The Banda Sea Research Crossing
Thirteen days across a sea few will ever cross - and a logbook that outlives the trip.
A slow crossing of the Banda Sea at the turn of the season, when the deep water moves and the hammerheads gather. A private liveaboard, a team of marine biologists aboard, and thirteen days spent as much in service of the sea as in awe of it.
You dive the way the ocean asks - up to four times a day, on reefs and seamounts that see a handful of visitors a year. Between dives, the boat keeps crossing: long, open passages under a wide sky, the kind of travel that resets something.
Evenings are for the logbook. What you saw, what the instruments recorded, what the reef is telling us about a sea that is still, in most places, unmeasured.
Not only a great trip - a small act of record.
Aboard with the Indo Ocean Project marine biologists, guests take part in real rapid reef assessments in waters that are barely studied. The data feeds published science - and every guest who contributes is named on the resulting paper.
- +Deploying baited underwater cameras (BRUVs) and reading them back
- +Fish and benthic surveys logged dive by dive
- +Water-quality sampling across the crossing
- +Co-authorship credit on the resulting publication
- 01
Up to four dives a day, remote sites only
- 02
Two long open-water crossings
- 03
Peak hammerhead season on the walls
- 04
A village landfall few boats make
Advanced Open Water and above. No science background needed.
- Days 1–4
Board the boat in Alor and settle in with a check dive before heading out for your first hammerhead attempt. Explore Alor’s dramatic volcanic slopes and vibrant reefs before beginning the crossing toward the Forgotten Islands, with a stop at Pulau Nyata for possible encounters with silvertips and reef sharks.
- Days 5-9
This is where the hammerhead hunt truly begins. We will focus on the region’s legendary sites, including Nils Desperandum, where morning dives offer the chance to witness large schools of hammerheads along with other pelagics. Remote reefs, pristine walls, and little-visited atolls make this stretch a highlight of the expedition.
- Days 10-13
Arrive in Banda Neira, rich with both history and marine life, where diving can bring everything from mandarin fish to schooling barracuda. After exploring the Banda Islands, we continue toward Ambon for disembarkation.
Indo Ocean Project
Research partner
A marine-conservation organisation running research projects across Indonesia. Their scientists lead the survey work aboard, and the data every guest helps gather feeds published research - which is why you leave as a named contributor, not a passenger.
Visit Indo Ocean ProjectTa'Talasa
Your home for the crossing
A traditional phinisi rigged for long passages - a small cabin count, an open deck, and a crew who know these waters. The vessel is confirmed with you in the dossier.
Discover the vesselIn collaboration with Indo Ocean Project & Ta'Talasa
A few places remain.
Care to join us? Ask for the dossier and we’ll share it with you personally.