Ambon to Sorong via Seram, Misool & Kri

An amazing liveaboard scuba diving adventure from the spice island of Ambon through Indonesia's remote Eastern archipelago to Irian Jaya offering an amazing array of unique dive sites and land based adventures. This is an eleven night cruise departing from the port of Ambon to Sorong (Irian Jaya) visiting North Seram, East and West Misool, Wayag and Kri islands.

Detailed daily itinerary for Ambon to Sorong via North Seram, Misool & Kri, eleven nights. Please note that this itinerary is subject to change depending on local weather and diving conditions and that all times are approximate.

---

Day One: Arrival & Boarding

Kararu dive masters will meet you at the airport and escort you to the ship for immediate boarding. Cabin allocation and ship orientation will take place before departure at 3:00 PM. Take this opportunity to familiarize yourselves with the vessel, set up your equipment, and make yourself comfortable while sailing towards our first destination.

Laha, Ambon: Ambon’s reputation as a tourist destination was marred slightly in the 90’s due to fighting between religious groups. With status quo now returned, Ambon has returned to the top of must-do dive destinations. Situated just inside the entrance to Ambon’s giant natural harbor, Laha is a muck diver’s dream-come-true. The macro species list here is off the charts. On one dive it is possible to see multiple species of frogfish, ribbon eels, seahorses, blue-ring octopus, flamboyant cuttlefish, mandarin fish, nudibranchs of every shape and size, juvenile batfish, and cuttlefish.

Day Two: North Seram Island

Famed for its’ mystical inland warriors, Seram Island lies largely untouched by divers and tourism in general. This combination makes for some excellent diving. Exceedingly good reef dives, marine life treasures such as pipe fish and several other colorful gems can be expected in this region.

Days Three, Four & Five: West Misool (Blue-Water-Mangroves)

The Blue Water Mangroves are actually a collection of six mangrove clad islands that sit so close to each other as to make large “salt rivers” that run amongst them. Because of this network of salt rivers the mangroves are emptied of their rich, often brown colored, water every low-tide and filled with clear water every high-tide. At these high tides, certain areas open up to become small “streams” that a diver can easily follow deep into the mangrove forest (bring your bread crumbs). In many spots large multi-colored soft corals grow to enormous sizes on the submerged roots of the mangroves. In the “rivers” separating the mangrove islands from each other are also a collection of coral gardens and soft coral covered bommies. With leopard sharks, wobegong sharks, and mantas also being spotted between the islands, the mangroves themselves are not the only attraction here.

Days Six, Seven & Eight: East Misool

A collection of limestone uplift islands, similar in appearance to Palau’s “Rock Islands”, the outer islands of East Misool are one of the healthiest and most colorful shallow coral reef systems around. All the islands here have a similar structure. The sharp conical rocks above water are cut inwards at their base by wave action creating a generous overhang below the waterline. From this undercut a plateau stretches back out to where the original slope of the rock continues downward.

This plateau is, in general, covered with a thick healthy reef of hard and soft corals. In some cases, the soft corals can cover every available inch of open rock, such as at Misool Boo, making for an unforgettable color display. Below this reef plateau, the slopes are usually populated by large sea fans that also happen to be home to various species of pygmy seahorse, including one as-yet un-named species. On occasion, large schools of batfish, fusiliers, and smaller sweeper fish make appearances along the shallow reef bank. Large napoleon wrasse, gray reefs, and mantas also stop by for a photo-op now and again.

The northern section of these rock islands is a region known as Farundi. Aside from outstanding topside scenery and an explorable bat cave, Farundi also has several caverns that provide for unique photo opportunities.

Day Nine: Wayag (Or Alternate)

Located just 10 kilometers north of the equator, this collection of unspoiled rock islands provides one of the most spectacular top-side photo opportunities. For those so inclined, a climb (not a hike) up the face of the tallest island, pulling yourself up rocky slopes by trees and vines, brings you to an unparalleled view of the Wayag area. The “trail” is only recommended for those in very good physical condition. The diving in Wayag is equally spectacular with untouched and abundant shallow hard coral reefs. Several species of pygmy seahorse also call Wayag home. With the majority of Wayag’s islands still being unexplored, more dive sites surely will be found in this still remote area.

