MV Ambai Liveaboard (Wallacea Dive Cruises) Reviews & Specials - Bluewater Dive Travel

MV Ambai Liveaboard (Wallacea Dive Cruises)

4.875
(2 REVIEWS)
MV Ambai Liveaboard (Wallacea Dive Cruises)
MV Ambai Liveaboard (Wallacea Dive Cruises)
MV Ambai Liveaboard (Wallacea Dive Cruises)
MV Ambai Liveaboard (Wallacea Dive Cruises)
MV Ambai Liveaboard (Wallacea Dive Cruises)
MV Ambai Liveaboard (Wallacea Dive Cruises)
MV Ambai Liveaboard (Wallacea Dive Cruises)
MV Ambai Liveaboard (Wallacea Dive Cruises)
MV Ambai Liveaboard (Wallacea Dive Cruises)
MV Ambai Liveaboard (Wallacea Dive Cruises)
MV Ambai Liveaboard (Wallacea Dive Cruises)
MV Ambai Liveaboard (Wallacea Dive Cruises)
MV Ambai Liveaboard (Wallacea Dive Cruises)
MV Ambai Liveaboard (Wallacea Dive Cruises)
MV Ambai Liveaboard (Wallacea Dive Cruises)

Destination: Indonesia

Raja Ampat, Komodo, Alor and more (8-14 Nights) | From $372++/night

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MV Ambai Quick Pitch

Dive Komodo and Raja Ampat in style and comfort aboard the MV Ambai. With a large dive deck, dedicated camera room and a large screen TV in the lounge, the Ambai is a liveaboard of choice for underwater photographers.

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Accommodations - FacilitiesNEW! Schedule, Rates & Availability - Dive Info & Destinations

Other Information - Booking & Inquiry - Underwater Gallery

Need more options? View another liveaboard in Indonesia (with live availability and online booking!)

 

Location 

Excursions originate in various areas, including Labuanbajo, Bima and Denpasar for Komodo trips, and Sorong for Raja Ampat trips.

 

Dive Overview

Indonesia is a diving gem, featuring volcanic geography, wrecks, and vibrant marine life. See modern era dragons in Komodo or dive the region with the highest marine biodiversity in the world in Raja Ampat

[See: Raja Ampat Travel Guide & Komodo Dive Travel Guide]

Check Out These Awesome Videos!

 

 

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Accommodations

Types of Cabins, Amenities and Photos

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MV Ambai Accommodation Overview

The MV Ambai has 8 cabins accommodating 16 passengers. All cabins have individually controlled A/C units and private ensuite bathrooms. Room options include bunk and double-bed cabins. 

MV Ambai MV Ambai

Lower Deck Cabins

MV Ambai MV Ambai

Sea VIew Cabin

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General Facilities

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MV Ambai MV Ambai

Upper Deck (LEFT) & Front Sun Deck (RIGHT)

MV Ambai MV Ambai

Restaurant (LEFT) & Main Deck Lounge (RIGHT)

MV Ambai MV Ambai

Dive Deck (LEFT) & Dinghy (RIGHT)  

 

MV Ambai Boat Features

  • AC
  • Ensuite bathrooms
  • Sundeck
  • Dedicated camera room
  • Airport transfers
  • Laundry Service
  • Massage
  • Onboard kayaks
  • Audio & video entertainment
  • Inside lounge and restaurant
  • Large shadow deck areas

 

MV Ambai Dive Facilities

  • Shaded diving deck
  • Nitrox
  • DIN Adaptors
  • Rinse hosts
  • Tenders for diving
 

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Food & Drinks Aboard MV Ambai

All-inclusive.

 

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MV Ambai Liveaboard Deck Plan

MV Ambai

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Schedule, Rates & Availability

The actual rates are based in EUR. The starting price indicated above may vary based on the current exchange rate.

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The prices shown below are per person in USD and do not include park & port fees. The pricing at the time of booking may vary depending on the latest EUR/USD exchange rate.

[See also: Inclusions & Exclusions]

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Inclusions

  • All the dives guided. 3 day dives + night dive when possible. No dive on the arrival day, 1 dive on the last day of cruise, no dive on the check out day. 
  • 3 guided dives/day + night dives in the Banda Sea & Ring of Fire cruises
  • 3 guided dives/day + night dives for full charter (if required)
  • Aluminum 80 CF diving tank, diving weights, weight belts.
  • NITROX FILLS for certified divers
  • All meals and snacks on board. Drinking water, hot drinks (The, coffee, milk, chocolate), soft drinks
  • Airport-boat-Airport transfers at cruise departure and arrival location

 

Exclusions

  • International and domestic flights
  • Harbor Fees and park or preserved area entry fees, local diving taxes.
  • Beers, wines, liquors, espresso
  • Diving equipment rental
  • Massage service
  • Aluminum 100 cf dive tank
  • Int’l & Indonesian domestic flights and/or transit hotel
  • Visa entry fee (if any)
  • Tips on board recommended but not mandatory (5% to 10% of published rates)
  • Occupancy of “double bed cabins with sea view” (40 €/cabin/night )
  • Single occupancy (190% of published rates)
  • Fuel surcharge in case of noticeable increase in the fuel prices
  • Park, anchorage, port and distance fees*

*Distance Fees are applicable for cruises departing in 2021 and onwards. Sorong - Sorong Ultimate: 50€/pax, from/to Ambon – Kaimana - Saumlaki: 75€/pax, any cruise during 13 nights and more: 100€/pax.

