Akomo Isseki

Safety Briefing, Crew Introduction, Necessary Dive Paperwork, Cabin allocation and ship orientation will take place before departing the Harbour. During the journey to our first dive site for a check dive, please take this opportunity to familiarize yourselves with the vessel and make yourself comfortable. Set the sail at in the direction of Sebayur as you enjoy a light lunch together Check dive/snorkel near Sebayur Kecil Take a walk on the sands, a swim in the shallows or jump in a Kayak whilst looking forward to a delicious fish supper and the first of many breathtaking sunscapes... Please Note: This is a sample itinerary and nº of dives, dive sites, etc. may be subject to change due to weather conditions and other unforseeable factors

Ultimate Underwater Formations After a light breakfast we do two amazing dives/snorkels around the small Islands that make up the Komodo World Heritage Site, explore beauties such as Tatawa Besar and Tatawa Kecil and many, many more... Enjoy lunch, Kayak, relax on the beach, take a walk in the wild country side and await late afternoon/nightfall where you will be guided into the darkness for one of Komodo’s best night/critter dives on Pulau Siaba... A rare chance to search the Staghorns at Sunset for the romancing Manderin Fish or decrypt the ever changing shape of the Mimic Octopus...

Big White Sails & Manta Tales Start the day with an early morning drift along the shores of Siaba, a rare opportunity to visit the reef before others do, enjoying the myriad of fluorescence left from the night before and the steady arrival of frenzied feeding fish. After breakfast and with favourable winds we endeavour to hoist the sheets for a short sail past Pulau Mauan, diving if the currents permit. Thereafter, we await the arrival of the intrepid population of Manta Rays that inhabit the reefs of Karang Makassar. Snorkel or dive with the most graceful creatures the park has to offer before we set sail south, to the traditional village of Komodo.

Walking With Dragons In the early morning we will be entering the Komodo National Park. Escorted by a local Ranger in search of the fabled beast, the Komodo Dragon, the largest lizard on the planet. This is the only place in the world you can see them in their natural habitat and enjoy the fascinating panorama of the island. Lunch follows and two dives/snorkels perhaps exploring the underwater seascapes of Loh Namu and Loh Liang or even the famous Batu Tiga, before anchoring for the night in the one of the incredible bays around Padar Island. For the intrepid, a steep but short hill climb reveals one of the best panoramas these ancient lands have to offer. Dinner and drinks and a night under the star filled sky.

Hot Rocks - Enjoy the sunrise over the vast volcanic seascape whilst we await the perfect tide movements to visit Batu Bolong, an incredible rock formation teeming with vibrant colours and life, rated amongst the best Komodo delivers, a dive on the North or South of this pinnacle rocks. Gili Lawa Darat sets the scene after lunch, The Passage, a thrilling drift through the channels of these current born islands, a Kayak around the Mangroves, hike the hill or just relax with a cold beer.

An early morning breakfast sail towards the distant Batu Moncong sets us up for a day of deep walls, and exposed sea mounts... Two of the least explored dives on the boundary of the National Park with epic sunset views of Gunung Api Sangean in the background. An action packed day and chilled evening moored in this dramatic location precedes what is clearly the best left to last.

World Class Diving A three dive/snorkel program will be tailored around the currents that make the waters of Komodo a Mecca for all diving/snorkeling enthusiasts. With over 1000 fish species and 300 different corals we will explore the sites around Gili Lawa Laut, dive/snorkel The Cauldron, Crystal Rock and the world famous pinnacle Castle Rock. Finish the day with an incredible tropical sundown, a secluded Kayak over the shallow reefs.

Over hot coffee and breakfast, we will discuss the theatre for the last dive, our final mission together into the depths. After a final feed and a slow cruise back to Labuan Bajo, the last exchange of photos and memories. The crew and Akomo Isseki will say their fond farewells Unfortunately our trip has come to an end and we have to say goodbye, but we hope to see you again soon!

