ALOR, INDONESIA
Extraordinary diving tour
July 17 – 26 … aboard MSY Arenui
Have you long dreamed of diving the best of Indonesia from a luxury liveaboard ? Then the Arenui is just right for you. This Phinisi schooner is the height of luxury and will take you to the legendary reefs & muck of Alor to dive into one of the most intriguing worlds on the planet.
SO, WHERE EXACTLY ARE WE GOING & WHAT’S THE DIVING LIKE ?
Alor is the area surrounding the magical island of Flores in Indonesia … just east of Komodo. As the Arenui sails through the archipelago, you’ll see white sandy beaches, crystal clear water, green forests and savannahs with water buffaloes. Starting in Maumere, on Flores … you’ll first cruise to the east then loop back around to head to Labuan Bajo and the Komodo-Flores channel where you’ll have several days of Komodo diving before disembarking in Labuan Bajo.
You’ll experience a startling variety of topography and diving sites … black sand, muck, white sandy bottoms, sparkling shallow coral gardens, steep walls which hide a myriad of treasured critters
Diving offers widespread muck diving, sharks and large schools of fish, untouched reefs and unexplored coral gardens with magnificent soft corals and stunning hard coral formations. You can expect your diving delight to further include angelfish, damselfish, weedy scorpionfish, frogfish, anthias, snappers, mantis shrimps, leaf-fish, giant bumphead parrotfish, lionfish, moray eels, cuttlefish, wonderpus and mimic octopus, ribbon eels, nudibranchs, sponges, gorgonians, sea fans, soft and hard corals, dolphins, reef sharks, sperm whales and even possibly whale sharks. The list goes on. There is almost nothing that you CAN’T find here !
As to topside treasures, sailing through this remote region brings you face-to-face with one of the country’s most active volcanoes which erupts every 30 minutes and makes for more thrilling photo ops. You’ll also meet some of the famous Pura Island villagers, who splash out of their wooden dugout canoes and dive underwater with home-made goggles fashioned from wood and glass bottles. You may also have the option of visiting villages where you’ll see unforgettable dance performances and have the opportunity to purchase hand made items.
SAMPLE ITINERARY
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9-night itinerary:
Day 1 …. Travel & boarding
After your international flight to Bali, you’ll fly to Maumere on the island of Flores. We’ll arrange a transfer for you to the M.S.Y. Arenui. After a detailed briefing on the planned activities for the coming days, you’ll be free to set up your diving & camera equipment.
Then, after your first dinner on board, the adventure truly begins. Slip out to the deck to enjoy the evening under the starry sky while the M.S.Y. Arenui glides smoothly over the waves (weather gods permitting, of course).
You are likely to dive most, if not all, of the following sites. Depending on weather, currents and other factors other sites may be added and some of these may be dropped. No worries. There is not a dive site in Alor which is less than magical !
Sample dive sites:
SERBETE REEF … probable check-out dive site
A perfect place for a checkout dive, this site has shallow reefs and sandbars. In addition to the exquisite coral gardens in the shallower areas, there are also fantastic walls that make for some nice, varied diving. Reef sharks, turtles and pygmy seahorses can all be spotted here.
ADONARA ISLAND … introduction to the exotic creatures of the region
East of Flores. There is a very healthy reef in the shallows. Look for juvenile harlequin sweetlips, barramundi cods, ribbon eels and numerous nudibranchs between the reef and the slope that slowly drops down. At the west end of the dive site there are blue spotted stingrays, white tip reef sharks and sweetlips. The eastern part is home to the ‘holy grail’ of fish the Rhinopias. We have found the weedy and paddle-flap scorpion fish here.
KAWULA ISLAND … world class muck diving sites.
Tanjung Waiwowan
A mixture of reef and white sandy slope full of amazing critters: rhinopias, different kinds of ghost pipefish, wunderpus and blue ring octopus, juvenile brown-banded bamboo sharks, flying gurnards and frogfish.
The Frog and Catfish
The jetty provides an excellent place for giant frogfish to laze around the concrete posts. Rhinopias, mantis shrimps, ghost pipefish, nudis and leaf fish have also been found here. Diving at this site is dependent on the local ferry schedule and permission from the authorities.
PURA ISLAND / KALABAHI BAY … muck, culture & possibly pelagics
Alor/Pantar Strait dives promise a variety of thrills with topography ranging from dramatic shear drop-offs to spurs jutting out from the shore mingling together with shallow reefs. Colors are dazzling. Here you can see the famous Pura Island villagers splash out of their wooden dugout canoes diving underwater with homemade goggles made out of wood and the ends of glass bottles. You will also be looking for large pelagics who use the Pantar Strait as a thoroughfare. If there are any sightings of whales, dolphins or even Mola Mola you may forego a dive and head out in the tenders with snorkelling gear to see if we can have a lucky encounter.
Yan Village
Walls covered in sponges topped with shallow hard coral reefs, black sandy slopes where fans of macro will get their fill too. Some examples of the critters here are mandarin fish, frogfish, weedy scorpionfish, all sorts of nudibranchs and yellow, blue and black ribbon eels.
PANTAR ISLAND … critters and hot springs
The beach in front of a tiny village nestled inside a calm bay on the south of Pantar Island provides a whole day of great diving. Between dives go for a walk in the village and visit the hot springs right on the beach.
