Amaya Explorer

Komodo runs from June to August out of Labuan Bajo, typically as a six-night round trip with around fourteen dives. It opens with a check dive at Pulau Sabayor Mini Wall, then works the northern pinnacles at Crystal Rock and Castle Rock, the reefs at Batu Bolong, the manta cleaning stations at Makassar Reef and Manta Alley, and a Lighthouse night dive. Land time includes the sunset trek at Gili Lawa Darat, with snorkelling laid on for non-divers in the mornings.

Raja Ampat is the wet-season half of the calendar, sailing from Sorong. The Dampier Strait sites carry the central legs, with the karst scenery of the north on longer routes. This is where the digital lounge earns its place: the biodiversity that draws photographers here is exactly the kind that needs a desk and a rinse tank at the end of the day.

Banda runs through October and November out of Ambon, the crossing season between Komodo and Raja Ampat. Deep walls, volcanic slopes at Gunung Api, pelagic action and the hammerhead aggregations the region is known for, plus the Spice Islands history ashore. Long open-water passages, which is what the twin-engine, long-range setup exists for.

Alor sits in September, a single month between the Komodo and Banda seasons, sailing from Kalabahi. Clear water, strong currents through the straits, macro subjects and pelagics in the same trip, and cultural visits ashore. It is the shortest window on the calendar, so dates go early.

Ambon is the departure port for the Banda Sea itineraries, and the bay diving is muck rather than reef. Silt, rubble and sponge, worked slowly and shallow. This is the ground the below-deck digital lounge was built for: three to four dives a day from two tenders produces a lot of files, and a naturalist guide aboard is more useful on critter sites than on reef.