Safety Briefing, Crew Introduction, Necessary Dive Paperwork, Cabin allocation and ship orientation will take place before departing the Harbour. During the journey to our first dive site for a check dive, please take this opportunity to familiarize yourselves with the vessel and make yourself comfortable. Set the sail, first stop in the Banda Sea, Suanggi. The crossing from Ambon to Suanggi is the first of 5 overnight voyages and takes approximately fourteen hours, bringing you in a prime spot for an early morning dives. With Suanggi being a rather exposed location, it is not uncommon to continue directly to Banda Neira, revisiting as conditions improve. Please Note: This is a sample itinerary and nº of dives, dive sites, etc. may be subject to change due to weather conditions and other unforseeable factors

With favorable seas, we wake up next to the island of Suanggi, a fire like sunrise and Banda Neira’s 'Gunung Api’ volcano reaching to the clouds at distance. Suanggi hosts a large colony of sea birds; Frigates, which, if your cruise director has not done so already, will wake you up. After coffee, a check dive on one the islands sheltered reefs to become familiar with our operation, and for us to assess the abilities and requirements of the dive group. Breakfast, followed by two extremely special dives, if very lucky, a chance to see Hammerhead sharks patrolling the wall drop offs and deep ridges. After three dives, we set sail into the sunset for Banda Neira, looking out for Sailfish breaching, Dolphins and Whales, that are common during this two hour crossing. The night is spent on anchor in the heart of the historic Banda islands.

The Banda region is made up of small clusters of islands and a towering volcano, where you will spend three days exploring, diving nine or ten incredibly different locations. Riddled with imperial history relating to the conflicts between the British, Dutch and Portuguese, land missions, spice trading locations and forts visits are not to be missed. Pulau Ai and Pulau Run are just a short sail from Banda Besar and home to some very exciting dive sites, ranging from furied drift dives to mystic secluded bays, the currents are generally quite strong in these areas making for excellent and rich reef life. A famous dive site by the name of 'Lava Flow' sits very close to Banda Neira, directly beneath the volcano, created by the flow of lava that rushed into the ocean and destroyed everything in its path. With only twenty years passed, since the eruption, the condition and rapid growth of the newly made reef will take your breath away. Batu Kapal, a two dive location, with its astonishingly varied topography is another clear favorite in this region. For our final day in Banda, we sail south east, to Pulau Hatta, once occupied by the Dutch... Sitting atop an extremely deep trench of 5000m, it is a fantastic spot to conclude activities in this area.

A fourteen to sixteen hour, overnight crossing brings us to Pulau Koon, a small island sat south east of mainland Seram, and, the midpoint of our trip. With a large reef plateau jumping right off of the island, the most exciting feature here is, without a doubt, the huge amount of schooling and hunting fish species, that can be seen at the very aptly named ‘Fish market’. Slowly moving along the wild and vivid coral slopes in the currents and back eddies, being approached by curious Mackerel and Tuna, surmises a not so typical day. After two dives on this absolutely fantastic reef, late afternoon, we begin our crossing to Misool, Raja Ampat.

Arrival Misool, home to the best coral growth on planet earth. Huge Gorgonian Sea Fans, big pinnacles and button islands, we have reached a true diver paradise. The final three days of the voyage will be spent here, and with it being home to literally hundreds of dive sites, not one trip will ever be the same. We aim to visit our favorite sites whilst here, safety and weather depicting. Incredibly healthy coral formations, Pygmy Sea Horses, huge pelagic fish, Oceanic Mantas and much, much more, this place has it all. A fantastic time to see the blooms of Silverside bait fish, responsible for initiating large feeding frenzies. Dive sites such as ‘Magic Mountain’ and ‘Four Kings’, ‘Wedding Cake’ and ‘Goa Farondi’ are just a few to names, to add to the perfection Misool has to offer. Exploring the turquoise lagoons by kayak is always a great little adventure after a diving day. We set sail to Sorong on day ten, just as the sun is setting.

Arriving in Waisai harbour in the early hours of the morning, serve breakfast and debrief, the last exchange of photos and memories. The crew and Akomo Isseki will say their fond farewells Unfortunately our trip has come to an end and we have to say goodbye, but we hope to see you again soon!

Safety Briefing, Crew Introduction, Necessary Dive Paperwork, Cabin allocation and ship orientation will take place before departing the Harbour. The boat set off in the direction of the famous Dampier straight, the first of many areas you will visit during the trip... During the journey to our first dive site for a check dive, please take this opportunity to familiarize yourselves with the vessel and make yourself comfortable. Afternoon check dive around the small island of Friwin Please Note: This is a sample itinerary and nº of dives, dive sites, etc. may be subject to change due to weather conditions and other unforseeable factors

