Dune Aurora

Alor

Starting with muck dives, crossing the Banda Sea, and tracing the perimeter of islands. Let our experienced crew show you those almost untouched locations with wonderful reefs and stunning drop-offs.

Marine life is in abundance from critters, sea snakes, manta rays, sharks and much more. Frequently whales might be spotted from the surface.

The All Star Aurora offers 11 and 12-night trips to Alor. Below is a sample itinerary for the Banda Sea & Alor 11-night liveaboard trip (Ambon - Alor- Maumere), and due to the great distance covered, this itinerary is highly dependent on weather conditions.

Number of dives: 28 - 32 dives, including night dives.

When to go: May or September to November.

• Day 1 - Ambon. Guests are welcomed on board, and conditions permitting, checkout dive is done in the afternoonaround Laha or Tulehu Bay plus maybe even a night dive. This area isknown for its fabulous muck dives, probably among the best in the world for the macro dive.
• Day 2 - Nusa Laut & Molana.These rather picturesque islands of Maluku are popular dive destinations due to their diversity of reef fish species, ghost pipefish, frogfish and the variety of well-preserved hard corals.AND, sperm whales have been seen in the area, so keep your eyes wide open!
• Day 3 - Banda Islands, outer reefs.The waters atPulau Suanggiare full of fish, reef sharks, and tuna. As a bonus many bird species can be observed around the island: brown boobies, red-footed boobies and frigate birds.
• Pulau hatta / Karang hatta: We will dive both sloping reefs and vertical walls. The current attracts many fish: fusiliers, dogtooth tuna, eagle rays, barracudas and sometimes sharks. On the reef: soft corals, leather corals, big eye trevallies and turtles.
• Day 4 -Manuk, the Snake Island, which takes its nickname from the large numbers of sea snakes found there. The drop-offs here are amazing and sharks, mackerels, tunas, and barracudas are often observed.
• Days 5 -Serua, Nil Desperandum, Nila.Nil Desperandum (no despair) takes its name from a ship, stranded on the reef. This atoll is sometimes called the forgotten islands. You may be lucky enough to come across hammerhead sharks.
• Day 6 -Damar.Terbang Utara / Terbang Selatan, two small islands located south of Damar. Usually, we can expect easy but very fast drifts along marvellous coral drop-offs.Nuss Leur: several pinnacles with all the colorful life of coral reefs.
• Day 7:Nyata, northeast of Romang Island, offers stunning landscapes.Crystal clear waters and reefs on different levels, like in a theatre, with hard and soft coral gardens. Keep your eyes open: pelagic encounters are to be expected!
• Day 8 -The lasts step of the Banda Sea.Wetar is a large island north of Timor. Stunning drop-offs and pelagic life are waiting for you.Reong Island: Steep walls are all around the south side of this little island. Covered in soft corals and gorgeous table corals, these reefs attract a big number of reef fish. Overhangs and small caves make the dive exciting and interesting.
• Day 9 -Alor Strait.Nusa Tenggara area, Timor. The place offers all types of dives, from superb muck dives to magnificent drop-offs with sweeping currents.Pulau Pura and Pulau Ternate: clear and warm water with nice coral gardens and a huge marine wildlife. Superb macro to observe, especially the shy mandarin fish. Possibility of spotting pilot whales and dolphins from the surface. We will take you on a land excursion to see a forgotten tribe in a local village. An unforgettable cultural experience!
• Day 10 -Komba,an active volcano. The sandy slopes are home to various fish species. On the rocks, nudibranchs and shells.After the dives, a guaranteed thrill with a tour close to the volcano. Eruptions occur every 20 to 30 minutes!
• Day 11 - East Flores -Tanjung Gedong: The reef slopes down into a sandy area with large coral heads. The beautiful deep sections are decorated with soft corals and large table corals. Reef sharks, groupers and other encounters are to be expected.
• Day 12 - Maumere.Crew will arrange for transfer to Maumere airport after breakfast.

Banda Sea

Starting with muck dives, crossing the Banda Sea, and tracing the perimeter of islands. Let our experienced crew show you those almost untouched locations with wonderful reefs and stunning drop-offs.

Marine life is in abundance from critters, sea snakes, manta rays, sharks and much more. Frequently whales might be spotted from the surface.

The All Star Aurora offers two different itineraries for 11-night trips to Alor. Below is a sample itinerary for the Banda Sea & Forgotten Islands 11-night liveaboard trip (Ambon - Banda Neira - Saumlaki), and due to its great distance covered, this itinerary is dependent on weather conditions.

Number of dives: 29 - 32 dives, including night dives.

When to go: March to May or October to November.

