Sulawesi Seas & Sights
From Manado to Borneo

The passage from Manado on the northern tip of Sulawesi all the way to the island of Borneo takes us through two entirely different dive areas: the almost virgin North and West coast of Sulawesi, sparsely inhabited and with its many islands and bays, and the well-known islands of Sangalaki, Derawan, Maratua and Kakaban rising out of the depth of the Makassar Strait.

We will depart Manado out of the harbor of Bitung, and start things off by diving the Lembeh Strait, Bangka and Talisei islands, and the Bunaken National Marine Park. Leaving Bunaken, we will embark on our long journey westward, following closely the Sulawesi coastline and stopping for dives along the many reefs facing the open Sulawesi Sea. Some of these dives have frontier character, as this entire stretch of coastline has not been well explored yet.

Halfway into our cruise we will cross the Makassar Strait, continuing our diving on the other side in the rich waters around the many reefs and islands off Borneo’s East coast. While not far from shore, these islands are off the continental shelf, rising abruptly out of kilometers of water. They are surrounded by turtles (Derawan), manta rays (Sangalaki), sharks, barracudas and jacks (Maratua), and non-stinging jellyfish (Kakaban) – you name it. And cruising through this area aboard Tambora, you will see all of them in a single voyage!

We will end our cruise in the island of Tarakan, from where you can catch a flight to Balikpapan and on to Singapore, or to Bali or Jakarta.