Maluku, with stunning beaches and incredible marine life, comprises the central and southern regions of the Maluku Islands. The ‘Spice Islands’, whose cloves and nutmeg once drew visitors from all over the globe, now receive very few tourists. Despite having some of Indonesia’s richest coral reefs and world-class muck diving, while scuba diving in Maluku, divers will usually find themselves immersed in dive sites with only their dive guide for company. A real treat for the avid diver.

 

In Maluku’s capital, Ambon, hunt for otherworldy critters in the silty depths of Ambon Bay, where the psychedelic frogfish, Ambon scorpionfish, and flamboyant cuttlefish all lurk. Along Ambon’s south coast, dive beautiful reefs and caverns which appear like underwater gates to another realm or head to the Banda Islands, home to cetaceans and the rare Lembeh sea dragon. Among the tropical islands, spot pilot whales and mobula rays, with a backdrop of exquisite coral reefs and imposing walls.

 

Maluku diving is mostly limited to the few dive centres and dive resorts located on the Banda Islands or Ambon yet, if you decide to hop on one of the visiting liveaboards, the whole of the Banda Sea is accessible to you. Decide to upgrade your buoyancy skills while taking an advanced course in the Banda Islands or find out just how camera-savvy you are while capturing the vast array of critters at Ambon.

In Ambon, three muck dive sites, Laha 1 to Laha 3 are nicknamed the Twilight Zone - where the elusive psychedelic frogfish was first discovered. At Laha 1, you’ll spot harlequin shrimp everywhere while the scales of mandarin fish reflect the sun’s last rays in the evening. Search for frogfish, nudibranch, and jawfish as flamboyant cuttlefish enjoy kicking up the silty seabed. Descend into Laha 3 where divers can use eagle eyes to uncover rhinopias against homes chosen to disguise their hosts.

 

For a break from muck diving, take a day trip to Pantai Nama Wall, home to a number of hard and soft coral. Here, you’ll find a number of juvenile fish as nudibranch adorn the wall and orangutan crabs hide within bubble coral. If you can’t get enough of wall diving, ensure to visit Batu Belanda in the Banda Islands. Find yourself shadowed by a 24-metre wall where you can search for one of the very rare creatures of the Moluccas - the Lembeh sea dragon. Scorpionfish, blackspotted moray and orangutan crab are all common finds here.

 

If you are a megafauna fanatic, head to the Banda Islands, specifically Pulau Ai. Due to the dive site's deep walls and currents, Pulau Ai is one of the top dive sites for shark encounters. Hammerhead sharks, thresher sharks, and silvertip sharks are occasionally sighted while giant trevally, chevron barracuda and bluefin trevally are all common in large schools.