OR: Waigeo & Eagle Rock: Just outside the mouth of Waigeo’s Aljuie Bay are three small islands known collectively as Eagle Rock. With vast rubble flats dotted with large bommies, the islands of Eagle Rock are a popular spot for Manta Rays to stop and get a good cleaning. Within Waigeo’s deep Aljuie Bay are several unique diving opportunities. Large sections of this bay are currently being used for pearl farming due to its consistent temperature and rich water. The farm’s piers have become havens for huge amounts of smaller fish, batfish, and razor fish. The surrounding shallow reefs are inhabited by numerous wobegong sharks. Near the entrance to the bay, at a site named Bird Wall, various species of nudibranch, pygmy seahorses, and cuttlefish share space under the overarching jungle which stretches out over the drop off, filtering the light into beautiful cathedral rays.

OR: The Passage: First described by Sir Alfred Russell Wallace in “The Malay Archipelago” on his hunt for Birds of Paradise, this narrow 1.5 kilometer “salt river” separates the larger island of Waigeo from the smaller island of Gam. With vegetation so thick on both sides it nearly touches above some sections of the river, the eddys of this passage are rich with archer fish and numerous species of goby. The overhanging foliage and abundance of shallow soft corals makes for unique wide-angle photo opportunities, especially when the light is turned into stunning cathedral rays. If the current permits, you can also “take a ride” down the channel (maximum depth of about 20 meters) checking out the often times strange underwater rock structures.

OR: Yangelo: This small island is separated from the larger island of Gam by a narrow channel. At the entrance to this channel is a spur reef, running parallel with the shoreline down the center of the channel. Its shallows extend to the southern bank of the channel and its deepest portion extends out into the sea to a depth of 30+ meters. With the incoming and outgoing tides the reef-top is transformed into a bi-colored swirl of activity. The reef is carpeted with huge orange and purple soft corals. Schools of chevron and yellow-tail barracuda and batfish swirl around the uppermost parts, and a group of up to 12 lionfish lazily swim around the western flank. Wobegong sharks typically find shelter underneath the huge bommies and rock ledges. Off the deeper part, reef sharks and napoleon wrasse make frequent appearances. Off the southern edge of Yangelo is a sea-mount known as Mayhem. With the appropriate current and water conditions it becomes a cacophony of sweepers, jacks, cow nose and eagle rays, white tip reef sharks, and fusiliers. Large bommies provide ample shade from the currents for divers to work their way along the seamount and watch the action.

OR: Batanta: just off the coast of Indonesian New Guinea (Papua), Batanta has lots of undisturbed bays lining its northern coastline. One of these bays in particular has a site known for picturesque dragonets, similar to mandarin fish with different coloring and slightly different body shape. Additionally, the site has also produced ghost pipefish, frogfish, and various species of seahorses. Quiet and secluded it also makes for a good spot to watch the bats arrive from neighboring Wai island for their nightly hunt.

Days Ten & Eleven: Kri

The Kri area is centered on the big islands of Mansoear in the east and Jef Fam in the west. Off the eastern shore of Jef Fam is Melissa’s Garden, a group of small rocky outcroppings surrounded by an enormous reef. The shallows are rife with huge staghorn coral aggregations. Large (1-1.5m) clams sit at the base of the rocks. Wobegong sharks seek refuge under the tall table coral clad bommies on the outskirts. Closer to Kri island itself are a peninsula that attracts large schools of jacks and barracuda. At the base of the walls white tip reef sharks rest on the rubbly bottom. Sardine Reef, a huge submerged seamount, delivers sweetlips, batfish, wobegong sharks, and a large resident school of bumphead parrotfish. Sea fans with pygmy seahorses dot the reef slopes. The myriad of dive sites in this area provide days of diving all within a relatively small area.

This area gained significant attention after Gerry Allen, a prominent icthyologist, published a record-setting fish species-count from the reefs off Kri Island. The Dampier straight, which borders the southern part of Kri, is also on the migratory path of some species of whale, which can often be seen in the distance.

Day Twelve: Arrival in Sorong

The ship will arrive at 6:00am at Sorong. You will be served breakfast and afterwards prepare for disembarkation. A Kararu dive master will transfer you to the airport for your onward flight.

---

available cruises for this itinerary

2010 cruises No available cruises in 2010 for this itinerary

2011 cruises 01-11 [15 Jan 2011 - 26 Jan 2011] 05-11 [11 Mar 2011 - 22 Mar 2011] 21-11 [14 Oct 2011 - 25 Oct 2011]

2012 cruises 02-12 [15 Jan 2012 - 26 Jan 2012] 06-12 [11 Mar 2012 - 22 Mar 2012] 09-12 [23 Apr 2012 - 04 May 2012] 22-12 [14 Oct 2012 - 25 Oct 2012]

---