Banda islands

Diving liveaboards in the Banda Sea offer a rare opportunity to take a dive trip to a region where the waters have remained effectively untouched. The area offers some of the most spectacular scuba diving in Indonesia, perfectly suited for liveaboard diving cruises. The Banda Sea is an absolute underwater playground for scuba divers The plankton blooms mean the reefs and seamounts are full to the brim with marine life. The Banda Sea is in the very heart of Indonesia, between two other top diving locations Papua and Java. The Banda Sea is also home to a number of the Moluccas island group and borders the Timor Sea to the South. Despite their prime location, the islands of the Banda Sea have retained an off the beaten path feel, perfect to be explored on an Indonesian liveaboard. This may in part be because the ten islands that make up the Banda Islands archipelago are volcanic and sit between four tectonic plates, which means that the area is still quite active.

Despite the ample production of spices and wood, the Banda Islands are still relatively sparsely populated, outside of the main island of Banda Naria and Ambon in the Maluku Islands. This is fortunate for scuba divers and snorkelers as it means that low fishing levels have kept the fish life abundant. Diving and snorkelling are one of the most popular tourist activities on the islands.

Bordering the Banda Sea to the West, the world’s 11th largest island Sulawesi is also a renowned area for Indonesian liveaboard diving. The island’s shape means that it benefits from a huge diverse coastline and some seriously deep drop-offs and pinnacles. Unlike the Banda, Islands Sulawesi has a much larger population and infrastructure making it a good starting point for people who come to Indonesia to join a dive cruise.