Arenui Liveaboard

The Arenui prides herself to be "The Boutique Liveaboard", and for good reasons. They aim to provide the best there is in terms of diving and leisure activities, without sacrificing any of the comforts and luxury you would expect to get from a 5-star hotel on land. The Arenui is easily one of the most luxurious and the best liveaboards in Indonesia, and some would say, in the world!

Dive Overview

In Komodo (now one of the new 7 wonders of nature), expect exhilarating drift diving, pelagics as well as critters, hot and warm water, and even dive in the shadow of an underwater volcano.

Alor (best-kept secret in diving), offers unexplored coral gardens and untouched reefs, rhinopias, anemones, and many unusual critters, plus an active volcano which erupts every 30 mins.

In Maluku, explore a reef teeming with hundreds of sea-snakes and look out for incredibly rare critters (if lucky, the psychedelic frogfish) and dive one of deepest seas in the world (Banda).

Raja Ampat is the epicenter for biodiversity, at the center of the Coral Triangle, home to the most colorful, pristine, and photogenic soft coral reefs, as well as walking sharks, mantas, and pygmies.

[See: Komodo Dive Travel Guide, Ambon and Banda Sea, Alor Dive Travel Guide & Raja Ampat Travel Guide]

Check Out This Great Video from Arenui!

Accommodation Overview

The Arenui has been designed to host a maximum of 16 passengers in 8 exceptionally spacious cabins (starting from 19 square meters). All cabins have been luxuriously furnished in a sophisticated and tasteful manner.

The cabins' individual themes and styles were inspired by handicrafts from each of the Indonesian provinces. Each cabin has a private en-suite bathroom and individual air conditioning. A king-size bed or roomy singles and a distinct lounge area guarantee maximum comfort and ensure that our guests never feel crowded.

Dive Information

From May to October, Arenui cruises the Komodo National Park area, taking in dive sites and landscapes from Bali right across to Flores and Alor, which can be dived all year round.

Then in November, they move towards Ambon in Maluku and the Spice Islands in the Banda Sea, working our way to the Raja Ampat area of Western Papua (the world's "epicenter of marine biodiversity").

Their cruises continue in Raja Ampat from December until April, before traveling back towards Alor and Komodo National Park (one of the 'New 7 Wonders of Nature').

Komodo

Offering perhaps the most diverse range of dive sites, Komodo cruises have everything from macro subjects to pelagics, from drift dives over stunning reefs to night dives on black sandy slopes. In the Komodo National Park, now one of the new 7 wonders of nature, we dive over hot springs at an underwater volcano and meet the last living dinosaur. We explore a popular site called Castle Rock, a nice opportunity to try out a 'reef-hook' dive as you secure yourself to the rock and float in the current, watching the schooling fish and predator/prey action!

Alor & Flores

As well as being one of the best-kept secrets for diving in paradise, including rare finds like the beautiful rhinopias but also plenty of pelagic action, this area boasts stunning topside scenery and impressive volcanoes. We also visit 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.

Maluku & Banda (Spice Islands)

Unlike other areas, with high populations and subsequent pressure from fishing, the Bandas' relatively small human population has been a blessing for divers - offering a vibrant, healthy reef system with fish life in incredible numbers along with huge gorgonians and sponges and some truly monumental hard corals. Expect plenty of pelagics, widespread muck diving and unexplored coral gardens, as well as a rich colonial heritage on land. Dive Nusa Laut, which showcases the positive effects of a village taking care of its habitat, where the reef remains as unspoiled as it was hundreds of years ago and a favorite of many dive enthusiasts.

Ambon

The Laha sites are a hidden treasure of amazing critters, including the recently discovered species of frogfish (the psychedelic frogfish) but also mimic octopus, zebra crabs and dozens of different nudibranchs. A very popular photo subject is the eponymous Ambon Scorpionfish in differing hues of red, pink, green, yellow and orange - but keep an eye out for many other members of the scorpionfish family too, including the spiny devilfish, stonefish, zebra lionfish, ragged-finned lionfish and leafy scorpionfish - all venomous but gorgeous!