• Days 1&2 - Ambon. Guests are welcomed on board, and conditions permitting, checkout dive is done in the afternoonaround Laha or Tulehu Bay plus maybe even a night dive. This area isknown for its fabulous muck dives, probably among the best in the world for the macro dive.
• Day 3 - Nusa Laut & Molana.These rather picturesque islands of Maluku are popular dive destinations due to their diversity of reef fish species, ghost pipefish, frogfish and the variety of well-preserved hard corals.AND, sperm whales have been seen in the area, so keep your eyes wide open!
• Day 4 -Pulau Suanggi.The waters atPulau Suanggiare full of fish, reef sharks, and tuna. As a bonus many bird species can be observed around the island: brown boobies, red-footed boobies and frigate birds.
• Pulau hatta / Karang hatta: We'll dive both sloping reefs and vertical walls. The current attracts many fish: fusiliers, dogtooth tuna, eagle rays, barracudas and sometimes sharks. On the reef: soft corals, leather corals, big eye trevallies and turtles.
• Days 5&6 -Banda Neira.Day 5 brings us toBanda Neira, where you'll have a chance to visit the Maritime Museum and historic forts, as well asbeautiful dive spots, including Lava Flow. After a volcano eruption in 1988, the existing coral got destroyed, but 10 years later new coral has regrown and created this dive spot.
• Day 7 -Manuk, the Snake Island, which takes its nickname from the large numbers of sea snakes found there. The drop-offs here are amazing and sharks, mackerels, tunas, and barracudas are often observed.
• Days 8 -Serua, Nil Desperandum, Nila.Nil Desperandum (no despair) takes its name from a ship, stranded on the reef. This atoll is sometimes called the forgotten islands. You may be lucky enough to come across hammerhead sharks.
• Day 9 -Damar.Terbang Utara / Terbang Selatan, two small islands located south of Damar. Usually, we can expect easy but very fast drifts along marvellous coral drop-offs.Nuss Leur: several pinnacles with all the colorful life of coral reefs.
• Day 10:Nyata, northeast of Romang Island, offers stunning landscapes.Crystal clear waters and reefs on different levels, like in a theatre, with hard and soft coral gardens. Keep your eyes open: pelagic encounters are to be expected!
• Day 11: Sermata,which offers coral reefs with deep laying coral walls which are amazing to explore.
• Day 12 - Saumlaki.Crew will arrange for transfer toSaumlakiairport after breakfast.

Komodo

Classified as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature, the national park of Komodo will enchant you both on land and underwater. Wonderful coral gardens, unforgettable meeting with the manta rays and endless encounters with critters. You can expect everything from those dives. And then, have a walk on land and treat yourself with the thrill of meeting the famous Komodo dragon!

The All Star Aurora offers 7 and 9-night trips to Komodo. Below is a sample itinerary for the 7-night liveaboard trip (Labuan Bajo - Labuan Bajo).

Number of dives: 20 - 23 dives, including night dives.

When to go: April to October

• Days 1 - Labuan Bajo, Arrival & Boarding. Guests fly in from Denpasar (Bali) toLabuan Bajo, Flores. They'll bewelcomed on board, and then have a "warm-up dive" atSebayur island and see marbled hatchet fish, lionfish, eels and possibly the resident ghost pipefish.On the neighboring reef, nudibranchs, pipefish, sea fans, sponges, and scorpionfish. During the night dive, you might see carpet sharks, nudis and crustaceans.
• Day 2 -Gili Lawa Laut , the Island Facing the Sea, is home to two of the best pinnacles in all of Indonesia, "Crystal Rock" and "Castle Rock". Huge schools of jacks, giant trevally, white tip and grey reef sharks, barracudas, dolphins and a whole host of smaller reef fish that float amongst the fields of staghorn coral.
• Day 3 -Gili Lawah Darat.Discover the famous dive known as "El Toro", where the current attracts pelagic, sharks, trevally, tuna and sometimes Mantas. Guests also get to meet the permanent family of dolphins in this area. Then there is a night dive named "Flamenco Show", with Spanish dancers and macro. Finally,Lighthouse Reef - a nice dive site with hard corals and lots of bushes of black coral.
• Day 4 -Komodo Channel.Tatawa Besar, one of the most colorful drift dives in all of Komodo. Look at the horizon while flying along endless coral gardens with sandy slopes. Eagle rays and turtles are typical guests along this rich coral slope.Batu Bolong: plenty of sharks and excellent visibility.Tatawa Besar: this drift is a Komodo classic. The site is covered with orange soft corals, schooling batfish and a beautiful shallow hard coral garden.
• Tatawa Kecil: a spectacular drop-off. Impressive coral reef, turtles, tuna, giant trevallies, sweet lips, groupers and countless fish. Takat Makassar, if currents allow: look out for manta rays at the cleaning station. Takat Makassar West (Komodo Channel) alternatively is a great night dive.
• Day 5 -Padar.Unique species of nudibranchs. The coral pillars, which sit in a strange W shaped configuration, are literally alive with color. Holothurians cover almost every bare surface. Lionfish and Napoleons populate the tops of the pillars.
• Three Sisters / Tiga Dara: rocks nicely covered with corals and just teeming with life. You will dive sheltered from the current and finish on the peaks that rise up to 8 meters.
• Day 6 -South Rinca / Horseshoe Bay & Nusa Kode.The colder plankton-rich waters of the Indian Ocean make this area a bit colder than the northern regions of the Park. The sea-life gets everyone into the water, even four times the day.Cannibal Rock, a small submarine ridge. The reef-top is littered with feather stars, brittle stars, sea cucumbers, anemones and all kinds of corals. The deeper rocks provide hiding places for nudibranchs, frogfish and even rhinopias.
• Torpedo Alley, named after the electrified rays, hosts also ghost pipefish and other extraordinary creatures.
• Days 7 -North Rinca / Loh Buaya Trekking.Stop near the "Second Ranger Station Loh Buaya", next to "Wainilu Island", the paradise of macro. Many different and rare kinds of nudibranchs, ghost pipefish, and other surprises.After lunch, we will begin our magnificent walk on Rinca Island to see the infamous Komodo dragons and we will be back in the water by noon.
• Day 12 - Labuan Bajo.Crew will arrange for transfer to the airport of Labuan Bajoafter breakfast.