Alor is still a well-hidden dive treasure. The diversity is enormous, from vertical walls to sloping coral gardens covered in anemones for miles on end.

Finding crazy critters to pelagic like sharks and Mola-Mola.Dramatic landscapes with active volcanos and beautiful islands.The Pantar Strait is very deep and brings lots of nutrients from the Banda Sea, don’t be surprised to see dolphins or even whales welcoming us into the bay.

Kalabahi bay in West Alor, has world class muck diving in the bay, many different ghost pipefish hide in the mucky bottom, many nudi’s and all families of scorpion fish even the elusive rhynopia we have spotted here.

Almost always locals approach the boat with their finest handcrafted “Ikat” Fabrics made by a traditional technique in which they wrap threads and tie-dyed before weaving.

We can visit a village that still lives the traditional ways. And near our mooring we get the village kids with their wooden crafted goggles, showing of their free diving skills.

Weather depending, we could visit the south of Pantar Island as Pulau Lembata that has to offer a very different landscaping. In the south Savu Sea has currents with different nutrients and a colder water temperature give life to another dimension. Bays full of exceptional world class macro and isolated rocks out at sea, make this especial diving were the critters seems from another planet.

This is quite a special trip that visits very remote places where not many people have dived. The scenery above water is also spectacular as we can see 3 volcanos from our anchor place. In the north Flores Sea we can find beautiful coral walls with overhangs and crevices, where you can find the tiniest pygmy seahorse to white tip reef sharks sleeping in the corals.

coming soon...

coming soon...

Definitely the most remote area of all. In this trip, we go through the Banda Sea. The Banda Sea is divided into two basins, separated by a ridge.

The Northern Banda Basin is about 5.800 metres deep, while the Southern Banda Basin is about 5.400 metres deep. The deepest part is Weber basin that goes down to 7.440 metres.

Not many Oceans or Seas in the world can be proud of having greater depth.

Connected to the western Pacific Ocean and the northeast Indian Ocean makes a perfect migratory area for big pelagic and cetaceans. Deep plankton blooms help migratory species during the crossing.

In the heart of Banda sea there are not many island and are separated by few hundred miles, making the area very difficult access. Our liveaboard ILIKE is perfect to visit this remote area and discover the real Indonesian Communities that most of the time they have no or very limited contact with the outside world as we know it.

Diving in Banda Sea is a privilege, still virgin, this will be noticeable on the first dive.

Because the depth, most of the dives are sheer walls covered with an explosion of corals trying to conquer the reef. Marine life is not used to divers and curiosity might bring them closer to you, for a good look.

This area is volcanic active adding to the topography and combination of mineral and nutrients makes that marine life knows his value. The active volcano, Mount Api, rises from the seabed from about 4.500 metres to 670 metre above sea level. The clear waters surrounding many islands provide a perfect habitat for spectacular coral reefs and astonishing marine life, sea snakes like to reside the island in numerous quantities, also above water many sea birds patrol the waters surrounding, even there is a kind of bobbies that its endemic to the volcano. We get to dive one of the active volcanos, like Manuk can offer you the experience to see bubbles coming out from the reef.

Because the depth, most of the dives are sheer walls covered with an explosion of corals trying to conquer the reef. Marine life is not used to divers and curiosity might bring them closer to you, for a good look.

This area is volcanic active adding to the topography and combination of mineral and nutrients makes that marine life knows his value.

At the North of Banda Sea, Spiced islands can be found and it’s a must visit. Lots of its tradition and history define the islands and is still apparent today.

Eleven small islands consolidate the Banda Islands, famous for the production of nutmeg and mace during the most prosperous years of Dutch, English, and Portuguese colonization in the early years.In the 17th Century the Dutch made many nutmeg plantations for spiced production. To protect these plantations, they made several forts, but lasted until 1945 when Indonesia achieved the Independency, however these plantations remain the international trading system of nutmeg production. The English negotiate with the people of the island, Run Island to destroy the Dutch monopoly on the nutmeg. This was the first English colony overseas that lasted till 1667 when in the treaty of Breda, the British ceded Run to the Dutch in exchange for the island of Manhattan (actual New York).

In Neira Island there is a museum where it is still possible to see many of the artefacts used all those years, even we will bring to visit the fort.

coming soon...

Named by some as, ‘the next frontier of diving.’ Leaving the small port of Kaimana there is nothing but thick rainforest, gorgeous inlets and uninhabited beaches, undisturbed my human activity.

If you are really looking for an adventure and want to explore some of the most remote and unknown area, this is the place to go. Triton bay was only surveyed by Conservation International in 2006 and there is only one small resort. Few Liveaboards only just start to uncover the top of what is believed one of the most diverse and pristine area in Indonesia.

There are sandy bottoms with huge boulders, covered in the most colourful soft corals and is considered to be even better that Raja Ampat. The visibility can vary as the sites are between the islands bringing nutritious currents feeding these untouched corals.

Whalesharks visit the area all year round following the big shoals of anchovies. Fishermen that are catching the anchovies stay on these floating fishing platforms ‘bagans’ Hence the whalesharks like to hang around here. There is no guarantee you get to see them though, as the bagans are not always operative and not every bagan attracts whalesharks. They operate at night with big lights, attracting the fish. Early morning, they will pull up their nets. This is when we want to be around as the whale sharks will eat the escapees. If they are around you can see them snorkelling as well as diving.

