Vessels
Arenui
The Arenui sails under the banner of ‘The Boutique Liveaboard’ and has been designed to combine the convenience of a fully equipped dive liveaboard complimented by all the attention to detail and finesse one can expect of a luxury hotel. Built in July 2007 the ship itself can be described as a ‘floating work of art’! She was built in south Sulawesi by over 50 local craftsmen. Seventy percent of the wood used to build the Arenui is recycled wood. Many parts of the boat are made from recycled teak wood from Javanese houses and twelve different types of wood have been used in the crafting of the Arenui. The hull is made up of seven types of wood and the interior five types of wood. Seventeen different types of finishing techniques have been used. All wood finishing has been by hand using traditional materials and techniques. We have taken some traditional elements of Javanese houses and recreated them on the Arenui. The bronze, brass and copper features, such as the unique hinges and handles are all handmade. Most of the lamps are made from copper or brass and were handcrafted in Java.
Built in the style of the traditional phinisi schooners, the 43 metre long Arenui can take up to 16 guests in eight very spacious cabins (starting at 17 square metres in size!) all with either king-sized or twin beds and tastefully furnished with exquisite handicrafts from each of the Indonesian provinces. Each cabin has an en-suite bathroom and individually controlled air-conditioning. The Arenui can be your private sanctuary and second home, but one located amidst a constantly changing tropical landscape!
A full range of massage and spa treatments are available as part of the cruise package. You can choose to take your luxury treatment in the secluded Spa Tent or in the open air out on the deck. For those who are looking for simpler pleasures, there are deck chairs and sun loungers on the sundeck as well as in the outdoor lounge to allow you to just lie back and soak up some rays or to sip a cocktail while watching the sun descend below the horizon across the water.
The friendly and hard-working local crew of 22 constantly strive to ensure that service is attentive yet relaxed, and never intrusive. Individual service and attention to detail will make your cruise on the Arenui an unforgettable one! Two cruise directors and five dive guides ensure that you will really make the most of the remarkable itineraries that the Arenui offers.
Rather than the typical dive liveaboard buffets, you will be able to choose from daily a-la-carte menus. Food is plentiful, fresh, and centered around local and flown-in ingredients and our internationally trained chefs then add in their own touch of magic, drawing inspiration from local and international cuisine. Even lovers of gourmet cuisine are sure to discover new taste experiences. The dining deck is quite spectacular! Located on the upper deck to provide the ultimate in al fresco dining, you can enjoy your meals and admire the fabulous scenery at the same time. Meals can be taken indoors should you wish.
Photo editing facilities as well as an extensive selection of books and movies in the salon library/entertainment centre for your relaxing moments. iMac and PC computers are available to edit your photos on. There is an extensive library of DVDs on board. You can watch these at any time either in the salon or in the comfort of your own cabin on your DVD player. An excellent collection of books on the local area and marine life is available as well as a diverse selection of popular fiction novels. Kayaking is available on most cruises.
The lower deck is home to three double cabins and one twin cabin as well as the crew quarters. Two double and two twin cabins are located on the main deck which is also home to the salon.
The diving day on Arenui is very well organized but the crew are able to be flexible to accommodate the wishes of the group. Up to four dives a day are offered and dinner can be taken earlier for those not night diving. On some days, there is an opportunity to partake in a land visit, in which case, one dive may have to be substituted. The Arenui has two dive tenders, both of which can take up to eight divers plus Dive Masters. At the front of each tender, each diver has their own storage area for masks, computers, torches etc. Safety requirements on board are that every diver must have a dive computer (rental computers are available on board) and a surface marker buoy which can be deployed at the safety stop. Fresh towels are offered after each dive. Air guns for drying cameras are available. Nitrox is available.