The morning starts with a light breakfast followed by the first dive at Mioskon After this you will dive around Blue Majic, one of the most popular sites in Raja Ampat. It is well known for great biodiversity, the reef is overgrown by beautifully coloured soft and hard corals The third dive will be at Chicken Reef where the sun is often masked by a magnificent array of schooling Glassfish Then after a substantial supper, the chance to chill under the star lit sky, listening to the gentle ocean sounds

In the morning we start diving at the village of Yanbuba. You may observe hunter groups of Trevally, feeding on the millions of small fish under the jetty. You may find giant Manta Rays, as they circle their cleaning stations or a vast array of macro species hidden in the lush coral slopes. A second dive can be organized at the famous Arborek Jetty Between dives you can visit the village that owns the jetty, meet with the locals and see some of the Manta Ray conservation projects based here Our next location, for the third dive of the day is the long reef of Lalosi. There are some beautiful resident Anglerfish and colourful corals which offer a secure home to Wobbegong sharks and the wonderful walking shark. Sailing overnight to Misool.

In East Misool you will discover three fantastic dive sites, No Contest, Love potion and Three Rocks. You will enjoy the sight of sheer vertical walls and fantastic coverage of soft corals, lots of fish with schools of Platax, aggregations of Snapper and Bump Head Parrotfish. We spend the night in the hidden lagoon, a very special anchorage inside an almost closed bay surrounded by high rocks. In the late afternoon we take the speedboat into another lagoon located further into the rocks where you can swim, listening and searching for the native Cacatoes...

After a short morning navigation, we reach South East Misool and start another great day of diving in the vicinity of Misool Eco Resort, Boo Rocks with 2 large opening windows in the lava stone that completely pierce the island from the surface to 5 meters deep, Fiabacet and Fantasea, other excellent dive sites, again, expect an explosion of colors and fish density. Akomo Isseki will then sail further south and to the West and overnight in the Wayilbatan area. An optional night dive may be available...

In the Wayilbatan area we enjoy a complete diving day at 3 fantastic dive sites, Barracuda Rock, Wedding Cake and Neptune’s Sea Fan. These dive sites offer impressive range of marine diversity and topography, huge Gorgonian Sea Fans, overhangs and caves, forests of Black Coral, Trevally, Turtles, Eagle Rays, Pygmy Seahorses and much, much more. In the afternoon, we take time for some kayaking amongst some of the most spectacular hidden lagoons in the area.

We will navigate to Pele at the very South East of the Misool area. Along the way, we will dive the famous dive site named Four Kings, four incredible pinnacles, each covered in more soft coral and colourful tunicates than the last. The range of colours on this site is simply amazing... We will then continue on to Pele where we will dive 2 of Pele’s more famous sites, Kaleidoscope and Pulau Kecil. Late that afternoon we will set sail for an overnight navigation to Penemu and the Fam islands.

Early in the morning we arrive at Penemu‘s famous reefs, home to one of the largest population of fish in the area, very impressive, especially in a brisk current..After breakfast, we dive at Melissa’s Garden, an extraordinary dive site famous for its extensive hard coral fields. In the afternoon, we have time for a short trek to admire more of Raja’s wonderful lagoons and landscape. We spend the evening under the stars enjoying a BBQ on a deserted tropical beach.

Short navigation to the Yanggefo area, where we find some of the most stunning dive sites in West Waigeo, Citrus Ridge, Mayhem and Way Pretty Shallow... In the right conditions, expect some of the most high voltage diving in Raja Ampat, massive schools of fish, Barracuda, at least three species of Fusilier, Trevally, Bump Head Parrotfish, Wobbegong Sharks and more. In the afternoon, we dive at Mike's Point, during World War II, the US Air Force mistook this rock for a camouflaged Japanese ship and bombed it repeatedly... The top side of the island is blown away, but underwater the reef has come back to life in an amazing way.

We save the very best for last. During our final diving day we discover two fabulous dive sites, Blue Magic and Cape Kri... Both of these sites offer some of the largest concentrations of big fish in Raja Ampat. Large schools of hunting Trevally, Chevron Barracuda, Bannerfish, Giant Sweetlips, Yellow Fin Tuna and big Red Snapper congregate on these sites. Large Grey Reef Sharks can also be seen at Cape Kri. In the afternoon, we have time to relax on one of Kri’s secluded beaches...

While we sail back to Waisai enjoy breakfast, and the last exchange of photos and memories, the crew and Akomo Isseki will say their fond farewells Unfortunately our trip has come to an end and we have to say goodbye, but we hope to see you again soon!