Looking for Indonesia warm water suggestions for a September/October trip

[Dan]

I came close to take the route from Komodo to Raja Ampat by flying from Denpasar to Maumere, instead of to Labuan Bajo and crossing from Maumere to Ambon (12 day diving & cruising) and from Ambon to Sorong (another 12 day diving & cruising). The trips are called Ring of Fire. You may find my trip reports for the Rings of Fire trips.

There are 16-day diving cruising from Maumere to Sorong, called Biodiversity trip. Some liveaboards offer crossing trips from Labuan Bajo to Maumere. So from Labuan Bajo to Sorong could be about 3-week trip. If you spend a week in Komodo, then we are talking about a month trip. They are in my bucket list.

You can also do liveaboard crossing from Bali to Komodo, diving along the way. You may add a week for that trip from Benoa (Bali) to Labuan Bajo (Flores). I have done it twice. The third one will be in August this year. If you string those 3 trips from Bali to Komodo, Komodo to Maumere, Maumere to Sorong, we are talking about 5-week trip.

Another trip to consider is the Forgotten Island route in southeast part of Indonesia from Maumere to Saumlaki or in reverse direction from Saumlaki to Maumere for 11-day crossing each way. I’m planning to do that crossing from Kaimana to Maumere in April with Amira. I’ll be flying from Jakarta to Kaimana via Ambon, embarking on Amira in Kaimana, crossing to Maumere, disembarking Amira in Maumere, flying back to Jakarta via Kupang.

 

[Dan]

My ultimate Indonesian diving plan is combining the above crossing routes into one big loop of Mega Ring of Fire, going from Bali to Komodo, Maumere, Alor, Bandaneira, Raja Ampat, Triton Bay, Forgotten Islands, Alor, Maumere, Komodo, back Bali for 3 months.

 

[matts1w]

My ultimate Indonesian diving plan is combining the above crossing routes into one big loop of Mega Ring of Fire, going from Bali to Komodo, Maumere, Alor, Bandaneira, Raja Ampat, Kaimana, Saumlaki, Alor, Maumere, Komodo, back Bali for 3 months.

That would be bad a$$.

 

[Dan]

That would be bad a$$.

LOL. We can always dream BIG, something like this:

 

[Cali_diver]

Why stop there @Dan ... Go Bali to (via Komodo Alor FI's Banda ) Sorong then Sorong to Halmahera to Lembeh to Kalimantan then back to Bali! That would be the ultimate adventure! I am sure the fuel surcharge will be minimal!

 

[Dan]

Why stop there @Dan ... Go Bali to (via Komodo Alor FI's Banda ) Sorong then Sorong to Halmahera to Lembeh to Kalimantan then back to Bali! That would be the ultimate adventure! I am sure the fuel surcharge will be minimal!

May be afterwards. So far I haven't been impressed with Halmahera, yet. Although Kalimantan is pretty good (I was there last August). These videos show what I saw in Kalimantan:

 

[Dan]

I'm still collecting data for my ultimate East Indonesia trip. The legs in white, in the Figure below, are sections that I still need to scout.

 

[ojo]

Take a direct flight from LBJ to JKT in the morning. Chill in a nearby hotel, have a nice dinner and a few beers, then take a late night direct flight direct to Sorong. I would hardly call that a beast travel schedule.

People like to make the trip to Sorong to be some hardcore adventure... It ain't. Ten years ago Raja Ampat was the edge of the earth. Today the most pampered, pristine Jakarta families vacation in R4.

Thanks!

 

[outofofficebrb]

My ultimate Indonesian diving plan is combining the above crossing routes into one big loop of Mega Ring of Fire, going from Bali to Komodo, Maumere, Alor, Bandaneira, Raja Ampat, Triton Bay, Forgotten Islands, Alor, Maumere, Komodo, back Bali for 3 months.

When do you plan on doing this? Maybe I’ll catch you at one or a few of your destinations.

 

[Dan]

When do you plan on doing this? Maybe I’ll catch you at one or a few of your destinations.

September-November 2026.