BLUEMOTION, DIVE BLUEMOTION
Jl. Pelabuhan RT 03 NO 14, 97593 Banda Naira, MA - Indonesia
Explore Banda Islands
The Banda Islands are a remote cluster of 11 idyllic islands located in Maluku’s Banda Sea. Home to thriving coral reefs that support marine life ranging from the Ambon scorpionfish to pilot whales, divers can search for macro life as cetaceans and squadrons of mobula rays pass in the blue. As magical as it is to see large pelagics, the real treasure of Banda Islands diving is the astounding diversity of fish, both large and small, encapsulating healthy reefs and towering walls.
While some divers choose to descend into the depths of the Banda Sea from the few dive centres and dive resorts in the area, more popular are the liveaboards that sail through. As the Banda Sea is so vast, a wider variety of dive sites are accessible by liveaboards, where you can even sample Ambon’s fantastic muck diving.
Dive Centers
Top Banda Islands Dive Sites
Pulau Ai
Pulau Ai is renowned for its towering walls and deep waters, providing a habitat for hammerhead sharks, thresher sharks, and silvertip sharks. Large schools of barracuda and giant trevally are also common. This site is suited for advanced scuba divers due to its depth and strong currents. There are no special features like wrecks, but the marine life is the main attraction.
Pulau Hatta
Featuring strong currents and vertical walls, Pulau Hatta is ideal for advanced scuba divers. It's a great place to encounter sharks, with sightings of mobula rays and eagle rays gliding by. Enormous sponges and sandy slopes enhance the underwater landscape. While there are no protected areas, this site offers a thrilling dive experience.
Batu Kapal
Batu Kapal offers coral-clad pinnacles where potato cod, barracuda, and grey reef sharks linger. Suitable for both scuba and freediving, it provides an easy to advanced adventure level depending on the dive plan. The site is notable for its vibrant reef fish and stunning underwater formations, although no wrecks or protected zones are present.
Pulau Keraka
Pulau Keraka is a haven for macro photographers, featuring rocky walls and coral boulders. Small critters like candy crabs, nudibranch, and ornate ghost pipefish are common sightings. This site offers easy scuba diving and is thrilling for night dives. There are no wrecks, but the biodiversity makes it a standout location.
Pombo Boi
Pombo Boi's bubble coral and rocky terrain make it ideal for discovering minuscule shrimp, while unexpected visits from dolphins and dugongs add excitement. Suited for easy scuba and freediving, this site doesn't feature any wrecks or protected zones but showcases unique marine life interactions in the Banda Sea.
The best Months to dive in Banda Islands
Scuba diving in the Banda Islands is best in March and April and from September through December. Outside of these times, the weather is a little inconsistent, with rain and rougher surface conditions. Indonesian liveaboards and even the land-based dive centers tend to cease diving in the area when the Banda Sea is choppy.
Marine life is reasonably constant in the calm periods, and during the best months, visibility can stretch from 15 to 30 meters/49 to 98 feet—giving divers an even better chance at spotting passing whales. In the months that liveaboards visit the area, water temperatures rarely change, meaning warm and comfortable dives throughout.
Top Wildlife Sightings in Banda Islands
The remoteness of the islands in the vast Banda Sea and small human population have meant less fishing pressure and hence a vibrant, natural and healthy reef ecosystem. This has led to lucky divers being able to observe a wide range of marine life including dogtooth tuna, mobula rays, mandarin fish, Ambon scorpionfish, melonhead whales, spinner dolphins, orcas, and even humpback whales.
In deep currents, hammerhead sharks, thresher sharks, and silver-tip sharks have all been spotted while at Batu Belanda, there is the chance to find one of the rare creatures of the Moluccas, the Lembeh sea dragon. If the search is not a success, feather stars conceal clingfish and emperor shrimp who have dressed appropriately to disguise themselves against their host.
Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 200
Alamy-WaterFrame
Moray Eel
711 Sightings
J
39
F
67
M
75
A
70
M
53
J
9
J
14
A
15
S
81
O
115
N
111
D
62
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 600
iStock/ultramarinfoto
Wrasse
589 Sightings
J
77
F
78
M
71
A
36
M
23
J
0
J
1
A
1
S
6
O
79
N
111
D
106
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 27
iStock-Global_Pics
Barracuda
260 Sightings
J
29
F
19
M
21
A
33
M
22
J
2
J
2
A
1
S
44
O
45
N
18
D
24
Shutterstock-Shane Myers Photography
Green Turtle
138 Sightings
J
9
F
13
M
21
A
16
M
3
J
0
J
3
A
3
S
12
O
19
N
8
D
31
Shutterstock-Andrey Armyagov
Hawksbill Turtle
77 Sightings
J
4
F
26
M
5
A
9
M
0
J
3
J
0
A
1
S
7
O
7
N
9
D
6
AdobeStock/G Russel Childress
Great Hammerhead Shark
29 Sightings
J
0
F
0
M
0
A
0
M
0
J
0
J
0
A
0
S
7
O
14
N
4
D
4
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 28
Udo Kefrig
Clownfish
1k Sightings
J
110
F
134
M
115
A
71
M
48
J
8
J
19
A
16
S
82
O
125
N
149
D
128
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 130
Shutterstock_Krzysztof Odziomek
Butterfly Fish
919 Sightings
J
106
F
119
M
95
A
61
M
47
J
8
J
27
A
14
S
32
O
130
N
151
D
129
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 12
iStock/cinoby
Lionfish
864 Sightings
J
111
F
127
M
96
A
49
M
49
J
7
J
7
A
6
S
90
O
98
N
123
D
101
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 90
Shutterstock-Rich Carey
Angelfish
857 Sightings
J
98
F
112
M
84
A
55
M
46
J
8
J
17
A
12
S
29
O
118
N
154
D
124
