Diving Banda Sea - Area information

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Diving Banda Sea, the best way with a Dive Liveaboard

Rewarding view after
trekking up Gunung Api

The legendary spice islands where wars were once fought over the precious spices naturally grown within this island group.

Many think Wakatobi has great wall diving... it does, though sorry guys but Banda has the best walls. There are usually way more fish, regular big fish sightings, regular shark sightings if you want to see them they are there. Most of all there are virtually no impacted reefs. If you want critters you can see them in one of the most gorgeous natural harbours in the world!

Below is a brief rundown on the islands within the Banda Sea that are en-route by live aboard vessels:

Gunung Api - simply translated means fire mountain or volcano as we call them. This small island should actually be called Snake Island. This island itself is more of a small rock with vegetation than an island, it is very exposed to the weather and rises up from the surrounding deep open oceans from over 4,000m/13,000' deep in places. It is also the home to various colonies of nesting birds, these circle above and nest on this safe haven away from harm.

Snakes going hunting with goatfish
by Graham Abbott

A very strange underwater atmosphere, almost as if this small island has somehow missed out on the abundance of the rest of Indonesia. Something about diving on this island is very odd. The underwater topography is made up of ridges with steep walls and spurs. Not so many coral species have managed to make it to this island giving the impression that is not at all Indonesia. Reef scenery here is also very different. Even though visibility can be very good there is a stark eary feeling to the reef scenery. There are reefs with great scenes, a few sites here have great fish life and excellent reef scenery with plenty of sea fans and sponges. Though the main reason to dive this island is simply because of it's unique attraction.... sea snakes. These are in abundance here, like no where else. This unique phenomenon can be seen all year round, though best doing this safely during certain times of the year, when the Banda Sea is at it's calmest.

Bird life - Gunung Api is also home to various species of booby, frigate, tropic birds, noddy's and other sea birds. It is possible to take a short hike up the to check out the view and get a real idea of just how many birds populate this small island. Be careful where you tread as the birds are often nesting and the chicks can be seen sitting in crevices in the rocks.

Lucipara & Penyu Islands - a group of islands also rising up out of the very deep surrounding open oceans, some of which are not much more than sand spits. One having the wreck of a naval ship laying on the reef top. Excellent wall diving is to be had here, in areas there are great walls with caverns, swim throughs, grottos, large colourful sea fans, whip bushes and giant sponges lots of turtle sightings, a few little reef sharks, lots of tuna, jacks, napoleon wrasse and schools of unicorns, fusiliers and snappers.

Huge swim through
in Banda Niera

Banda Niera and surrounding islands - this is home of the Best Mandarin Fish Site I have ever came across, and so says everyone that I have dived here with too. Here they have no fear like the usual Mandarin fish seen elsewhere, allowing divers and even photographers to get so close. On the first trip through here, one photographer actually managed to get mating Mandarin fish in the framer of a Nikonos 5, now that has to be first! Lots of other interesting marine life and breathtaking scenery topside make this gorsous natural harbour a great place to be anchored. Other sites here include an incredible archway, basically a giant swim through with good fish life and great reef scenery all over. The Lava Flow is a must, just to see how fast this reef has grown since the volcano erupted in 1988. Another good dive at the mouth of the bay on Kraka island, this makes an excellent night dive with huge nudibranchs including the Spanish dancers, many colourful crustaceans and lots of other marine life hiding away in crevices and beneath the sand awaiting their prey. Batu Kapal is a one of the top fishy dive sites here, in fact on a few recent trips it has been one of the fishiest dives I have seen in Indonesia, in one area on this island there are the largest sea fans I have ever seen. Hatta has now become my number island in this region for it's great wall diving. On one trip through here a while back we came across a hole in the reef top that leads down to a soft coral lined bowl, then to a shear wall that drops below. In the depths are many sea fans and deep purple soft corals, there are huge overhangs with great reef scenery throughout. We named this site after the lady who found the hole with me "Great Aunt Pams Magic Window". To find it, go west of the village to find a coral reef spur jutting out from the main reef, enter here to find the hole in the reef top, drop down through the hole and off you go, if you find a current, just go with the flow, the current can and may change direction, go with it and enjoy the ride! There are other great wall dives on this island, in fact many... explore and enjoy! Ai and Run also have some great wall dives with good schooling fish life in area's.

Great architecture
on Banda Besar

Land tours - many days can be spent around these lush islands. Spices are still grown here and the local people still make traditional food and snacks using these once very rare and sought after spices. Short walks to see the forts left behind by the Dutch, visits plantations of nutmeg. The trek up Gunung Api will surely leave a lasting impression with amazing panoramic views if the islands surrounding Banda Niera (not for the faint hearted!). As a good friend once said "in Indonesia you always leave a piece of you behind" he meant this literally!

Too Many Fish - on the eastern tip of Seram lies a small island with an incredible site aptly named "Too Many Fish" by Larry Smith and one of his groups that came through here and named it! It often lives up to its name with huge schools of fish in all varieties and excellent reef scenery all the way to the shallows. It has to be one of Indonesia's Best Fish Dives though like all dives, it doesn't always have the amount of fish that it can have at times. Though when there is current this is a truly incredible dive!

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