Number of scheduled dives: Up to 36

Our itinerary does involve some long-distance travel and, while Master Liveaboards will endeavor to fulfill the number of scheduled dives, this number is indicative only and not guaranteed. (Bad weather and sea conditions can hinder the boat’s ability to reach, or remain, at a specific area and may impact the number of possible dives.)

The following is a sample of dive sites we may visit as the Indo Master cruises across the Halmahera and Molucca Seas. Please remember that the safety and comfort of the guests are paramount and Master Liveaboards always does their best to offer diving at alternative locations should we be unable to visit or remain at any of the locations listed below.

The Dampier Strait:

Fast drift dives and big fish schools characterize the sites in the Dampier Strait. Numerous dive sites are clustered together, providing a variety of ‘Big Fish’ dives with currents, as well as more relaxed dives where smaller critters can be found and photographed. Your boat’s dive teams will check currents and choose sites based on the optimum conditions.

Manta Sandy:

In the middle of a sandy channel (at just 18 meters), two large bommies are a world-renowned cleaning station that attracts a variety of reef and oceanic manta rays. This includes the all–black mantas which are distinctive to Raja Ampat. Divers can simply rest on the bottom and watch the show. Additionally, the reef itself has numerous smaller creatures such as dragonets and various pipefishes, as well as Bumphead Parrotfish and Black-Tip Reef Sharks. So … if the mantas are not performing, there will still be plenty to look at and discover.

Cape Kri:

One of the best-known sites in the Dampier Strait, the variety of reef fish is astounding. A world record setter with 374 species of fish seen during one dive! Scribbled filefish, Harlequin sweetlips, Bumphead parrotfish, Pinnate batfish, hawkfish and Napoleon wrasse are all commonly seen. In the blue, myriad Bignose unicornfish and Bluestreak fusiliers are closely watched by giant trevallies and dogtooth tuna, whilst black-tip reef sharks, pickhandle barracuda, turtles and pipefish are all regularly spotted as well.

Blue Magic:

A long, finger-shaped reef sloping down at the points from 8 meters to 30 meters (26ft – 98ft) with hard and soft corals, sea fans and black coral bushes, where schools of jacks and barracuda hover close to the reef while grey reef sharks cruise in the blue and mantas sweep through the cleaning stations. For the keen-eyed, wobbegong sharks and pontohi pygmy seahorses add to the appeal and wonders of this magical dive site.

Sardine Reef:

Swarms of fusiliers, snappers and sweetlips, schools of bumphead parrotfish and banner fish, barracuda and trevally that come to feast on the nutrients in the surrounding water make this a very fishy dive site. Rock-mover wrasse, dragonets and jaw fish are amongst the smaller fish species seen here whilst white-tip and black-tip reef sharks can also be spotted.

Mike’s Point:

Eagles can usually be spotted resting on the treetops as we approach the tiny limestone island known as Mike’s Points. Currents can be unpredictable and challenging so we only dive here when the conditions are right. It is a superb site comprising varied topography with one side full of overhangs and crevices whilst the other has “steps” dropping down to the deep with a field of whip corals adorning the slope. When there is no current, it can be circumnavigated in one dive seeing sweetlips, batfish, jacks, Spanish mackerel, grey reef sharks and wobbegongs.

Yangeffo and Penemu Islands:

Located west of Gam these mushroom islands are surrounded by turquoise seas full of pristine coral. These islands provide a range of dive sites for us to choose from, including:

Melissa’s Garden:

This site is home to some of the best hard coral gardens in Raja Ampat. Featuring a shallow flat reef with beautiful blue-tipped staghorn corals inhabited by myriads of damselfish, trevally, black tip reef sharks and wobbegong sharks, along with orangutan crabs and spiny lobsters are common sightings here.

Mayhem:

This dive spot is notorious for its strong currents, making for an exhilarating dive with lots of action. It is great for larger fish sightings including Barracuda, Mackerel, Blue-fin trevally, Tuna, Napoleon wrasse and Bumphead parrotfish, as well as eagle rays and wobbegong sharks.

Citrus Ridge:

A stunning reef named after the carpet-like orange, pink, yellow and green soft corals that cover the entire area. Gorgonian fans shelter pygmy seahorses, jawfish bob out of their ground holes, wobbegong sharks rest lazily amongst table corals and harlequin sweetlips can be found tucked into the many bommies that are dotted over the reef. The up-current side offers sensational pelagic encounters such as roaming grey and blacktip reef sharks, schooling jacks and a vortex of blackfin barracuda.

Pisang Island:

Pisang Island is an oasis in the middle of the Halmahera Sea, surrounded by deep blue water. We will stop at Bantu Anyer, Besar and Kecil, a steep rocky slope blanketed in giant barrel sponges. Here you can make an exhilarating drift dive provided the current is right. Out in the blue, schooling jacks, blackfin barracuda and rainbow runners can be seen, while back in the shallows there is a hard coral plateau.

Bacan Island:

This is one of the northern Moluccca Islands in the Molucca Sea, located just southwest of the large island of Halmahera. There are two special dive spots to explore in this area:

Akiko’s Never-Neverland:

This is a truly unique dive site, riddled with diverse topography. It adorns a wall plunging to 40 meters, where spiny lobsters hide in the numerous cracks. The shallow plateau is densely covered with leather corals and Hawksbill turtles are frequently sighted; Schooling jacks and blacktip reef sharks can also usually be seen cruising along the wall.

Tanjung Maragarando:

This is an exciting dive for pelagic and schooling fish. With the right current, this site attracts large schools of jacks, blackfin barracuda, golden batfish, and fusiliers. From 30 metres, the slope is densely covered with bright yellow soft corals.

Patanti Strait:

Located between Batjan & Halmahera Islands, strong currents nurture the dense soft corals and Gorgonian fan gardens. Numerous protected bays offer interesting night dives and opportunities to look for critters such as bobtail squid and epaulette sharks. Two of the sites we may visit are:

Proco:

Sitting in the middle of the channel, this pinnacle extends to a plateau of around 25 meters. The area is densely covered with pastel, yellow, and orange soft corals, a wonderful array of colors contrasted by the schools of fusiliers and surgeonfish.

Batu Jabu:

A massive submerged reef where you can drift along rocky slopes covered with hard and soft corals. Aggregations of unicorn fish, fusiliers, snappers, and surgeonfish abound. The shallows feature dense staghorn coral fields packed with shining anthias.

Guraici and Tamo-Tamo Islands:

These islands will generally mark the point in the cruise where we cross the equator, transitioning between the southern and northern hemispheres. Guraici and Tamo-Tamo are nestled 31 miles west of Halmahera Island and 43 miles south of Ternate and Tidore.

Renne’s Rock:

A colossal pinnacle, surrounded by extensive plateaus and large bommies. This is a great site to look for patrolling grey, whitetip and blacktip reef sharks and bumphead parrotfish grazing in the shallows.