Diving in Moluccas ^*

The Moluccas are also referred to as the Spice Islands. For a while, spices like nutmeg, mace, cloves, pepper, and cinnamon were only found here. These spices were very valuable and Chinese and Arab in the 7th century and later the Portuguese, British and Dutch in the 16th century traded with these islands. There was lots of fighting to gain control of the lucrative spice market; finally Dutch even gave the island of Manhattan to the British in exchange for Banda Island. This gave the Dutch full control over the Banda archipelago. This Island is located in the center of Indonesia and it is set splendid isolation with a rich and important history. Recently, liveaboard divers are discovering the value of the life beneath its waters’ surface. It is blessed with some of the finest scuba diving sites in Indonesia. The island is very remote in the wide open Banda Sea and it has low levels of the human population. As a result, it has less fishing pressures and a vibrant and healthy reef system. The reefs are bursting with life such as; huge sea fans and sponges, some monumental hard corals, and large schools of fish. The best months for diving in this region are March and April, and mid/late-September to early/mid-December. Between the months of May to August, diving can be done in the north and the bay of Ambon though wind and waves may make it difficult.