 

RATES & AVAILABILITY

For more information on other departure dates, rates, and on availability email us at info@bluewaterdivetravel.com or call us at +1-310-915-6677 and we will gladly help you plan your dream dive vacation!

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Dive Information & Destinations

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Komodo Overview

  • Period: June to October
  • Located in the strait of the same name at the confluence of the Indian Ocean and the Banda Sea, The Komodo National Park features one of the world’s richest and most diverse marine environments—thanks to the overflowing currents in the area. Also renowned as the home of the famous Komodo Dragon, it is certainly one of the best scuba diving destinations that you can find on the planet.
  • In the north, you can find a collection of the world’s most beautiful varieties of reefs, boasting a rich combination of hard and soft corals, shoals of antheas, wrasses, angelfishes, and also predators—reef sharks, tunas, and giant kingfishes.
  • In the south, you will see more soft corals with amazing profusion of colors, and even more macro (and manta rays too!). The water is rather cold and the temperature can drop down to 23 ° C in July and August.
  • Komodo offers a wide variety of dives: pelagic dives with sharks in strong currents, gentle drift dives, wall dives (colorful drop-offs, monumental boulders, seamounts, pinnacles and sandy slopes) and macro dives. You can also find manta rays, turtles and, if you are lucky enough, some whale sharks!
  • MV Ambai

  

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Raja Ampat Overview

  • Raja Ampat is an archipelago consisting of four main islands—Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati and Misool—surrounded by over 1,500 smaller islands and reefs. This region is part of the West Papua province in Indonesia.
  • Raja Ampat certainly represents the world’s richest marine diversity, with the highest number of known species of fish, corals, and mollusks. Certain areas are known for their density of fish; one with groups of Manta Rays, the others with schools of barracudas, parrotfish, humpback groupers and the list goes on. Not to mention the best macro you will see everywhere. Photographers, please bring your full set of lenses: wide angle & macro will delight you equally.
  • The rich variety of reefs are also not to be overlooked with vertical walls, slopes, dry rocks, caves and lagoons; some covered with hard corals while the others with brightly colored soft corals. Also renowned as the center of pygmy seahorses and gorgonians, everywhere you go you will be amazed by the profusion of marine life that Raja Ampat has to offer you.
  • Raja Ampat also offers magnificent landscapes for you to explore—labyrinths of quartz islands, vast mangrove forests, deserted beaches and lagoons. You can also go for a tour to the small villages in search of the famous birds of paradise. Ambai's 11-night scuba diving liveaboard cruises are one of the very few that visit all the Raja Ampat, up to Wayag on the North and down to Misool, with a selection of the very best scuba dive sites of all the area.
  • MV Ambai

 

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Banda Sea - Ring of Fire Overview

  • From Maumere (Florès) to Ambon, the main city of Molucca islands (with some muck diving challenging the Lembeh Strait) will bring you across the Banda Sea and the ring of fire, steeped in history and blessed with some of the finest diving in the country, with an immense variety and volumes of both large and small species traveling for about 850 nautical miles.
  • We visit many different islands and a great variety of dive sites.
  • We then explore many islands of the Banda Sea along the way, like Wetar, Rampong, Terbang islands, Seroa and Manuk, an Island inhabited by birds and by sea snakes underwater. There are no long passage distances, so we can perform the three dives every day.
  • MV Ambai
 

 

 

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Alor & East Flores Overview

The cruise will visit and dive the Alor Strait for 5 days, from North to South: the islands of Pantar, Kumba, Ternate, Pura and the Bay of Kalabahi.

  • The very clear and nutrient-rich upwelling waters bring in pelagics: sunfish (mola-mola), dogtooth tunas, reef sharks and sometime hammerhead sharks, sailfishes. Whales also frequently pass through the strait.
  • Walls, drop-offs, boomies and pinnacles so colorful and so healthy! –one dive site has a bottom literally covered with anemones. In Alor, critters can be encountered in colorful reef environment and in the black sand bays of Kalabahi and Biang.
  • Tide-induced currents are strong in the strait, so caution must be taken in choosing the dives sites. In the northern part water temperature is about 26 to 28°C, and in the south it can drop to 22°C, around Pura island and in Biang Bay. We will explore some rarely dived areas around the island of Twereg, and in the South of Alor and Pantar.
  • We will visit a village where we will see traditional dances. In the bay of Biang, we will go ashore for a short trek on the slopes of the Sirung volcano.
  • The second part of the cruise will be partially exploratory (we already know some dive sites but are looking for discovering more of them), visiting the South of Pantar islands and the straits between the islands of Pantar, Solor and Lembata. A visit to the Komba active volcano for a spectacular night show is on the schedule. We will then head West to finish the cruise in Maumere.
  • MV Ambai
 

