Mountains Of Fire

Our usual Raja Ampat route never gets boring but guests as well as dive crew are even more excited for this next trip: diving the so called “Ring Of Fire” means starting off with the best of Raja Ampat via Manuk Island and the Bandas with our final destination Ambon, which is famous for muck diving.

Oceanic Mantas, Raja Ampat Walking Sharks, Pontohi’s Pygmy Seahorses and Flamboyant Cuttlefish can be named as some of the specials we get to see during the first part of our trip accompanied by clear, warm waters. Another memorable dive for everyone is “Mangrove Ridge”, a unique place where crystal clear waters in combination with blue water mangroves and fringing reefs can be found. Manuk Island, an active volcano in the middle of the Banda Sea is our next destination. As the weather is perfect and the seas are flat, we are fortunate enough to enjoy a full day of diving with hundreds of Chinese Sea Snakes alongside pristine hard and soft coral reefs.

The last part of the trip leads us to the Banda Islands, famous for the brutal spice wars in the sixteen hundreds and home of steep walls and pinnacles with a tremendous amount of marine life. The healthy hard coral reefs are covered in Red Tooth Triggerfish and Pyramid Butterflyfish! Outstanding is also the crystal clear blue water which makes diving in the Banda Sea even more enjoyable.

Mermaid I Raja Ampat-Banda Sea-Ambon Cruise
March 26 to April 06, 2016

Sonja Geier
Videographer