and all the sites their guests insist on diving!

FAR EAST The dive-sites liveaboard guests insist on diving!

Amira.

TOBIAS FRIEDRICH

Amira “There is no one dive-site. Some divers love muck, others macro only, the next big fish such as mantas or whale sharks, but most simply love the diversity. We can offer as many as 400 sites!”

Atlantis Azores.

Atlantis Azores “Monad Shoal, Malapascua in the Philippines is the most consistent location for thresher sharks. It’s an early-morning dive (best around 5.30), as the sharks emerge from the deep on to the cleaning station. We often see mantas too.

“You can reach this site from the island (it’s about a 40-minute ride) but diving from a liveaboard you beat all the day-boats so have a better chance of a private encounter. On the same day you get to dive other amazing sites in the area, such as Gato and the Kalanggaman islands.”

Blue Manta Explorer.

Blue Manta Explorer “Besides the schools of hammerhead sharks, the Banda Sea has pristine coral reefs, unique sea-life in Alor, sea snakes in Manuk and a visit to the spice island in Banda Neira.

“The remoteness of these islands, along with the low levels of human population, have meant less fishing and pollution pressures, resulting in a vibrant, natural and healthy reef system.

“Expect reefs bursting with life, huge seafans and sponges, monumental hard corals and more fish than your mask can cope with. The variety and volume of fish life, large and small, is extraordinary.”

Cheng Ho “Castle Rock is a favourite of visitors to the Komodo Marine Park. This underwater pinnacle is located just off of the north-eastern tip of Komodo Island, where divers often see hunting grey

Thresher shark, Malapascua (Atlantis Azores).

Cheng Ho.

reef along with blacktip and whitetip reef sharks.

“This vibrant, healthy reef is also home to large resident Napoleon wrasse and, if you’re lucky, you can spot some tiny Hippocampus bargibanti seahorses on the seafans as well.”

Coralia.

DEBBIE ARRIAGA

Coralia “Melissa’s Garden is in the central part of Raja Ampat, in the Fam Islands. This fantastic dive or snorkel is an absolute favourite of our guests.

“Three small rocks are surrounded in the shallows by a spectacular hard-coral garden. Full of life, you can spend half the dive (and all of a snorkel!) watching the colourful fish fluttering in and out of the corals. Blacktip reef sharks patrol the plateau and there’s a good chance of seeing a wobbegong shark lazing in the sand on the edges of the site.”

Emperor Raja Laut.

Dewi Nusantara It’s Magic Mountain in Misool, Raja Ampat – clouds of fish, schooling jack, sweetlips, big-eye snapper, Napoleon wrasse, blacktip reef sharks, and the magic of the site lies in the huge mantas that sweep majestically into the cleaning stations.

GOINGEPICPLACES

Coming next year: Emperor Harmoni.

Emperor Raja Laut / Harmoni “In Ambon, Nil Desperandum, in the middle of the Banda Sea, consists of massive coral and sponge formations, with beautiful hard coral to the reef side and shoals of big fish such as tuna, Spanish mackerel and, most impressive of all, resident hammerhead sharks rising from the depths in the blue.”

Melissa’s Garden, Raja Ampat (Coralia).

DEBBIE ARRIAGA

Fenides.

Fenides “The entire area of Raja Ampat has 1000-plus species of reef fish, 500-plus types of hard corals, and more than 700 species of molluscs, as

Anemonefish, Raja Ampat (Fenides).

well as insane numbers of mantas and sharks, huge schools of fish, macro, drift-dives and pretty much everything in between. It’s a world-beater.”

ILIKE.

ILIKE “There are too many fantastic sites, but one of the highlights on our schedule is definitely Misool in Raja Ampat.

“There are many dive sites there but one of the all-time favourite is Shadow Reef, also known as Magic Mountain.”

Indo Aggressor.

Indo Aggressor “Highlights are the USS Liberty wreck, the abundance and diversity of soft corals, schooling jack, oceanic whitetip sharks, underwater bubbles from Sangeang Volcano, excellent macro life, octopuses, manta rays, eagle rays, occasional mola molas in Manta Alley, Komodo Dragon Walk and fruit bats from Satonda Island.”

Indo Siren.

BRANDI MUELLER

Indo Siren “Everyone has an opinion about night dives, but if you do only one, it has to be Torpedo Alley on Rinca island in Komodo!

“Endless surprises are in store – all of the weird and wonderful kind. How often can you go in one dive from a riverbed, where every stone can hide tiny juvenile frogfish, to muck-diving black volcanic sand?

“Ever wanted to see the sci-fi-esque bobbit worm? An electric torpedo ray? Nudis that seem to be endemic to this dive-site? The rare Ambon scorpionfish? Torpedo Alley is your chance!”

Philippines Aggressor.

Torpedo Alley, Komodo (Indo Siren).

GERARD RAMBERT

Philippines Aggressor “The southern tip of North Atoll contains a shipwreck dive site, Malayan Wreck, located on a beautiful wall.

“This scuba experience includes big-animal action, with the chance to see dogtooth tuna, giant trevally, different species of barracuda in large schools, turtles, manta rays and almost every kind of native reef fish imaginable.”

Philippine Siren.

Philippine Siren “Apo Island is one of the most successful marine sanctuaries in the Philippines, and one of our guests’ favourite places. It has many dive-sites, but if our guests remember only one, it will be Rocky Point West.

“Just beyond the chapel, opposite the marine park warden’s office, Rocky Point West offers some of the most stunning hard corals in the region, with endless patches of leather corals.The steep reefwalls support numerous colourful reef species.

“Pyramid butterflyfish and red-toothed triggerfish are here in their hundreds, and frogfish, cuttlefish, banded sea-snakes, and hawksbill turtles are among common sightings.”

Apo (Philippines Siren).

HEATHER SUTTON

Raja Ampat Aggressor.

Raja Ampat Aggressor “Misool is the south-east of the four big islands of the Raja Ampat archipelago, one of the most biodiverse regions in the world. The rich variety of the reefs is accompanied by vertical walls, slopes, dry rocks, caves and lagoons, some covered with hard corals while the others are covered with brightly coloured soft corals. It’s also renowned as the centre for pygmy seahorses and gorgonians.” 

Samambaia.

Samambaia “Time and time again the Magic Mountain site in Misool leaves divers with 500-plus dives under their belts surfacing to say: ‘That is the best dive I have ever done.’ A beautiful submerged ridge that starts just 6m from the surface. It resembles an underwater plateau mountain that progressively steps down half a dozen times.

“Dropping in from the dive-boat, the first sight is an impressive hard-coral garden on the shallowest flat top of the ridge.

“Many times we have dropped into this site to see a giant black Pacific manta within minutes.

Giant Pacific manta (Samambaia).

“As the dive progresses, we drop a level and start making our way down to 25m along the ridge edge. Here you can find a microcosm of weird and wonderful macro critters clinging to the ridge walls. “Towards the deep end of the ridge, the current picks up a little. With that come schools of pelagics and other large fish. Among many species barracuda and abundant Napoleon wrasse are highlights.