Adelaar

Bali Simply hearing the name conjures up visions of a tropical paradise. It is Indonesias most popular tourist destination, and for good reason.

The island of the gods, is a charming destination, not only for its rich natural history but also for its diverse diving destinations. Shipwrecks, drop-offs, sandy slopes, black volcanic seascapes, roaring currents, and calm quiet bays there is something for everyone.

We now offer the chance to discover Balis underwater world onboard our luxury liveaboard dive boat ADELAAR. Our cruises are designed for five nights or more, depending on your preference. We are starting from our base in Serangan harbor, and sailing up the eastern coastline of Bali, calling at Nusa Lembongan, Nusa Penida, Candi Dasa and Amuk Bay, Amed and Tulamben as well as Menjangan Island.

In the fall of 2018, ADELAAR sails east of Flores, off the beaten path, from Maumere to the alluring Alor Archipelago. Join us on this exclusive luxury liveaboard and explore the spectacular dive sites of Alor, hoping to catch a glimpse of surfacing whales and super pods of dolphins. Experience the unspoiled nature of these islands, meet real-life headhunters and discover traditional fishing techniques.

• Day 1 Maumere, Flores
• An early morning flight from the island of Bali brings you to the harbor town of Maumere on the island of Flores. Our staff will greet you at the airport upon arrival, and accompany you to the Adelaar. A main port town for the island, Maumere harbor has a colorful local market where the women sell an array of handwoven ikats, fresh vegetables, meats, and fish. Strategically located on the northern coastline, Maumere has a mixed population of Christians and Muslims, eager to meet tourists interested in their culture. Once onboard, we plan to do a check dive close by, then sail onwards through the night towards North Lembata.
• Day 2 North Lembata
• Awake and enjoy coffee on deck as we start our first full day of diving in this remote location with stunning topographical features and beauty. The narrow strait allows for a steady flow of currents bringing deep water nutrients up to feed the lush corals and marine life. Off in the blue, pelagic creatures often make an appearance. In between dives, keep an eye on the horizon for passing cetaceans, as fall is whale migration season.
• Day 3 Savu Sea
• We have sailed south to extremely remote areas, accessible only by liveaboard. We will explore world-class dive sites around the untouched islands of the Savu Sea, which lies in the strait west of Pantar Island. These small islets tend to gather congregations of fish, which makes for a delightful dive as larger reef animals swim past the colorful Indian Ocean reefs.
• Day 4 South Pantar
• We start our exploration of Alors dive sites in the isolated area of Beangabang, which is a highlight of South Pantar. The small village, built around a church, is situated on a black sand beach. Locals must travel by boat to reach the main towns of Alor to gain access to shops and medical facilities. Down by the jetty, we have the option to walk carefully through a steamy natural volcanic water source. Thanks to the volcanic and freshwater environment, Beangabangs dive site Religious critters, which lies just off the beach, is a haven for weird and macro creatures. Photographers and muck diving enthusiasts will enjoy spending time in the sand looking for these rare wonders.
• Day 5 & 6 Pantar Strait
• Picturesque villages cling to the steep rocky slopes of the islands in this Strait, which also hides wonderful and exciting dive sites. We explore the walls, drop-offs, slopes and underwater valleys and ridges of Pantar, Alor and Pura islands. This region has a reputation as a world-class dive destination, with some of the best-preserved reefs in Indonesia. Patchwork fields of varied anemones stretch as far as the eye can see. Hand-woven bamboo fish traps lying in the reef shallows make a picturesque scene. During safety stops, we look up in search of hand-carved outrigger boats of local fishermen. Their children love jumping in the water to visit surfacing divers, wearing incredible homemade glass goggles and big friendly smiles. Alorese hospitality is like nowhere else on earth.
• Day 7 Kalabahi Bay
• This morning, we enter a traditional village of the Abui tribe, feared headhunters until 1984. The fierce dance these warriors perform as you enter the village remains unnerving to this day. Enjoy the hypnotic sound of the moko drums as the Abui people dance. For the ceremony, the Abui wear colorful ikats that they have hand-woven in a pattern that is specific to their tribe. As they dance the lego lego, the jingling sound of their metal anklets eerily fills the air with each step.
• The two dives planned for the afternoon and evening will be refreshing after the morning adventures. Kalahahi bay is well known for its exciting muck diving.
• Day 8 Pantar Strait
• Just off the shore of Pulau Ternate, dozens of women approach liveaboards to display and sell their hand-made ikats woven in patterns, which reflect the fishing traditions of their respective cast. There is time between our dives today if you wish to purchase one of these unique ikats.
• We dive today around the islands of Ternate and Reta for a glimpse into the underwater world teeming with a huge range of fish species and marine life scattered along the colorful walls.
• Day 9 North Adunara
• As we sail leisurely towards Flores Island, the landscapes change once more into the dry hills and sandy beaches that became familiar on initial days of our journey. We have saved some of the best and most amazing reefs of the remote islands for last! Lush corals and clouds of fish are on the menu with a side of muck diving later in the day as we embark on a new critter hunt.
• Day 10 & 11 Maumere
• The last days onboard are spent exploring the beautiful coastline and islands near Maumere. The landscape is a postcard-like paradise with white sand beaches and turquoise blue water. We will dive along the walls and ridges looking for sharks and other denizens of the deep.
• Day 12 Goodbye!
• Breakfast will be served on board before you disembark and are transferred to the airport or to your hotel. We wish you a safe onward journey and hope you enjoyed your time on the Adelaar, made new friends and had the experience of a lifetime.