Example cruise itineraries:
KOMODO (7 nights)
Day 1: Board Arenui in Labuan Bajo and perform a check dive at Pink Beach. Day 2: Today things get more thrilling at Rinca Island (home to the Komodo Dragons!) The pinnacles and slopes here attract a huge number of fish in great schools. Reef sharks and Mantas can be found here too. Dives include Cannibal Rock and Torpedo Alley famed for its ray population. Day 3: Manta Alley will require the use of your reef hook! Manta Rays are sighted here frequently to come and feed on the currents. Three Sisters offers some great topography as reef sharks glide past the towers of stone and step reef. Day 4: In the Komodo – Flores Channel the order of the day is pinnacle diving with plenty of current and large pelagic life all attracted to the walls, drop-offs and fascinating topography. Day 5: At Gili Lawa Laut, dives at Crystal Rock and Castle Rock you may want your reef hooks so that you can admire the schools of fish whipping by you! Night dive at Gazor Beach. Day 6: At Sangeang (an active volcano) a day in macro haven ends with a dive on the lava slopes, still bubbling away! Ribbon eels and Bargabanti pygmy seahorses don’t mind the heat though. Day 7: Divers will probably want to spend the last dives back at Castle Rock and Crystal Rock before a short walk up Gili Lawa Laut for great views over the channel. Day 8: Disembark Arenui in Labuan Bajo.
GRAND KOMODO (11 nights)
Grand Komodo cruises begin and end in Bali, taking in Moyo and Satonda Island where you can witness the fabulous coral formations and make a land trip to Satonda. Denise pygmy seahorses await your discovery at Angel Reef. They continue to Bima to take advantage of the muck diving at the famous Unusual Suspects site. The remainder of the cruise is the same as the 7 nights Komodo itinerary.
BALI – LABUAN BAJO
Day 1: Board Arenui at Benoa harbour in Bali. Day 2: Dive at Moyo and Satonda Island and witness the fabulous coral formations and make a land trip to Satonda. Denise pygmy seahorses await your discovery at Angel Reef. Day 3: Enjoy the muck diving around this busy port on Sumbawa. Unusual Suspects is a famous site amongst the liveaboard boats that visit here. Be amazed at the variety of critters! Day 4: At Sangeang (an active volcano) another day in macro haven ends with a dive on the lava slopes, still bubbling away! Ribbon eels and Bargabanti pygmy seahorses don’t mind the heat though. Day 5: Today things get more thrilling at the current swept sites such as Gili Lawa Laut and Tatawa Besar and around Rinca Island (home to the Komodo Dragons!) The pinnacles and slopes here attract a huge number of fish in great schools. Reef sharks and Mantas can be found here too. Day 6: Go and find some dragons on Rinca but don’t get separated from the group! Back under the water at Horseshoe Bay (reckoned to be amongst the top ten dive sites in the world) the nutrient rich waters make for some spectacular coral formations and a plethora of life. Water can get chilly here though, as low as 20°C. Day 7: Further dives in Horseshoe Bay and Torpedo Alley may yield paddle-flap scorpionfish. Day 8: Manta Alley will require the use of your reef hook! Manta Rays are sighted here frequently to come and feed on the currents. Three Sisters offers some great topography as reef sharks glide past the towers of stone and step reef. Day 9: Disembark Arenui in Labuan Bajo.
BALI – KOMODO – BALI (11 nights)
These cruises follow the same path as the Bali – Labuan Bajo itineraries but take in more dives off Bima and Rinca. Whereas the Bali – Labuan Bajo cruise ends at Labuan Bajo, this itinerary continues into the Komodo – Flores channel where currents and drifts make for some exciting diving on truly beautiful walls. Waters here are very fishy indeed!
TRANSNUSA (11 nights)
These cruises follow the same route as the Bali – Labuan Bajo – Bali itineraries but take in dives off Bima and Rinca. Whereas the Bali – Labuan Bajo cruise ends at Labuan Bajo, this itinerary continues into the Komodo – Flores channel where currents and drifts make for some exciting diving on truly beautiful walls. Waters here are very fishy indeed! On the way to Maumere you will stop North of Flores for some muck diving at Discovery Bay. At Riung you have access to the 17 Islands Marine Park. This marine park covers quite a lot of territory, protecting the waters of a number of small islands (actually more than 17), many with amazing powder-white beaches. The result is that you can find many small healthy patches of reefs here with great diversity in terms of both corals and marine life and even large expanses of mangrove forests. There are a number of first-rate dive sites here where you can savour the view of reefs in very good condition topped by whip corals, bright orange and red soft corals, hard corals, and an astounding number of different tropical fish interspersed with glimpses of more surprising creatures, both big and small. The final day of the cruise will be spent at Pomana and Pulau Besar where you can explore the colourful walls and drop-offs as well as caverns, popular with baby sharks! Day 12: Disembark Arenui in Maumere.
