Forgotten Islands - 12 nights (Ambon-Saumlaki)

Starting with muck dives, crossing the Banda Sea, and tracing the perimeter of islands. Let our experienced crew show you those almost untouched locations with wonderful reefs and stunning drop-offs. Marine life is in abundance from critters, sea snakes, manta rays, sharks and much more. Frequently, whales might be spotted from the surface.

Itinerary

  • Days 1 to 2 Ambon

    Ambon Aurora Crew will pick you up at the airport for immediate boarding. Depending on the arrival time, we might do the check dive around Laha or Tulehu Bay and maybe even a night dive.
    Laha or Tuleu Bay: area known for its fabulous muck dives, probably among the best in the world for macro diving: only the Lembeh Strait in Indonesia can compete.

  • Day 3 Nusa Laut & Molana

    South of Seram, fantastic diving experiences on the reefs of Molana and Nusa Laut. These rather picturesque islands of Maluku are popular dive destinations due to their diversity in reef fish species, ghost pipefish, frogfish and a variety of well-preserved hard corals.
    Flash News: we have seen sperm whales in the area on previous trips, so keep your eyes wide open.

  • Day 4 Pulau Suanggi

    Pulau Suanggi You will now arrive at the northern end of the outer reefs of the Banda Sea: Pulau Suanggi. The waters here are full of fish, reef sharks and tuna. As a small bonus for bird lovers, many species can be observed around the island: brown boobies, red-footed boobies and frigate birds.
    Pulau hatta / Karang hatta: We will dive both sloping reefs and vertical walls. The current attracts many fish: fusiliers, dogtooth tuna, eagle rays, barracudas and sometimes sharks. On the reef: soft corals, leather corals, big eye trevallies and turtles.

  • Days 5 to 7 Banda Neira

    On the fifth day you will arrive on Banda Neira, famous for its nutmeg plantation. You will also have the chance to visit the Maritime Museum and the historic forts the island holds. . Of course this location also offers beautiful dive spots, including Lava Flow: after a volcano eruption in 1988, the existing coral got destroyed, but after 10 years new coral regrow and created this now beautiful dive spot.
    This dive spot is also home of the Mandarin Fish, a very colourful fish that exclusively lives around Banda Neira. Every single night they come out to perform their mating ritual.

  • Day 8 Manuk, Snake Island

    Manuk, the ‘Snake Island’, a volcanic island with lower interest on land. It takes its nickname from the large amount of sea snakes found there. You will surely see a lot! The drop-offs here are amazing and sharks, mackerels, tunas and barracudas are often observed.

  • Day 9 Serua, Nil Desperandum, Nila

    Nil Desperandum (‘no despair’) takes its name from a ship, stranded on the reef. This atoll is sometimes called ‘the forgotten islands’. You may be lucky enough to come across an amazing school of hammerhead sharks.

  • Day 10 Damar

    Terbang Utara / Terbang Selatan, two small islands located south of Damar. Usually, we can expect easy but very fast drifts along marvellous coral drop-offs.
    Nuss Leur: several pinnacles with all the colourful life of coral reefs.

  • Day 11 Nyata

    Nyata, northeast of Romang Island, offers stunning landscapes.
    Crystal clear waters and reefs on different levels, like in a theatre, with hard and soft coral gardens. Keep your eyes open: pelagic encounters are to be expected!

  • Day 12 Sermata

    Sermata Sermata offers coral reefs with deep laying coral walls which are amazing to explore

  • Day 13 Saumlaki

    Après un bon petit déjeuner à bord, notre équipage organisera, en fonction de vos horaires de vol, votre transfert à l'aéroport de Saumlaki.
    Malheureusement, notre voyage prendra fin et nous devons nous dire au revoir mais nous espérons vous revoir à bord

Dates & prices

Departures for English-speaking groups:

From To Price / pers. Boat Places Options Booking
€4,555 Liveaboard Aurora 5 / 18 Book now!

Departures for French-speaking groups:

No departure for now

Departures for Italian-speaking groups:

No departure for now

Departures for Spanish-speaking groups:

No departure for now

Trip code: 84

Notes


Price List
Valid from until 31 December 2020 

Rates per person per NIGHT
  • Raja Ampat Cruise (Sorong-Sorong) 420 USD
  • North Maluku Cruise (Ambon-Sorong) 420 USD
  • Banda Sea Cruise (Maumere – Ambon) 420 USD
  • Forgotten Islands ( Ambon - Saumlaki) 420 USD 
  • Alor Cruise (Maumere – Alor – Maumere) 360 USD
  • Komodo Cruise (Labuan Bajo/Bali/Bima) 360 USD

Supplements:
• National Park Fees and Contributions to villages: 130 USD/ pers Raja Ampat, 20USD/day: pers Komodo and 95 USD/pers for Alor, Banda sea and Forgotten Islands.
Note: Park fees are subject to changes without prior notice.
• Fuel surcharge and port fees per pax: 200 USD for Raja Ampat,  Alor, Banda Sea, Forgotten Islands, and Maluku. The fuel surcharge applies if harbours like Bali, Alor or similar are scheduled. For Komodo cruises, no fuel surcharge applies if the port of departure and arrival is  Labuan Bajo but there is a departure or return in Bali fuel surcharge is applied. We retain the right to increase the fuel surcharge when the general gas price increase makes this necessary.