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Other Information

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Boat Specifications

  • Length: 32 meters (105 ft)
  • Width: 7.5 meters (25 ft)
  • Cruising speed: 8 knots
  • Engine: Marine engine Mitsubishi 600 Hp, 2012.
  • Generators: 3 Yanmar generators: 36 kw, 28 kw, and 16 kw
  • Freshwater: Freshwater tanks 15 tons, Watermaker 10000 lts / day
  • Fuel tanks: 14 tons
  • Compressors: 2 air compressors, 1 nitrox LP compressor
  • Navigation: GPS, chart plotter, Depth sounder, Radar,
  • Communication: Radio VHF, SSB, satellite phone
  • Safety: Smoke detectors, Engine room CCTV, 2 lift rafts @20 pax, EPIRB
  • Dive boats: 3 fiberglass dinghies with Yamaha 4 strokes 50 HP outboard engines
  • Maximum guests: 16
  • Number of cabins: 
  • Number of crews: 18 crew including 4 dive guides. 1 western cruise director/ dive instructor

 

Practical Information

  • Time Zone: UTC+8 & UTC+9
  • Local Currency: IDR (Indonesian Rupiah)
  • Payment onboard: Cash (most currencies accepted)
  • Language Spoken: English, French & Indonesian
 

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Got Questions? Ready to Book?

Call us today at 310-915-6677 or email us info@bluewaterdivetravel.com

And let us book your dream vacation!

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Underwater Gallery 

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Reviews (2)

5
5
5
4

Wallacea Dive Cruise has been operating since 2002 in Indonesia (Komodo, Sulawesi, Moluccas, Raja Ampat). Wallacea Dive Cruise offers two liveaboards: MV Paisubatu and MV Ambai. I cruised in Raja Ampat with Ambai - a 32 metres yacht - made only for 16 divers. Excellent dive guide ratio: only 3-4 guest per dive guide - four dive guides plus cruise director onboard. NITROX; 12 or 15 l tanks. 3 tender-boats. Camera room, fresh water rinsing tanks. Choice of 8 spacious cabins (6 on the lower deck and 2 on the upper deck) - individually controlled air condition, private bathroom with hot water. Soap and tooth paste is provided. Clean. Fullboard, soft drinks included. Freshly made meals.

What I liked most was the fact, that 3-4 dives per day where embedded in a relaxed schedule over the day - plus even some short land excursion to the lush green islands. Very friendly staff; experienced and dedicated indonesian dive guides. Dive conditions: water temperature constant warm 29°C /83°F, visibility depending on dive site from fair to extremely good. Most of the dive sites no current at all. Marine life was abundant: wobbegongs, mantas, lots of fish, frogfish with eggs just to mention a tiny bit of he stunning marine life... Ambai is definitely a recommendation for the enthusiastic diver - looking for a vessel in Indonesia with great diving, comfort & yummy food.

Visited on 12/2013 - Submitted on 02/12/2014
5
5
5
5

I recently returned from an absolutely amazing experience aboard the MV Ambai Liveaboard in Indonesia. I was part of a 5 night cruse and during that time I was able to do over a dozen fantastic dives!

The Ambai is a high quality boat; spacious, beautiful, and well maintained. It is very clear that the owners and crew take excellent care of every detail. I was staying in one of the upper deck cabins. It was comfortable and elegant with views of the surrounding islands, plus a lovely ocean breeze so I never even needed to use the in-room A/C. The boat has many spaces to rest and relax. Even on a full cruise, there was always somewhere to sit quietly or to hang out and chat with other passengers (depending on how exhausted I was feeling!).

The dives were phenomenal. The sites were all top quality and had a lot of variation, no two sites were the same in terms of the 'landscape' or fauna. The dive guides and cruise director are all clearly experienced and knowledgeable about the sites we dove, so I always felt completely safe. The dive guides were all friendly, helpful, and talented at finding 'creatures' big and small, including some of the most beautiful nudibranchs I have ever seen. All of my equipment was well taken care of during the cruise, they even washed and dried everything before we left the boat!

Lastly, like everything else, the food on the Ambai was fantastic. I'm always hungry, and especially so when I'm diving, but there was always something delicious available for me to eat from the moment I woke up until I went to sleep. The meals served in the dining room were all unique, carefully prepared, and beautifully presented. There was a nice blend of Indonesian dishes and western meals, as well as a plethora of vegetables and fresh, tropical fruit.

I would absolutely recommend a trip on the MV Ambai to anyone who is traveling to Indonesia! I haven't stopped talking about my trip since I returned, and I cannot wait to go back.

Visited on 07/2015 - Submitted on 08/18/2015

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