Cruises
Forgotten Islands
Never-before-seen. Literally.
Awaken the spirit of your inner explorer
Travel back in time to the Forgotten Islands, Pindito’s newest and most remote diving destination. Anthropologists have long referred to the islands extending east from Alor and arcing up to Ceram and Ambon as “forgotten” because traditionally they have had little contact with the rest of Indonesia.
First explored by the Portuguese, the islands of the Moluccas supplied spices to the west during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today these islands supply thrills for traveling divers. Blue seas, endless reefs, and undiscovered seamounts fill most of the Forgotten Islands 850,000 square kilometers, which means abundant marine life and the possibility of first time encounters with masses of schooling fish or perhaps even a reclusive saltwater crocodile. On these cruises, Pindito will move slowly among tall volcanic islands and low lying coral atolls as we explore the last remaining undersea wilderness within the Indonesian archipelago.
Pindito never has a set itinerary. We plan our trips and water activities based on weather, tides and currents. From our expertise and experience, we know the ideal sea conditions for all the best and famous sites and when to dive them. And of course we have the not so famous, and even secret, equally spectacular sites that only a few of us know about.
SEE MORE OF FORGOTTEN ISLANDS
Click on the marks to see frequently visited stop overs
Nusa Laut
Right at the shores of the village Ahmed, a vibrant reef-scape of miraculous coral gardens and an abundance of fish wait for you in Nusa Laut. Schools of surgeon fish, big eye jacks, and a crazy quilt of reef fish that go with barracudas guarantee a heart-stopping show and a divers dream come true. If you’re lucky you can even see otherworldly hammerhead sharks. Prepare to be amazed when you embark on a quest to spot critters. Frogfish, scorpion fish, pipefish and many other exotic creatures hidden in the white sand.
Koon
A famous dive site which the Pindito lovingly calls “S**t place”. Everything a diver could wish for can be seen in this canal, which flows towards the Banda Sea. It guarantees a unique school of fish spectacle; Giant groupers, large Schools Barracudas, snapper, surgeon fish, sweet lips in the midst of beautiful coral. Many photographers are overwhelmed at this place, because you often do not know where to look first and. The sometimes violent currents cannot guarantee the best visibility, but it is a big chance to see large fish such as manta rays, sharks and even mobulas.
Seroea & Manuk
Seroea, another volcano rising from the Banda Sea is situated far into open sea. Darwin might have run his research on evolution here as well. Despite lower biodiversity on land, the walls below the sea are amazing. The night dive surprises many with shrimp and crabs. Especially the shy Saron shrimp can be observed frequently. Sharks, mackerels, tunas and barracudas are seen in the blue.
A highlight is the Snake Island Gunung Api. Here in 2008, the second part of the movie “Edi’s paradise” was filmed. During night dives it is especially exciting to watch the snakes. Called the snake island simply because in one dive you can encounter hundreds of banded sea kraits.
Pantar
Pantar is the second largest island in the Alor archipelago. Here we can visit some village where both Christians and Muslims live together. The Christian villages lie mainly in the interior of the island, the Muslim villages are along the coast. A highlight is the local market. From fruit to meat, fish and clothes this market has it all. The inhabitants of the island are very nice and happy to have visitors who are called affectionately “long noses”.
Undescribed octopus and rare scorpionfish as the gurnard lion fish awaits you southeast of Pantar by the black sand beach. Clear water, fish-filled walls and diving beneath Komba’s active volcano round out this great dive spots.
Babar, Leti & Wetar
In this region most of the dive spots are unknown. Some explored dive spots are “Sizzler” and “Lembata’s Rhinopias heaven”, where the Pindito has found 6 different rhinopias during one dive. A highlight is also “Abeanabang” where the critter possibilities are endless.
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