Starting from January 1st 2021, we decided to include the fuel surcharges on the prices above however we retain ourselves the right to add fuel surcharges without prior notice in case of high rise of fuel prices.

Important information
- All prices are in USD (or depending the daily rates)
- Included: Full board on MSY Aurora, 3 dives plus 1 night dive per day according to program and weather conditions, guide, tank, weights, belt, meals, soft drinks on board, airport transfer B-F
- Not included: Nitrox tanks, diving and snorkelling gear, beer, wine and spirits, national park tickets, PADI courses (subject to instructor availability, upon request), fuel surcharge & port fees as defined above
- Group policy: with 7 paying persons, 8th person is free of charge. Free person still pays supplements.
- Full boat charter: The max capacity is 18 persons in 9 double cabins. The total price is calculated on the basis of 15 paying persons. With 15 pax, 3 pax are free of charge.
Please note that free of charge pax still pay individual supplements. 
- Children (5 - 9 years): 50% of full price (sharing the parent’s cabin)
- Non divers: 80% of full price
- Single cabin supplement: USD 190/night for all cruises.
- Payment:
individual booking: Upon booking: 30% of the cruise price 91 days prior to departure date: remaining 70% of the price
full boat charter: 10% deposit at the moment of booking Further 15% within 180 days from the date of departure Further 25% more within 91 days from the date of departure Total balance within 60 days from the date of departure
- Short Notice Bookings: 100% must be paid when booking is done less than 91 days prior to cruise departure

- Cancellation fees individual bookings
  • 120 – 91 days prior to cruise departure 30% of the cruise price
  • 90 – 60 days prior to cruise departure 50% of the cruise price
  • 59 – 0 days prior to cruise departure 100% of the cruise price


 - Cancellation fees  Full Charter  bookings
In case of cancellation before 180 days, the deposit will be returned, except a 5% penalty for administrative costs.
Other penalties for cancellation:

  • From 180 to 91 days prior departure: 25%
  • From 90 to 60 days prior departure: 50%
  • Less than 60 days prior departure: 100%

Concerning the number of nights for the different itineraries, changes can be applied upon full boat charter requests and we are open to create special itineraries on request (e.g.: trip to Cenderewasih Bay).

Rental Rates* (by unit)
  • Snorkel Kit 10 USD / day
  • BCD/Regulator/Wetsuit 10 USD / day
  • 15L Tanks 10 USD / day
  • Diving Computer / Torch 12 USD / day
  • Full Gear**, excluding diving computer and torch 25 USD / day

* All rental applications must be done upon booking or at least 30 days prior to departure
** Full gear includes snorkel kit, BCD, Regulator and wetsuit

Provided: belt, weights and 12L tank (Any lost or damaged materials will be at your charge)
Lost weight 5 USD / kilo

Nitrox min. 28%
  • 1 Tank 5 USD / tank
  • 1 diving day (3-4 dives) 12 USD / day

Certified PADI Courses*
  • PADI Advanced Open Water Diver
5 dives + theory + PADI Kit 260 USD / pax
  • PADI Deep Diver Specialty
4 dives + theory + PADI Kit 380 USD / pax
  • PADI Nitrox Specialty
2 dives + theory + PADI Kit 1490USD / pax

For more information or requests for other courses than mentioned above, contact us.

* Please book at least 30 days in advance your course(s), so we can organize your study material.

Diving Supervision
Please be aware that the included guide will help you to discover the different dive sites and rich biodiversity in the best conditions. For any technical problems, please book:
  • Pedagogic Support Staff (CMAS* or OWD) (max 4divers) 8 USD / dive / diver
  • Private Guide (upon request in advance) 65 USD / day

Do not hesitate to contact us for any further questions: info@dune-aurora.com

Practical info

Food


Please let us know if you have any allergy or any specific diet (Diabet,Vegetarian, vegan…)

Accommodation


Depending on your itinerary, it might be necessary to book a night in a hotel before or after your cruise or before your domestic flights.
We can take care of your hotels' bookings if needed.

Transportation


International Flights
You will arrive at the international airport of Jakarta, Denpasar, Makassar or Manado and continue your travel with a domestic flight to your final destination (Komodo, Raja Ampat…). 

Domestic Flights
Please note, that the standard of Indonesian companies equals the European standard. We note that there may be some delay.
Make sure to have enought time for your stopovers (4 hours).