Beang Abang
The beachfront here is great muck diving. The black sand hides a whole host of critters including Rhinopias, frogfish, ghost pipefish, seahorses and a variety of nudibranchs. You can also see many different types of octopus here including wunderpus, mimic, coconut, starry night and white V.
Tanjung Kanang
Look for tunas and mackerels passing by and on the wall enjoy the corals blooming in the currents. In the shallows ribbon eels and crocodile fish can be seen in the sand between the hard corals.
Mucky Mosque and Rocky Church
More glorious muck. Rhinopias, weedy and paddleflap scorpionfish, ghost pipefish, soft coral crabs, frogfish, various octopus including the wunderpus and mimic, snake eels, sea moths, sand divers and many other remarkable creatures (with even weirder ones on a night dive).
Pertamina Jetty
This large jetty provides shelter for a plethora of critters and the gentle sandy slope creates the perfect environment for more weird and wonderful critters. Small colonies of sponges house the very special tiger shrimp. Fire sea urchins provide protection for Coleman shrimps and zebra crabs. Look for more rhinopias, leaf fish, different types of octopus, frogfish, ghost pipefish juvenile batfish & barramundi cod, many types of nudibranchs.
Clown Valley
One exceptional dive site on Pura Island is probably the only place in the world where you will see this phenomenon. The entire reef is completely covered in anemones of all shapes and sizes. Enjoy a drift dive along this site and enjoy the abundant fish life, with thousands of colorful anthias and damsels dancing off the reef.
Cave Point
Beautiful vertical walls with overhangs, undercuts and a deep plateau at 25m/75ft full of hard and soft corals, barrel sponges and whip corals. At the top of the wall is a coral garden teeming with reef fish. In this area you should always keep an eye out into the blue for Mola.
KAWULA ISLAND … calm bay overlooked by a volcano
Tanjung Bacatan
The dive site consists of a wall covered in crevices and ledges covered in soft corals and large sponges with hard coral gardens in the shallows. At one end the wall turns into a white sandy slope hosting many varieties of reef fish and triggerfish. A resident school of barracuda can be seen here as well as turtles and maybe even large trevallies passing by.
Takat Prau
In the middle of the bay there is a seamount we call Takat Prau. There is a small wooden fishing boat wrecked in the deep right next to a sea fan with pygmies. There can be schooling fusiliers here with small reef sharks patrolling the pinnacle. Leaf fish make their home in the shallows and large reef octopus are often spotted hunting in the hard coral.
Padang Pasir
This dive site has two sections. A huge expanse of white sand extends to the south and a mini wall and reef comes out from the corner of the island. In the sandy area look for waspfish, flounders, stingrays and ghost pipefish. On the wall algae shrimp, moray eels, lionfish and beautiful angelfish hide out. At the top of the reef there are healthy staghorn corals where you might spot a mandarin fish. At night the wall and reef come alive with shrimps and crabs and there is a chance you will see Spanish dancer nudis. Or hunt around in the sand for stargazers, bobtail squid and frogfish.
Disembarkation in Maumere. {/sliders}
ARENUI …. YOUR STUNNING HOME-AWAY-FROM-HOME
The truly spectacular Arenui fits perfectly into the “Boutique Liveaboard” category. The second you step on board you notice that she is a world apart from the average dive vessel.
Intimate but roomy, the Arenui is an exquisite ship and a work of art in itself … with wooden detailing and classic decorative touches. This is a truly unique & special liveaboard, one of the finest you’ll experience. The crew of this lovely vessel aims to provide a dive holiday & experience unlike any other, giving you the best diving and leisure activities without sacrificing any of the comforts and luxury you would expect to get from a top-notch hotel on land.
Arenui details
DATES, RATES, WHAT’S INCLUDED, WHAT’S EXTRA
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Getting there:
Take your international flights to Bali, Indonesia, where you’ll most likely want to or need to overnight (based on connecting flight schedules). Your next flight is to Maumere, Flores. We’ll help you with the domestic flights as Indonesian airlines are notoriously undisciplined about schedules. We’ll do everything humanly possible to make sure everything runs smoothly for your adventure but we highly recommend arriving a minimum of one day in advance of your cruise
Dates:
July 17-26, 2022
Costs: 9 nights $6030
Master cabin: + $450 per person
Fuel & port: $300 per person (subject to change)
Park Fee: $220 per person
Included in the rate:
• full board accommodation in double/twin cabins
• shore activities/excursions according to the program
• soft drinks, water, tea, American/Balinese coffee
• five meals per day
• diving activities (up to 4 dives/day) w/ 5 dive guides
• dive cylinders, weights and weight belts
• transfer from/to embarkation/disembarkation airport
• administration/port clearance fee
• National Parks entrance fee
• government taxes & fuel surcharge
• welcome massage (1/2 hour per person)
Extras :
- flights and airport taxes
- hotels before & after cruise
- alcoholic drinks
- dive equipment rental (excluding tanks, weights and weight belt)
- nitrox refills
- fuel surcharge
- massages and spa treatments
- travel insurance
- laundry
- on-board telecommunications
- crew gratuities {/sliders}