In this video I sail in in a traditional wooden Phinisi sailing boat across the Banda Sea, Indonesia, in seerch for the elusive Hammerhead sharks.
In some of the most remote islands in Indonesia we travel on the diving Liveaboard boat and visit active volcanos that make up the Ring of Fire.
We continue the journey from the last episode on the journey from Alor to Ambon. We leave teun island in Damar island group. Now we are in the reef atoll of Dusborgh, close to Pulau Nila. Beautiful reef walls that are teeming with schooling fish.
Next we jump in at the remote reef of Nil Desperandum and we catch our first glimpse of the hammerhead shark.
Next in the diving itinerary is the island of Serua. On this reef we find millions of tiny bait fish which bring in the predators including big schools of tuna and jacks and the olive sea snake.
Then we sail overnight to the most remote island in the Banda Sea, Manuk, which means bird island. But they should really call this snake island as it is covered with sea snakes.
The smell of sulphur is strong here, and the reef bubbles with the leaking gases of this active volcanos. This is about the closest I have been to being inside a BBC planet earth documentary.
Snakes hunt in packs, thousands of birds nest on the island and underwater we spot a school of over 30 scalloped hammerhead sharks.
Next we enter the Banda Archipelago, Karang Hatta. Beautiful reef filled with colour and many schooling fish and sharks. Including a huge school of Bumphead parrot fish.
Next we enter Banda Neira and learn about the history of these spice islands where nutmeg was endemic. The Dutch VOC setup a fort on the island and we visit this place.
Next we scuba dive at the island of Suanggi and spot the school of hammerhead sharks once again.
