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Dive Review of Dive Damai/Damai II in
Indonesia/Banda Sea

Dive Damai/Damai II, Oct, 2013,

by Mike Whitlow and Noel Taylor, NY, US ( 1 report). Report 7354.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude N/A Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 3 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments We spent 14 days traveling from Maumere on Flores to Ambon in the Banda Sea,covering around 800 miles. This provided a wide range of dive sites but meant most nights we were under way or taking up anchor in the early A.M. so sleep and night dives were sometimes compromised.
The staff was unfailingly attentive. Wetsuits are folded and ready for you to don at your gear station before each dive( no rummaging among the jungle of hanging suits!), fins awaiting you in the tender,water severed on deck before and after each dive(hot chocolate after night dives). Dive guides work hard to find critters. Cabins are immaculate and you can request fresh towels daily. The kitchen and salon crew customized meals to each divers taste and had abundant fresh produce on board. We had the enormous cabin35 with its private back deck, huge shower,king size bed 2 desks, separate toilet area and abundant light on 3 sides. Beautiful lounging areas on the top 2 decks.
The reefs were in stellar shape with impressive hard and soft corals throuhout the trip. Loads of swirling anthias,red toothed triggers and other small fish on most dives. Many turtles, some nice schools of jacks and other pelagics,and on one dive 5 hammerheads and a silver tip made a brief but exciting appearance. Plenty of muck diving with lots of seahorses, more orangutan crabs than in our previous 2000+ dives put together,ornate and robust ghost pipefish to the point of becoming ho-hum,and a couple of entertaining dives with dozens of banded sea snakes. All dives were relaxing without big current or surge. One mobula,a few eagle rays and some sizable stingrays.
Getting to and from Denpasar was easy:a 2 hour nonstop at a very civilized 2PM on the way out and 2 quick flights(Ambon to Makassar to Denpasar) on the way back getting us to Bali at 10:30 AM.
We booked the trip through Jen Darby's Liveaboard Adventures. Jen was on the trip. She is a delight: answered our e-mails virtually immediately,including New Year's(!) and seamlessly arranged all the local flights. She is a delightful sunny presence but we watched her keep a discerning eye focused on all aspects of the diving and boat life to ensure her customers the best possible experience. We recommend her operation without reservation.
Websites Dive Damai   

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving PNG, Galapagos.Cocos, Palau, Yap, Red Sea, Andamans, Solomons, Caribbean, Coral Sea, Thailand and Burma
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas calm, no currents
Water Temp 79-81°F / 26-27°C Wetsuit Thickness 5
Water Visibility 60-100 Ft/ 18-30 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile yes
Enforced diving restrictions [Unspecified]
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks 1 or 2 Mantas None
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 5 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 4 stars Large Fish 1 stars
Large Pelagics 1 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 5 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 5 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Staff exercise great care lifting cameras in and out of the tenders.Spacious dedicated camera room
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Subscriber's Comments

By Laura A. Sonnenmark in VA, US at Jan 02, 2014 10:51 EST  
Thanks for the informative report! I wonder if this trip included a land excursion to Bandaneira or Run--one of the formerly Dutch Spice Islands?
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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