Raja Ampat refers to an archipelago with more than 1500 islands with the four main islands of Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati and Misool and is part of the Coral Triangle making it one of the richest bio diversity of the world.Because his strategic location on the western Pacific Ocean, currents troughflows arriving to the archipelago from very deep water to shallow water, making stratospheric numbers more that 500 different species of corals in that area, ten times more than the Caribbean.

Raja Ampat translates from the Indonesian language to Four Kings.

Misool, the most southern island, has an abundance of marine life, a variety of underwater seamounts, smaller pinnacles, coral walls and coral gardens, covered in giant sea fans, soft corals in all colours, massive table corals and countless fish. This is a great place to find the elusive epaulette shark, or walking shark. It is a nocturnal shark that sneaks up on its pray by ‘walking’ closer and closer to it. It is largely a marine park set up by Misool Eco Resort in cooperation with all the local villages, not to fish inside this area. It gets patrolled by the park rangers.

Batanta has fantastic muck dive sites with the most colourful nudibranchs you can imagine, alien looking critters and beautiful coral bummies.

The Dampier Strait, between Waigeo and Batanta, beautiful coral gardens, underwater pinnacles or seamounts, sandy bottom with coral heads and cleaning stations.  Here we can find even more nutrients bringing in bigger predators like giant trevallies, yellow fin tuna, rainbow runners and even some sharks like blacktip, grey reef, white tip sharks. It is also one of the few places in the world where we can find two species of Manta rays on the same dive sites.

Night dives are a joy in Northern Raja Ampat.

We offer you the opportunity to visit local villages or there hike up to one of the lookout points.

Ambon is the capitol of the province of the Maluku. It is the most populated city in the area and its phenomenal muck diving is considered as one of the best in the world. The city is spit by an enormous Bay, that since recently is connected by a bridge.

Cuttlefish, seahorses, octopus and many other critters find their home in this deep Bay. It is muck diving in its purest state. One of the most famous dive site is Twighligh in Laha village. As the name says it feels like twighlight even in broad daylight. You may first wonder why your guide brought you here, but than a whole new world opens to you. Creatures that you have never seen before or even knew existed. Like rhinopias or the elusive psychedelic frog fish, other than Bali it is never found anywhere else in the world.

We also have a wreck in the bay, the Duke of Sparta. A steel English cargo that sunk as it was stuck by a Douglas B-26 bomb in 1958.

Don’t forget the beautiful coral gardens found outside the Bay. There is a huge natural rock bridge, called, Pintu Kota. It is covered in beautiful and colourful soft corals, with great marine life.

On our way to Halmahera sea Pulau Pisang it’s a mandatory stop, small rocks off the island offers big plateaus covered with hard corals and gentle slope with barrel sponges gives protection to marine life.

Then in the heart of Halmahera, we find a channel in the Patintie Strait were pinnacles and coral formations are different due to currents being funnelled thru the channel as two seas meet.

Goraichi Island is a system of islands right at the edge of the Molucca sea offering a big diversity in Macro or big pelagics.

Once in the middle of the Moluccan sea we will visit Tifore Island, separated from main land by more than 70 miles. An underwater pinnacle close to the island hides, when the current its favorable, a big school of Barracudas between others big pelagic fish.

This will be our last night crossing before arriving to World re-known Lembeh strait, the Macro Cathedral of the World.

In Lembeh most of the macro photographer’s dreams can became reality in matter of couple of dives. Muck diving at its best!!!In this trip you get to see world class corals and schooling fish and the best muck diving in the world.

We offer you the opportunity to visit one of the local villages.

We embark in Tarakan, one of the most important city situated in the Borneo Island, North Kalimantan province.

This area has not been discovered yet by many divers, due to difficult access, making the diving exquisite, uncrowded and virgin.

From here we will sail south to Sangalaki, a small island with white sand beach that is surrounded by an extended reef top and gentle sloping down to nice plateau with coral bommies.

Making it perfect for Mantas to feed and green turtles to nest. Even sometimes Leopard Sharks can be seen.

Sea turtle monitoring and a research station is situated on the island, the rangers will explain us all about Green Turtles on our afternoon visit. Sangalaki is the biggest turtle nursery in Indonesia.

Kakaban island is very different than Sangalaki just being 6 NM a part.Steep walls drop to the deep where up currents bring pelagic fish and sharks to more shallow water. Above, limestone cliffs covered by jungle hugs a massive brackish mangrove lake, were thousands of harmless jellyfish made their habitat. Up to four different species can be found here.

Very close lies Maratua island, vertical deep coral walls form the atoll.In the channel, dives can be very exciting as big school of Barracuda likes to patrol the area.

Towards the south of Kalimantan almost at the eastern tip there is a shallow area that attracts plankton blooms and spider boats fishing anchovies are there regularly for a good catch. Opportunistic Whalesharks frequent the boats for an easy snack.

Derawan island would be our last visit before heading Tarakan for disembarkation. Amazing coral garden slopes and kindy muck diving below a traditional jetty will put the icing on the cake.

Possible Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive to the boat, crossing to Sangalaki Island

Day 2: Sangalaki Island, Green turtle nesting and research station tour.

Day 3: Kakaban, Jellyfish Lake.

Day 4: Maratua

Day 5: Maratua

Day 6: Bagans, Whaleshark

Day 7: Derawan island

Day 8: Disembark in Tarakan