Coralia Dua – The Forgotten Islands, The Banda Sea + Ambon: October 25-November 5, 2027
This amazing trip is under construction - please return in March/April for final details and pricing.
The Forgotten Islands
The Forgotten Islands of Indonesia are the remote archipelagos of the Southeast Moluccas, a 1,000 km long chain stretching from Timor to West Papua, known for world-class diving in undeveloped, isolated waters. These islands offer unique diving experiences in gin-clear waters with spectacular wall dives, drop-offs, and abundant marine life, including rare Rhinopias and frogfish. They are best accessed by liveaboard boats during specific seasons due to the lack of infrastructure and deep waters.
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Remote & Undeveloped - The islands are far from population centers and are considered the "final frontier" for diving in Indonesia, with very few visitors.
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Diving Destination - They are renowned for world-class diving, featuring pristine coral reefs, patch reefs, spectacular walls, and deep drop-offs.
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Biodiversity - The region lies within the Wallacea bio-geographic zone, a transitional area between Asia and Australia, resulting in incredible marine biodiversity.
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Volcanic & Coralline Islands - The chain consists of both inner, volcanic islands and outer, limestone islands, offering diverse underwater topography.
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Access - Access is challenging, with limited ferry services and a need for experienced liveaboard operators.
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Wetar - A prominent island within the chain.
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Tanimbar Islands - A group of approximately 65 islands, including the main island of Yamdena, where the liveaboard cruise may end.
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Kei Islands - Located to the east of the Tanimbar Islands, also a destination for liveaboard trips.
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Banda Sea - A key body of water that the Forgotten Islands are located within, known historically as the "Spice Islands".
The ideal conditions for diving and liveaboard expeditions are during the months of April–May and September–November when the sea is calmer and winds are minimal.
Sample Itinerary: Forgotten Islands, Banda Islands & Ambon
from Saumlaki to Ambon
Please note: this is a sample itinerary. Itineraries may change without further notice due to weather conditions or other unforeseen circumstances.
The Forgotten Islands are an arc of islands that are part of a very remote archipelago in the east of the Banda Sea. These islands are accessible only by liveaboard and offer a truly exciting adventure! The Banda Sea is famous for its deep walls, healthy reefs, giant sponges all in crystal clear blue water. This area is also now known for the chance to see schooling Hammerhead Sharks! Forgotten Island trips are not just about the ‘big stuff’. If you want to look for macro critters we can find things like Leaf Fish, Moray Eels, lots of different Nudibranchs, Ribbon Eels, Mantis Shrimps, as well the very special Dragon Shrimps and Leopard Shrimps.
Starting from Saumlaki on the island of Tanimbar, we will head straight to our first stop Dawera. You can dive just about anywhere around this island to find a fantastic dive site! At one point there are so many soft corals we are reminded of the glorious reefs of Raja Ampat. A huge school of Barracuda hang out on one point of the island. There is a hidden pinnacle out from the island where the reef really is untouched. The village of Dawera does not fish here because there are so many fish around their island, they have plenty to eat! At the pinnacle the reef is a profusion of color, and each rock is covered in every type of coral! Big schools of jacks and batfish, schooling pyramid fish and triggerfish and hundreds of fusiliers all try to avoid the hunting reef sharks and jacks.
North and South Terbang there are dramatic walls with large overhangs dripping with soft corals. Damar is close by and has a great hard coral garden perfect for an afternoon and night dive.
Close to the island of Nila are the sea mounts of Dusborgh and Nil Desparandum. They are surrounded by very deep water so there is a chance to see large pelagics. Here we will look out for now famous Banda Sea schooling hammerhead sharks. Absolutely massive barrel sponges and expanses of hard corals make these reefs very impressive.
On trips from Saumlaki to Ambon we will visit Manuk. This is the most easterly volcano in Indonesia and is home to lots of sea snakes. They are very curious, and divers will be approached by many snakes during the dives. But don’t worry they won’t bite, they just take a look and keep on swimming! The dramatic rocky dive sites here can be very fishy and there is a chance to spot hammerhead sharks. Above the water frigate birds and brown boobies sour over the volcano.
This cruise will also include a few days in the Banda Islands. Also known as the Spice Islands, the land excursion here is fascinating. Visit the museum, an old Dutch fort and a nutmeg plantation to learn about the incredible history of these remote islands. The diving here includes the typical deep walls of the Banda Sea, as well as sea mounts and drift dive along fish packed reefs. At Batu Kapal the whole pinnacle is covered in schooling Pyramid Butterfly Fish and Red-tooth Triggerfish which mix in with hundreds of fusiliers, creating a myriad of color. Hammerhead sharks have to been known to visit some of the reefs here, as well as turtles, bumphead parrotfish, eagle rays and napoleon wrasse.
Nusa Laut is a small island close to Ambon and the village here protects the fantastic dive site of Amet Reef. Eagle rays, a huge school of jacks, hammerhead sharks and even a Dugong have all been seen here. The reef is very healthy, and it is common to see bumphead parrotfish feeding in the shallows.
Ambon is a world class muck diving destination. Inside the bay there are numerous dive sites full of critters galore! The holy grail of fish Rhinopias can be seen here along with Frogfish, Ghost Pipefish, Nudibranchs, Leaf Fish, Zebra crabs, cuttlefish, all sorts of Pipefish, Mandarin Fish, Ribbon Eels, all sort of Eels and cute juveniles like the Barramundi Cod, Batfish and Harlequin Sweetlips. Our eagle-eyed dive guides will be looking out for different types of shrimps such as Bumblebee Shrimp, Harlequin Shrimp, Tiger Shrimp and Coleman shrimps. In the octopus family, we might see the very special Wunderpus or Mimic and at night the Coconut, Starry Night, White-V and Long Arm Octopus come out to hunt. An excellent way to start or finish a trip!