Important : The extra luggage must be paid in cash with Indonesian Rupiah.  Do not forget to have enough change before registration at the airport.
Nevertheless, you will be able to find currency exchange office or ATM in most of the airports.

The boarding on Aurora will be no later than 1 pm, thank you to book a flight arriving in the morning the day of the cruise departure
Disembarkation the last day will be after breakfast.
Please note that  only the transfers domestic airport/boat on arrival and departure dates cruise are included.
If you are already on the spot the day before departure, the meeting point will be at the harbor. Likewise, for the return if you want to extent your stay after the cruise.

Budget & exchange


We recommend to travel with Euros and/or USD.
There is also the possibility to travel with Swiss Francs or British Pounds.  We suggest you to change Indonesia Rupiah on arrival at the airport.

Tips

Crew Tips on board : 15 USD/Pers/day

Supplied equipment

Aluminium tanks of 12L with DIN/INT
Weight

Vital equipment


 Insurance and certification :

 - We recommend you to have a repatriation insurance once you travel abroad, because your traditional insurances might not pay for it.
-  A travel insurance will cover a range of problems, such as luggage theft, cancellation or delay of flights and medical treatments   

 
 Important for all divers:
- An insurance for the practice of scuba diving is mandatory on Aurora.  Please bring a justification (membership number and contact details)
- Please remember to bring your diving certification and logbook
- A medical clearance from a doctor is necessary
- We recommend a 3mm wetsuit for diving in Raja Ampat, Banda Sea and Maluku. For South
Komodo, we recommend a 5mm wetsuit as the temperature might drop to 21-22°C
- Dive equipment can be rented on board, please book before

Each diver must be equipped with his dive computer, sausage and dive torch.

Luggage


 We recommend to have indonesian Roupiah for your domestic flights in case of extra luggage.

Medicine


No vaccination required.
Malaria is a risk, mainly in rural areas (Java's main cities, Bali are considered malaria-free).Dengue is a major problem in Indonesia. There is no vaccination so we highly recommend to take measure to avoid mosquito bites (repellent, long sleeved t-shirt and long pants). We recommend you to check with your physician before departure.

As the sunrays are quite strong in Indonesia, it is absolutely necessary to bring sun-protections such assunscreen, after-sun and headgears (cap etc.) and we also advise you to bring earplugs

Passport


 Passports must be valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry into Indonesia

Visa


Visa
Visa On Arrival can be obtained free of charge at the airport. It is valid for 30 days and not extendable. Formore information about your country, please check on the Indonesian Embassy website. http://www.indonesiadhaka.org/

Communication
 The mobile network only works in major cities and tourist centers. The country code for Indonesia is +62. You can also buy a local SIM card, do not hesitate to ask when you arrive on board, we can manage it for you

Language
 English is spoken in all tourist destinations, also on board on Aurora

Mandatory vaccines


No vaccination required. Malaria is a risk, mainly in rural areas (Java's main cities, Bali are considered malaria-free).Dengue is a major problem in Indonesia. There is no vaccination so we highly recommend to take measure to avoid mosquito bites (repellent, long sleeved t-shirt and long pants). We recommend you to check with your physician before departure.

Health information & recommendations


As the sunrays are quite strong in Indonesia, it is absolutely necessary to bring sun-protections such assunscreen, after-sun and headgears (cap etc.) and we also advise you to bring earplugs

Weather


Water Temperature :
- Raja Ampat 27° - 30°C
- Komodo 24° - 28°C  (Sud: 20°-23°C
- Alor 27° - 29°C  (Sud: 24°-25°C)
- Banda Sea 26° - 29°C
- Maluku 26° - 30°C

Best season :
- Raja Ampat:  November to  April
- Komodo:        April to à October
- Alor:                 August to October 
- Banda Sea:   March to May   &  October -November
- Maluku:         March to May   &  October -November

Electricity


 220 volt outlets (two poles only, so for British clients, please bring adaptor! ).

Local time

                                                                                   Winter       Summer              
Indonésie Ouest, Jakarta:                         CET + 6      CET + 5
Indonésie Central, Denpasar Bali:       CET + 7      CET + 6
Indonésie Est, Sorong Raja Ampat:     CET + 8      CET + 7
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Johana

My local agent
Johana

  • Graduated from a reputable business school in France, Johana has always been passionate by travelling and discovering new cultures.
  • When she arrived in Indonesia, in Bali 3 years ago, she immediatly fell in love with its culture but especially with its incredible underwater world.
  • Johana shares now her time between her passion of diving and the office of Dune Aurora where she is Manager of Guest Relations and Booking.
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Destination
LIVEABOARD BANDA SEA
Activity
LIVEABOARD
Duration
13 days
Group
8 to 16 people
Code
84
Price
From €4,180
Level
5/5
Comfort
5/5
Language(s)
English / French / Italian / Spanish

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