Liveaboard Diving Bali, Komodo, Alor

Diving the pristine waters around Bali, or the remote areas of the Komodo and Alor Archipelago onboard our Dutch schooner, ADELAAR, this will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The program, Liveaboard Diving Bali, Komodo, Alor will take you to an underwater world alive with vibrant colors and teeming with an abundance of life, be it corals, fish or sea mammals.

The experienced divemaster and his well-trained dive guides will show you this magnificent underwater world and provide insides to the unique marine biology in Indonesian waters.

Your schedule and route will be coordinated with the ships captain, to assure safe and best diving conditions for a selected dive site, and according to the groups experience level as well as their expectations.

Visiting these unique and remote dive destinations, while enjoying all the comforts of a luxury liveaboard, makes your dive trip on the ADELAAR a truly unique experience!

They know many good dive sites, and they are experts at finding frogfish, ghost pipefish and stargazers for those avid underwater photographers.

10-Night Banda Sea & Forgotten Islands Itinerary (Ambon To Saumlaki)

• The amazing Banda Sea offers us a true divers paradise and further south, the Forgotten Islands with their many archipelagos are an exciting destination to discover.
• We start our adventure in Ambon Bay with some muck diving. If we are lucky, we might spot the Psychedelic Frogfish, but even if not: this unique ecosystem offers plenty of other interesting marine life, such as Moray Eels, Ghostpipefish, Ribbon Eels, Rhinopias, Stonefish and more.
• Then, we will head on to Nusa Laut, with stunning dives on walls and slopes. The dive sites here offer us a large variety of reef fish as well as interesting macro life. We might encounter Bumphead Parrotfish and schools of Jackfish here.
• Culturally interesting Banda Neira and the rocky Suanggi island await us with spectacular diving at pristine hard-coral reefs. We have a good chance to see schooling fish like Jacks and Tuna, and potential pelagics here as well.
• On Banda Neira we can explore the historical town on land, which was once the global center of nutmeg and mace trade, and indulge in the view of Gunung Api, a 650-metre-high active volcano.
• We will also explore some of the islands just outside Banda Neira, such as Pulau Pisang, Karang Hatta, Pulau Rum and Pulau Ai. These sites have lovely walls, plenty of Napoleon Wrasses and sometimes Giant Queensland Groupers.
• Our next stop is Manuk a bit further southeast, an uninhabited volcanic island, that offers nice reefs surrounded by black sand, but also walls, slopes and sandy bays. We can find plenty of sea snakes here and pelagics might pass by. Above the water, amazing bird life can be observed in form of colonies of Frigates, Boobies and Tropic Birds that make the volcano their home.
• Then, Deep Banda with its atolls will invite us to indulge in pristine hard coral reefs. And with luck we spot further pelagics, maybe even some Silver Tips and Marlins around here.
• The remainder of our trip we take our time exploring various forgotten islands, like Pulau Nila, Pulau Teun Pulau Dai and Pulau Dewara, all bristling with amazingly pristine and healthy reefs, schooling fish, possibly pelagics as well.
• We will disembark in Saumlaki, wishing guests farewell after a wonderful adventure.

Daedalus & St Johns

This itinerary combines the spectacular drop-offs and big pelagics at Daedalus with the stunning variety of St Johns. This is an amazing opportunity to dive some of the most stunning reefs in the Red Sea.

• Common sightings: Large fish and plentiful marine life
• Reefs: Deep drop-offs, stunning reef systems and exposed plateaus
• Wrecks: Limited - two small wrecks in Fury Shoal
• Night dives: Normally two or three during the week but not guaranteed
• Experience required: Moderate
• Amount of traveling: Normally three overnight sailings

SEA OF CORTEZ - SOUTHERN SAFARI 

September / October / December 

The Sea of Cortez, also known as the Gulf of California is a strip of water separated from the Pacific Ocean by the Baja Peninsula. This isolation, on land and underwater, provides a unique series of contrasting ecosystems from the vast solitude of the desert to the rich underwater realms and black coral gardens. 

Let the crews of Rocio del Mar and Quino el Guardian spoil you as we travel throughout the warm and clear waters of the southern Sea of Cortez. Enjoy six days of diving where we can see countless tropical fish, schools of mobula rays, eels, octopuses, turtles, rays, giant pods of dolphins, and whales. We will explore Isla el Bajo and Isla Los Islotes, where you will encounter a massive colony of friendly sea lions. We will dive Isla Espiritu Santo and wrecks Fang Ming and Salvaterra, Isla Las Animas, Isla Los Islotes, and Isla Cerralvo, known as Jacques Cousteau Island. We'll also do a night dive with mobula rays. 

This itinerary is excellent for snorkelers.

Sample Itinerary | 8 Days / 7 Nights / 6 Days of Diving 

Day 1 - Embark in San José del Cabo / Dinner and departure at approximately 7 pm 

Day 2 - Isla Espiritu Santo and mobula ray night dive / 3-4 dives 

Day 3 - Isla Las Ánimas / 3-4 dives 

Day 4 - Isla Danzante and Isla San Francisquito 

Day 5 - Isla El Bajo Seco and Isla San Francisquito / 3-4 dives 

Day 6 - Isla Los Islotes and wrecks Salvaterra and Fang / 3-4 dives 

Day 7 - Isla Cerralvo, also known as Jacques Cousteau Island / 3-4 dives 

Day 8 - Arrival in San Jose del Cabo and disembark at 8:30 am