Please prepare to leave the boat between approximately 06:00 and 12:00, depending on your onward travel schedule. Complimentary transfers are provided to Pattimura Airport.

Please note that the above itinerary is provided as a sample outline only. It is intended to illustrate the type of experience and dive sites typically explored during this expedition. Actual routing, dive selection, and daily activities may vary from cruise to cruise. The Captain and Cruise Director will adapt the itinerary at their discretion in response to weather and sea conditions, tides and currents, regulatory requirements, national park directives, local community considerations, and — above all — to ensure the safety, comfort, and optimal experience of our guests.