Diving in Banda Islands

Liveaboard cruises in the Banda Sea

Set in the heart of Indonesia is a stretch of water called the Banda Sea, whose rich waters hold the promise of some of the best diving you are ever likely to experience. In the days of yore, travellers would come here for the spice trade. Nowadays more and more people are discovering the value of the life beneath the surface.

While big fish and pelagics might be the most obvious draw card for the area, its true value is in the extraordinary variety and sheer volume of life, both in terms of large and small marine life. You can expect reefs bursting with life, enormous sponges, fans and soft corals, and more fish than your mask can cope with.

If you have been to Banda Islands before then you will be planning to return already. If you have not, then now is the time to experience the splendour of the Banda Sea before the word spreads ...

Highlights

Everyone likes different things, and while a whale shark might be heaven to you, your buddy could be more keen on spotting pygmy seahorses. However, the beauty of Banda is that there is such a wide range of creatures that most divers will be delighted with their underwater encounters. Even the most world-weary diver will be in raptures at the sheer density of marine life. To illustrate what diving in the Banda Islands has to offer, we afford special mention to ...

Karang Hatta - be mesmerised by flashing, yellow clouds of never-ending schools of fusiliers, and watch out for eagle rays, barracuda, tuna and scalloped hammerheads. Check out sponges so huge you won't believe your eyes, and enjoy the vast variety of life including turtles, mobula rays, trevally and more in this rich and diverse spot.

Batu Kapal - unique in the Banda Islands area with its series of pinnacles, this site features towering barrel sponges and awe-inspiringly huge gorgonian fans, as well as colourful fields of tunicates and soft corals. Add to this the big pelagics, potato cod, barracuda and grey reef sharks near the pinnacles' bases and the myriad little reef dwellers in the shallows, and you begin to see why this site is among the favourites of those lucky enough to be diving the Banda Sea.

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How to Dive Banda

The Banda Sea is vast, and to experience the widest variety of dive sites in the region we recommend you hop onto a liveaboard.

Pindito - award-winning schooner offering comfort and quality. Dive Banda in style!

Seven Seas - see the best of the Banda Islands from this impressive and well-run liveaboard.

Bidadari - long running Indonesian liveaboard with a reputation for a great atmosphere.

Diving Season

The amazing dive sites of the Banda Sea are best visited in March and April and during the September to December period. The weather is a little inconsistent outside of these times.

Reef Summary

Great for: Large animals, small animals, visibility, underwater photography, wall dives, reef life and health, and advanced divers
Not so great for: Diving for beginners
Depth: 5 - >40m
Visibility: 15 - 30m
Currents: Gentle, but can be strong
Surface Conditions: Calm
Water Temperature: 26 - 29°C
Experience Level: Intermediate - advanced
Number of dive sites: ~25 (plus ~30 more in the greater Lucipara and Ambon/Seram/Nusa Laut region)
Access: Banda liveaboards
Recommended length of stay: 1 - 2 weeks

Dive Site Descriptions

For more details on the Banda Islands dive sites:

• Banda Islands tourist information

View a map of:
• Banda Islands  -  Indonesia

• Scuba diving vacation enquiries

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