Top 5 Big Marine Life Encounters in Indonesia

Giant manta ray with diver in Raja Ampat with Coralia Liveaboard in Indonesia

Big Marine Life in Indonesia Indonesia has so many great liveaboard scuba diving destinations to satisfy all divers. But if ‘big stuff’ is what you are looking then Indonesia can tick all those boxes too. Big marine life encounters in Indonesia can be found in many destinations. Manta rays in Komodo and Raja Ampat. Hammerhead sharks in the Forgotten Islands, Banda Sea. Whale sharks in Cenderawasih Bay. Molas, sunfish, in Alor. Whales and dolphins – everywhere! Manta Rays in Raja Ampat & Komodo The two best destinations to see manta rays are Raja Ampat and Komodo. In Komodo there are multiple dive sites that can be visited by manta rays. Coralia Liveaboard will cruise in Komodo from May to September […]

Abui Tribe in Alor

members of the Abui tribe dance in Alor

In Alor there is a traditional tribe from the Abui people. Abui means “mountain” in the Abui language.  They live in Takpapa Village in Benlelang Bay on the island of Alor. Approximately 16,000 people speak the Abui language.  The tribe still actively hunts with bows and arrows and is one of the only Abui tribes continuing their traditions. The local legend tells that the Abui tribe was the founder of the oldest kingdom that ever existed in Alor. During a liveaboard cruise, on board Coralia, through Alor we will organise a land excursion to visit the Abui people. Takpala Village is on the island of Alor a 45 minute bus ride from Kalabahi Bay. Inside Kalabahi Bay there is some […]

Marine Life Cleaning Stations

Coral grouper at a marine life cleaning station in Raja Ampat with Coralia Liveaboard in Indonesia

Various marine life regularly visit cleaning stations. A cleaning station is where a special type of cleaner fish or shrimp live. At these areas on the reef these cleaners offer their services! On a scuba diving liveaboard in Indonesia, such as Coralia Liveaboard, you can witness this amazing behaviour at many dive destinations. In the photo above a coral grouper has a cleaner shrimp inside its mouth. We find it amazing the trust between the cleaners and the fish. One big gulp and this shrimp could be a tasty meal for the grouper!! Coral groupers are a regular on the reefs in Raja Ampat and other places like Komodo. They are usually quite shy fish but here our Cruise Director […]

Critters in Indonesia – Weird and Wonderful Creatures

a dark red Rhinopias sitting on rubble ground

Indonesia – A Critters Paradise Indonesia is a great place to come scuba diving to see weird and wonderful critters. Some divers already know about the existence of some of these creatures and they are on their diver’s bucket list. Others have never heard, let alone seen, of these strange underwater creatures. We have put together a list of the best weird and wonderful critters in Indonesia. This list is according to Coralia’s favourites plus the ones that you are quite likely to see during a liveaboard cruise with us! Rhinopias – The Holy Grail of Fish! Our cover photo is of a paddle-flap scorpionfish or rhinopias (Rhinopias eschmeyeri). Many scuba divers consider this elusive fish the holy grail of […]

The Spice Islands

Fresh Cinnamon on the Banda Islands with Coralia Liveaboard in Indonesia

The tiny insignificant Banda Islands in the middle of the Indonesian archipelago were once the world’s only supplier of nutmeg. Also known as the Spice Islands, these remote islands played a large part in history that not many people know about. The Banda Islands are isolated in the Banda Sea off the island of Seram. At the beginning of the 17th century they were at the centre of fierce and bloody battles between the English and the Dutch . Nutmeg from the Spice Islands Nutmeg was the seventeenth century wonder drug. People used it as a medicine for rheumatism and digestion, as well as an aphrodisiac. But its significance grew when Elizabethan doctors claimed that it was the only cure […]

Coralia Liveaboard Food Favorites

sample of our culinary buffet on Coralia Liveaboard Indonesia

One of the things that makes our guests stay on board Coralia Liveaboard as well as at Papua Explorers Eco Resort memorable is the food that we serve. There is nothing more comforting to know that after a satisfying dive, there is a warm, healthy and hearty meal waiting for you. A happy tummy makes a happy diver. Over the years, our guests have accumulated certain favorites from our dishes. So we took the liberty of asking our guests which dishes, beverages and snacks were their favorites and compiled them for you. So when it is your time to come to our place, you might want to keep an eye out for these delicacies! Our Top 15 Coralia Liveaboard Food […]

Tambora – The Volcano that created Frankenstein

the ocean and the Tambora volcano that led to the creation of Frankenstein can be seen in the background

The eruption of Tambora volcano, Indonesia in 1815 was one of the largest explosive events in the world in the past 10,000 years. A very serious event, but as a fun fact, the Tambora volcano eventually also led to the creation of Frankenstein novel! We will explain it later… Eruption The eruption was more powerful than the more widely known eruption of Krakatoa in 1883. Tambora is on the island of Sumbawa, east of Lombok and Bali. Before the eruption, Tambora was 4,300m/14,100ft high. The cone lost 1,400m/4,600ft in height during the eruption. Tambora’s eruption commenced on 5th April with rumblings and small eruptions. The main 24 hour long paroxysm (sudden and violent volcanic eruption) occurred on 10th April 1815. […]

Wobbegong Shark Raja Ampat

an adult-size wobbegong shark resting between corals in Raja Ampat

In Raja Ampat, Indonesia it is fairly common to see the wonderful tasselled wobbegong shark while scuba diving. Raja Ampat is right in the centre of the coral triangle and has the highest biodiversity of fish and corals in the world! Coralia Liveaboard can take you on a diving cruise to look for wobbegong sharks! Origin of the Name Experts think the name wobbegong could come from the Australian Aborginal language, meaning ‘shaggy beard’. Its scientific name Eucrossorhinus dasypogon also refers to the growths around the mouth of this amazing shark. Discovery A Dutch ichthyologist first described the tasselled wobbegong shark in 1867. The name dasypogon comes from the Greek ‘dasys’ meaning hairy and ‘pogon’ meaning beard. In 1908 a […]

Covid-19 Response and book with “free cancellation” for a limited time

our cruise ship Coralia Liveaboard in between islands of Raja Ampat

We are all going through difficult times and looking forward to the days when the pandemic is over and we can all go back to Raja Ampat, Komodo and other fascinating places in Indonesia for scuba diving and snorkeling. The Covid-19 pandemic has been severely affecting Coralia Liveaboard and Papua Explorers Resort with the rest of the world, as more and more countries are closing down their borders and ordering a lock-down for their citizens. The Indonesian government has suspended the tourist visas for at least one month and Sorong and Labuan Bajo may be having a temporary lock-down soon. Unfortunately, these circumstances force us to temporarily cease our operations. Naturally, our first priority is the safety and wellbeing of […]