On the last full day on board we will do two dives in Ambon Bay and enjoy our goodbye dinner inside the harbor.
Our complete package with Coralia Dua includes:
- Full board accommodation with A/C in double/twin cabin with en-suite showers and toilet
- Shore activities/excursions according to the program
- Soft drinks, water, tea and coffee
- All meals and snacks while on board
- Diving activities (up to 4 dives/day)
- Dive cylinders, weights and weight belts
- Complementary Nitrox
- Cruise director and experienced dive guides, with a maximum of 4 guests per guide
- Return transfers between the designated airport and the vessel on the days of embarkation and disembarkation
- WiFi on board (depending on the local cell phone reception)
- Government Taxes
Our package with Coralia Dua excludes:
- International and domestic air, land, sea transportation, excess baggage
- Visa, hotels and meals ashore before and after the cruise
- Alcoholic beverages
- Scuba Training
- Dive equipment rental (other than dive cylinders, weights and weight belt)
- Dive insurance and travel insurance
- Onboard purchases
- Private tours
- Laundry
- Crew gratuities
- National Park/maritime areas entrances fee (see below)
- Port clearance fee and fuel surcharge (see below)
Coralia Dua Pricing:
- Master Cabins (8 pax): Published rate $8,635 → 5% early bird discount = $8,203.25
- Lower Deck Cabins (8 pax): Published rate $7,755 → 5% early bird discount = $7,367.25
Master Cabin Configuration: The 4 Master Cabins on Coralia Dua differ slightly from Coralia - on Coralia Dua, all master cabins will have one king size (180cm x 200cm) bed with a full size single bed (90cm x 200cm).
* These cabins are likely meant for couples, unless two people will share one bed, or for two singles, simply split the beds - one person takes the king for 6 nights, the other takes it for 5 nights - no referee is required.
Lower Deck Cabins: Two are twin cabins and will accommodate two people in two single beds, and two are double cabins will have one king size (180cm x 200cm) bed with a full-size single bed (90cm x 200cm). Both twin and double lower deck cabins have large bathrooms with double basins, making sharing a cabin more comfortable.
* The same applies to the lower deck double cabins, if there are two singles, simply split the beds - one person takes the king for 6 nights, the other takes it for 5 nights - no referee is required.
Port, fuel and park fees (changes are possible):
Banda Sea and Forgotten Islands: $410 per person per trip.
Complete Package Pricing - based on double occupancy, there is no single occupancy available.
- Master Cabin - $8203 + $410 (Port, fuel and park fees) = $8613
- Lower Deck Cabins - $7367 + $410 (Port, fuel and park fees) = $7777
PAYMENT SCHEDULE:
Deposit: $1500 to reserve your space (deposit is non-refundable)
Subsequent Payment: $2000 will be due on October 15, 2026
Final Payment: Balance is due on July 15, 2027
Plus 5-nights in Ambon, at Spice Island Divers: November 5-10, 2027 (optional side trip)
Our voyage on Coralia Dua concludes at the remote island of Ambon. Have you heard of Ambon? It's a muck diving destination, that is second to none. That is my opinion, and many will say that it is second to Lembeh Straits (I dove in 2013 and 2022), and I won't argue that statement, but I dove in Ambon for 4 days in 2017, searching for the elusive Psychedelic Frogfish (see video above). We didn't find it, but it seems to allow itself to be found every 6-8 years, so maybe we'll get lucky? But I did see my first, second, and third Rhinopias Scorpionfish in Ambon, and there was so much else to see - the video below gives a good example of the many critters that are seen in a great muck diving destination.
https://youtu.be/xMNsVLIpL7s?si=y54rPd-3dm8ixgNq
Ambon - Spice Island Divers information is not included with Coralia Dua. Trip details and pricing will be provided separately.
Passport requirement – must have 6 months remaining until expiration date upon return to USA.
For all dive trips, consider purchasing travel insurance, and dive accident insurance. Both are highly recommended, and are made available to purchase!
To purchase DAN dive accident insurance, please scroll to the bottom of this page, and click on the DAN banner link, Join DAN Today!, then follow the prompts on DAN’s website.
To purchase travel insurance, please scroll to the bottom of this page, and click on the DAN banner link, Purchase Travel Insurance?, then follow the prompts on DAN’s website.
REEF SAFE SUNSCREEN
Some sunscreen ingredients are not safe for corals; these include oxybenzone. Research indicates that these chemicals can cause DNA damage to corals, promote viruses in corals, and contribute to the bleaching of corals. So that we can help protect our reefs, we encourage our guests to choose and use a sunscreen that is “coral safe”.
To purchase eco-friendly sunscreen products, please scroll to the bottom of this page, and click on the Stream2Sea banner link, use code, “cleanreef” for a 10% discount.
** AIRFARE SOLD SEPARATELY **
Price is per person and based on double occupancy and items specified. Space is subject to availability, price subject to change without notice and not guaranteed until deposit is received. Cost for airfare cannot be guaranteed until paid and ticketed. Some restrictions may apply.
* Credit card or any payments made through the PayPal invoice will be charged an additional 3.5% (5% international payers). This fee covers the cost of the PayPal fee. Venmo, Zelle, Send Money to Friends and Family, and checks are always welcome.
If interested, please contact Andy Skuntz, at Colorado Dive + Travel Adventures, email to askuntz@yahoo.com, or call at 719-322-6941. This exciting trip will fill up fast.
Trip flyer, terms and conditions, and a trip application will be provided. Once the application is complete, please return to Andy via fax or email, then an invoice for the designated deposit will be provided.
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