A 10-day Maluku scuba diving package is a single booking that combines 18 to 24 guided dives, accommodation, daily boat time and all inter-island transfers across Ambon Bay, the Lease Islands and the Banda archipelago. Maluku Diving Expeditions arranges these expeditions as an independent dive travel service, coordinating boats, guides and lodging so you arrive with one confirmed plan.
Ten days is the shortest frame that reaches both of Maluku’s signature environments without rushing. Ambon delivers black-sand macro inside a sheltered bay; Banda delivers volcanic walls and blue-water pelagics further east. Compressing that into a week sacrifices one of them, which is why our Maluku scuba diving packages are built on a ten-day skeleton.
What is included in a 10-day Maluku scuba diving package?
Every ten-day expedition is priced as a package rather than a stack of day rates, because the sea crossing between Ambon and Banda Neira is what most often breaks an independently booked trip. The inclusion list covers:
- 18 to 24 guided dives, normally three per full diving day plus optional night dives
- Accommodation for nine nights, split between Ambon and Banda Neira
- Airport pickup at Pattimura International Airport in Ambon and all land transfers
- The inter-island crossing to Banda and back, by sea or by air depending on the dates you travel
- Tanks, weights and weight belt, plus a dedicated dive guide in the water
- Daily breakfast, plus lunch on boat days
- Drinking water, fruit and hot drinks between dives
- Trip coordination on WhatsApp before departure and a local point of contact throughout
Nitrox, equipment rental, private guiding and photo support are quoted as add-ons so you are not paying for gear you already own; the nitrox diving maluku page explains how fills are arranged.
How is the ten-day route structured?
The route is built around one fixed constraint: Banda Neira is reached by sea crossing or small aircraft, both on limited, seasonally variable schedules that must be confirmed close to your travel dates. We anchor the Banda block mid-trip and keep buffer days either side.
| Days | Base | Diving focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ambon | Arrival, gear check, optional checkout dive in the bay |
| 2-3 | Ambon | Black-sand macro: frogfish, rhinopias, ghost pipefish, mandarinfish at dusk |
| 4 | Ambon to Banda | Transfer day, arrival dive if timings allow |
| 5-8 | Banda Neira | Volcanic slopes, wall dives, offshore pinnacles, mandarin and night dives |
| 9 | Banda to Ambon | Return transfer, dry day before flying |
| 10 | Ambon | Nutmeg and spice-trade sites on land, departure |
Day nine is deliberately a non-diving day: aviation guidance calls for a surface interval before flying, and building it in removes the temptation to squeeze in one more dive.
Which dive sites does the expedition cover?
Ambon Bay is one of the few muck-diving destinations where a species was described new to science from the dive sites themselves: the psychedelic frogfish, documented from Ambon in 2009, is the reason many photographers put the bay on their list at all. Dives here are shallow, slow and macro-led, usually in five to twenty metres over volcanic sand and rubble.
Around Banda the character flips. Gunung Api, the volcano dominating Banda Neira’s skyline, produced a lava flow in 1988 now colonised by dense hard coral, giving divers a reef with a known start date. Hatta Island and the offshore rocks bring walls, schooling fish and open-water pelagics. Site selection is made each morning by the boat crew based on wind, swell and current.
Who is this ten-day expedition suitable for?
The itinerary works for certified divers with an entry-level certification and recent experience; several Banda sites carry current and are more comfortable for divers holding an advanced certification with roughly twenty or more logged dives. Divers returning after a long break can add a refresher session in Ambon Bay at the start, which is calm, shallow and forgiving.
If you would rather stay in one place and dive daily from shore-based accommodation, the maluku dive and stay packages format covers the same water with far less movement. Divers travelling on a tighter budget should compare this expedition against our cheap maluku dive packages before committing to the full ten days.
What conditions should divers expect?
Water temperature across Maluku sits in a narrow tropical band year-round, so a 3mm wetsuit suits most divers and a 5mm suits anyone diving three or four times a day. Sheltered bay sites are silty by design; offshore Banda walls open up considerably. We confirm the realistic diving window for your dates before you book flights.
What is not included in the package?
- International flights and domestic flights to Ambon
- Travel insurance and dive-specific medical cover, which we ask every guest to hold
- Marine park, harbour and local entry fees payable on site
- Personal equipment rental, unless bundled into your quotation
- Dinners in Ambon, alcohol and personal expenses
- Crew gratuities, which remain entirely at your discretion
How do you book and customise the expedition?
Bookings are handled by our team over WhatsApp and email rather than an automated checkout, because crossing dates, boat availability and room configuration all have to be checked against your travel window before a price is meaningful. Send us your month, group size, certification levels and nitrox preference, and we return a written quotation with the exact inclusions, confirmation terms and payment schedule.
Frequently asked questions
How many dives are included in the 10-day Maluku package?
The standard plan runs 18 to 24 dives, built as three dives per full diving day with optional night dives added where conditions and site access allow. Transfer days carry one dive or none, depending on arrival times. If you want a higher dive count we can restructure the itinerary around fewer bases, and if you prefer a slower pace we simply drop the third dive without changing the price structure.
Do I need an advanced certification for the Banda sites?
An entry-level certification covers a large share of the itinerary, but several offshore Banda sites carry current and are more comfortable for divers with an advanced certification and around twenty logged dives. Tell us your certification level and recent dive history when you enquire, and we build the site rotation around it rather than turning divers away at the boat.
Can the ten days be shortened or extended?
Yes. The ten-day frame exists because Ambon and Banda both deserve time, but the itinerary is modular. Shortening usually means dropping the Banda block and diving Ambon and the Lease Islands only. Extending works well in the other direction, adding offshore days or a liveaboard leg. We rebuild the quotation around whatever length you choose.
What happens if the sea crossing to Banda is cancelled?
Sea and air links to Banda depend on weather and on schedules that change, so every expedition carries a contingency plan agreed with you in advance. If the crossing does not run, we extend the Ambon and Lease Islands diving and adjust accommodation rather than leaving guests idle. Any cost difference is settled transparently, and we never bill for services that were not delivered.
Is this a resort package or a liveaboard?
This expedition is land-based: you sleep on shore in Ambon and Banda Neira and dive from day boats. Divers who want to sleep on the water and reach remote sites that day boats cannot cover should look at our liveaboard formats instead, which trade comfort on land for range at sea and cover a different set of dive sites entirely.
Plan your 10-day Maluku expedition
Send us your travel month, group size and certification levels and we will come back with a written itinerary and quotation for your dates. Message us on WhatsApp at https://wa.me/6281139414563 or email bd@juaraholding.com. If you are still weighing formats, the maluku liveaboard packages page sets out the offshore alternative side by side.