Damai 1, Indonesia: Undercurrent 09/2026

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Dear Fellow Diver,

I'll be honest. Most diving in Indonesia is spectacular. Pick the month, and Indonesia has a perfect spot. The diving is among the best in the world, so the main differences will be which resort or liveaboard you select.

Damai 1 - an 18-year-old wooden vessel I dived in June for 12 days from the Damai 1, a 40-meter-long classic Indonesian phinisi, traveling from Ternate and Halmahera (the Spice Islands, North Maluku) down to Raja Ampat in West Papua (ending in Sorong). Captain Asmari made some long, slow crossings of 50 to 70 miles at 6-7 knots, causing some divers to have less-than-peaceful nights on occasion.

Every dive was an exercise in variety. The Four Kings underwater pinnacles around Wayil begin 15 feet from the surface. My dive started slowly as I headed down past soft and hard corals and a small shark. Dive master Yoce pointed out a pygmy seahorse carrying its young. Off in the blue, a couple of ninja (all black) mantas cruised by. Halfway through the dive, a crew of ten curious spadefish would not leave me alone, and eight barracuda hovered nearby, watching. A school of jacks kept a wary eye. Meanwhile, I found lots of Moorish idol pairs, multiple bumphead parrotfish, angels, and butterflies in pairs feeding on the pinnacles, where many triggerfish were hiding in holes.

I couldn't begin to count the colorful and abundant scorpionfish, which ranged in shades from light to dark. I also spotted an orangutan crab, and two Phyllidia varicosa nudibranchs in a standoff: one an enormous six inches long, the other about an inch, a more normal size. I felt like a peeping Tom as I stared at two Tamja nudibranchs mating near an enormous sea fan. We spent most of the dive between 60 and 80 feet, surfacing with the divemaster around the 68-minute mark. While the best time for Raja Ampat is October to April, I had to select June, so I had a few days of visibility below 30 feet, but most of the time the visibility ranged between 30 and 60 feet. Across my 32 dives, 29 were in water 81°F to 84°F, and only one was uncomfortably cold for my no-neoprene style: 77°F.

To show just how much the crew spoiled me, let me tell you about the Magic Dry Box, a large plastic tub on the huge dive deck. Before diving, you drop in your shirt and shorts. After the dive and an on-deck shower, zip back to your room and return with your wet towel and swimsuit, which you hand to the waiting crew. Then, magically, everything is dried, folded, and placed back in the Magic Dry Box. Get it before the next dive or just once a day -- whatever you want. No hanging a dripping swimsuit in your room or having to attach it to a boat rail. (I brought clothespins just in case, but they never left the bottom of my bag.)...

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