Dive Review of Solitude in
Indonesia

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Solitude: "A Dream Trip", Nov, 2022, by Bonnie McKenna, TX, US ( Contributor 13 reports with 9 Helpful votes). Report 12235.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	[Solitude Adventurer Liveaboard - A Dream Trip After waiting more than two years to take this trip, our group of 14 divers finally came together in Ambon on board the beautiful Solitude Adventurer for a dive adventure into the Banda Sea. The boat, refurbished in 2017, is an aluminum catamaran 36 M x 12M, draft 1.5M. The interior is as comfortable as a high-end hotel. The main salon, galley, dining area, two suites, and access to the dive deck are on the main level. Rinse tanks, air guns, and towels for cameras are available on the dive deck. The other ensuite rooms are on the second level, as is the camera room with individual stations, electric outlets (bring a travel plug adapter), and storage areas. My only complaint regarding this area is inadequate overhead lighting. Dive gear is available for rent, including dive computers. Nitrox is available for an additional cost. We all took a check-out dive before we took off on our adventure into the Banda Sea. Suanggi Island, our first dive site, was an overnight sail on a calm sea. Dive briefings, given by the boat's director, were thorough and complimented with hand-drawn maps/charts of the location. The director and his assistant were interested in the possibility of seeing hammerheads. It was the subject of almost every dive briefing. Divers were grouped four to a dive guide. Travel to and from the dive site was in one of the two RIBs. There are not enough words to describe how well the dive guides and deckhands cared for us every day. The best!!! The Banda area is volcanic, with many interesting underwater rock formations but not much in the way of a coral reef structure. In some places, the sand is warm to the touch, and gases could be observed bubbling to the surface—lots of giant barrel sponges scattered along the slopes of the dive site. On my first dive, I saw something I had never seen before: sponges spawning. I wish I knew something about sponges and their biology. The following three dive sites Manuk, Serua, and Hatta are also volcanic in origin and were nearly identical; the search was still on for hammerheads. A few sharks were seen, but no schools as we had hoped. Next on the schedule, Banda Nera was a change of uw scenery. Beautiful fields of coral with lots of fish life, including macro subjects…my favorite. Be sure to take a walk in the town and visit the old Dutch fort that overlooks the area. The place to be In the evening, if you are a photographer, is the wall in front of the Maulana Hotel for Mandarin fish. Our last dive site was Nusa Laut, another volcanic island. That evening we celebrated one of our divers' 500th dive and invited the entire crew to the main salon to express our thanks for a fun-filled and safe journey. None]
Websites	Solitude
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Philippines, Palau, Chuuk, Yap, Thailand, Caribbean, California, Lembeh, Raja Empats, Guam, Thailand, Comoro Island - Moheli, Ambon
Closest Airport	Ambon	Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	75-78°F / 24-26°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	0-100 Ft/ 0-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	[No night diving or solo diving
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish	N/A
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	See report.

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Dive Review of Solitude in Indonesia

Solitude: "A Dream Trip", Nov, 2022,

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

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

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

Dive Review of Solitude in
Indonesia