Raja Ampat

Famed as the world's epicenter of marine biodiversity, this area offers vibrant underwater colors but also majestic landscapes, so a perfect destination for keen photographers. The waters of the region's 1,500 virtually untouched islands, boast over 1,300 reef fish (25 endemic species), 600 hard corals and 75 % of all known coral species, plus 13 marine mammals and 5 species of endangered sea turtles. Wobbegong sharks hide under colorful coral shelves and the elusive Epaulette "walking" shark comes out at night. Jump in at Neptune Fan Sea for a great drift dive, rushing along a gulley past giant colorful gorgonian sea fans. Manta Sandy is well-known as one of the most consistent spots for finding congregating mantas.

A Typical Day On The Arenui

Here's a sample Arenui day for a keen diver who also wants a relaxing holiday:

• 6:00-7:00 am| Wake up in a remote paradise, head out to the restaurant area, and start the day with a small breakfast of toast, pastries, fruit, coffee, and juice. One of the cruise directors gives a full dive brief, using two TV screens to highlight the dive site map and a recommended route to explore the reef, and also uses the fish ID books to show photos of the popular critters we hope to see that are special to this site.
• 8:00 am| First dive of the day. Grab rash-guard, mask, booties, and fins, then pass crew the camera to put in a plastic basket and take to the tender. Step down into the tender and check over BCD (already waiting for you, set up, and ready to go). Quick 2-3 mins ride out to the site, gear up, and then back roll into the water. Probably a deeper dive, perhaps a nice slow drift or maybe a good chance to hook onto the seabed and watch some early morning fish action. Pop up (after safety stop) to find tender waiting at the surface. Head back to boat and crew member hands over a warm towel to dry off!
• 9.30 am | Time for the big breakfast now, with a full spread of hot items and eggs cooked to request (before the first dive you'll be asked how you'd like your eggs so they can prepare and have everything ready after the dive). Relax in the sky lounge, go for a nap in your cabin or complete log books. Thirty minutes before the dive time it's another dive briefing, with map, route, photos. 11:30 am | Second dive of the day. Good time to take out the underwater camera and try for some images in good light. Test out some fun sun-burst photos using dive buddy as a model.
• 1 pm | If it's not dive-time then it must be food-time. Lunch is a mouth-watering buffet of local and western food with healthy salads and vegetables to make sure everyone's feeling fit and healthy for the next dive. Perhaps time to pop up to the sky lounge for a short cat-nap, or to read a good book or chat with other guests and crew. Step in to say hello to the captain in the wheelhouse and ask him about the beautiful islands we're sailing past. Back down to the restaurant for a full dive briefing.
• 3:00 pm | Third dive of the day. Fueled by a tasty lunch, drop in for a current dive and try to keep up
• with the schools of fish
• 4.30 pm | Chef puts out some tasty snacks, savory and sweet. Try to resist eating too much but it's all so delicious and you have the excuse of needing energy for all this diving! Time to decide whether to do the night dive or not. If not, there's the option of an early dinner so not eating too late.
• 5:00 pm| Find some time between reading, chatting, snacking and looking at photos on the computer, to get a back massage. Fragrant massage oils smell great, mixing with the salty ocean breeze. Now it's decision time; sunset cocktail or a last dive? There's time later for a drink with the stars instead, so head down for a dive briefing to find out what's in store on this night dive.
• 6:30 pm| Fourth dive of the day. Well worth skipping the cocktail, as the reef is alive with weird and wonderful creatures. Eagle-eyed dive guide points out tiny bits of fluff that turn out to be minute species, rarely seen. After the dive, head back to the boat through inky black water under a canopy of stars. A crew member has a hot towel and a cup of hot chocolate ready and waiting!
• 8:00 pm | Take a seat in the sky restaurant on the top deck under the stars, with fellow divers, to discuss the day's highlights, while tucking into the starter laid out at the table. Soup is next, then the crew serves up the main course (chosen earlier, at lunchtime, from the menu that changes daily) and everyone toasts to a great day of diving. After a delicious dessert, there's time for a short movie. Someone's downloading photos onto one of the computers in the restaurant (windows or mac setup) and having a go at editing the best shots.
• 9:00 pm | Seems like a great opportunity to get some night photos, so try out different settings to get a nice night-sky, starry image. Look out over the peaceful, calm waters. Imagine the activity going on beneath the surface, as night-time critters go about their business. Plan ahead for tomorrow; perhaps take one of the kayaks for a closer look at the islands. There's talk of visiting a village too, to meet some locals and buy some souvenirs. Or maybe another massage!!!