MAUMERE – LABUAN BAJO (13 NIGHTS)
Day 1: Board Arenui in Maumere and head east of Flores. Day 2: Spend the day diving on the south-west corner of Adonara Island. Juvenile harlequin sweetlips and barramundi cods wiggle around inside the hard corals. Ribbon eels and numerous nudibranchs can be found between the reef and the slope which slowly drops down to around 25m/75 feet. At the west end of the dive site there are ledges extending along the sea floor with blue spotted stingrays, white tip reef sharks and sweetlips sheltering underneath. Weedy and paddle-flap scorpion fish have been found here. Day 3: A day for the lovers of muck at Tanjung Waiwowan. Day 4: Off the island of Lamalera the region’s volcanic scenery is mirrored beneath the sea. Cracks and crevices are home to turtles and schools of bumphead parrotfish. Day 5 & Day 6: An excellent balance of stunning and colourful fish filled reefs and lovely macro spots. Shallow reef tops give way to sheer walls and pinnacles and sandy slopes make for a fabulous variety of habitats. Day 7: Diving off the corner of Kawula Island at Bacatan at different times of the day yields something different each time! When the current runs so too do the tuna, trevallies and triggerfish. At slack tide it is much more fun to bimble around the shallow coral gardens. Day 8: Enjoy some very pleasant and easy diving at Serbete Reef before witnessing the volcanic activity at Pulau Komba where you should see flowing molten lava and hear the sound of the volcano spew out its latest dust clouds. Day 9: At Pomana Besar, Pomana Kecil and Pulau Babi walls and drop-offs are home to some lovely corals and the usual excellent selection of Indo Pacific reef fish. Reef sharks often pop in too. Day 10: Back at Flores the soft corals are extremely photogenic and compelling. On land you may chose to visit a megalithic village or hunt down some slightls smaller cousins of the Komodo dragons! Day 11: Walk with the dragons at Komodo National Park in the morning before an afternoon of diving off Rinca. Day 12: Enjoy more time in Komodo National Park and the stunning topography the diving offers. Large schools of fish, sharks and Mantas can all be found here. Day 13: The best is saved for last as you finish on a high at Castle Rock and Crystal Rock – this is fish soup! Day 14: Disembark Arenui at Labuan Bajo.
RAJA AMPAT (11 nights)
Day 1: Meet a crew member in Sorong and board Arenui. Day 2: At Wagmab you can dive into Eddy Cave to surface inside to see the stalactites. Back on the reef marvel at the profusion of fish life and look out for pygmy seahorses. In the afternoon you’ll get the chance to go ashore to explore the beautiful island and watch the sunset. Day 3: This will be the first of three days in the Misool area. The colours and sheer volume of fish will blow you away. The famous ‘walking shark’ can be found here as well as wobbegong species. Reef sharks, schooling fish and soft corals all make for picturesque subjects. The topography in the Boo region of Misool is famous for it’s reef ‘windows’ – simply large holes in the reef! Day 6: At Batanta, muck enthusiasts will revel amongst the nudibranchs, tiger shrimp, ghost pipefish and mimic octopi. Day 7: No diver couldn’t get excited at the prospect of diving Manta Sandy where frequently, several Manta Rays congregate and often form ‘Manta trains’ to feed and be cleaned. This afternoon, explore the Jetty of Aborek Island where the recently discovered Pontohi pygmy seahorse was found. An afternoon visit to the local village will be very rewarding and you might take stationery supplies for the school. Day 8: Aljui Bay is on the west of Waigeo Island where a pearl farm is located and a visit will be made here. The jetties at the pearl farm have created a fabulous artificial reef home to wobbegong shark, schooling scad, batfish and ghost pipefish. Night diving here is likely to be the best of the whole cruise. Day 9: Take advantage of the easy diving over the white sands and bommies in Gam. Reef sharks patrol here too. Day 10 & Day 11: Ride the currents in the Dampier Strait and mingle with the rainbow runners, sweetlips, bannerfish and fusiliers. When all the fish move at once listen out for the ‘fish thunder’ booms! Day 12; Disembark Arenui in Sorong.
Arenui also offers Raja Ampat cruises that offer an additional day spent at Kawe, where you can dive both hemispheres at once! Manta Ray encounters are common.