A Thousand Miles of Wonder: The Epic Maumere to Raja Ampat Crossing

https://youtu.be/tRzZOQkeQFM

There’s a good reason why this incredible crossing is called Biodiversity Super Special! Traversing over 1000 nautical miles across 5 different seas over the course of 16 days, from Maumere in the island of Flores, through Alor and the Banda Sea, and finally concluded in Raja Ampat.

You can imagine the wide array of diversity, not just underwater but also on the topside. From the rugged, mountainous landscape of Flores and Alor, the remote volcanic islands scattered across the Banda Sea, to the picturesque limestone karst islands of Papua

Starting the trip in Maumere, we wasted no time as we set sail straight to Alor. We were all blessed with excellent weather conditions with barely any waves rocking the boat throughout the trip.

We spent 2 great diving days in Alor, enjoying the biodiversity this region had to offer. From impeccable coral reefs teeming with life, dramatic walls and overhangs, to world class muck dive sites, big or small, Alor has it all! Our favorite has to be finding the elusive Weedy Scorpionfish (Rhinopias frondosa) and Mandarinfish in one of the muck sites. Even one lucky group reported seeing a Thresher Shark!

After Alor, we sailed east, crossing a different time zone towards Wetar and the so-called Forgotten Islands. Everyday we spend exploring the remote chain of volcanic islands scattered across the vast Banda Sea. Unique landscape both on land and underwater, crystal clear visibility, big school of fish, deep dramatic walls and overhangs covered in pristine hard and soft corals. While the Hammerhead Sharks eluded us this trip, we still had an amazing time diving these pristine reefs and having encounters with various marine life. Specifically at Serua and Manuk, sea snakes were everywhere, sometimes over a dozen of them on a single dive. It’s mesmerizing to see them slithering among the corals or hunting together with a school of Bluefin Trevallies.

On the way to Raja Ampat, we made a quick stop at a remote island paradise of Koon. Right at the tip of this large current swept plateau is home to many schooling fish. Massive school of Batfish, Pompano, Bigeye Jacks, Snappers and Groupers just to name a few that we encountered.
The last leg of the trip was well spent around Raja Ampat. Upon reaching Misool, we were treated to a couple of Reef Manta Rays elegantly “dancing” while being cleaned atop their cleaning station for the entire dive.

This time around, anchovies were everywhere and in one particular dive, the whole pinnacle was covered by zillions of anchovies. Such a spectacle to see the food chain in action as larger predators, such as Tuna and Trevally, fiercely hunted these silvery baitfish around the reef, moving so fast that we could hear the “fish thunder” throughout the dive.

We concluded our epic adventure in the Dampier Strait in central Raja Ampat. Diving into a familiar sight of beautiful hard coral gardens and big schooling fish actions, Bluewater Mangroves and Jetties

Christopher Pen

Mermaid I
Biodiversity Super Special: Maumere-Alor-Banda Sea-Raja Ampat
23 Oct – 7 Nov, 2025