July 27: Located about halfway between Manado and Gorontalo, this volcanic peninsula offers a day of diving where just about anything can be expected! This scenic region was a regular stop in the “Cehili Days” when I regularly dived the Togian Islands. We will enjoy 4 dives “coastal hopping” around this region before getting underway for an overnight steam. During the night we will cross the equator and watch the GPS go to 0.00 Latitude.

July 28: Arrive Dondola mid-morning after Equator Crossing Ceremony for Polywogs. After King Neptune’s appearance, we begin diving the sheer drop-offs of Dondola. Incredible huge chimney sponges reach out from the colorful walls for unending wide-angle photo ops. On the other side of this football field-sized, postcard perfect Island is a shallow lagoon rich in corals. A full day and more can be spent here! Beach combing on the lagoon side makes for a relaxing surface interval. Our overnight anchorage will be here at Dondola and we will get underway for the next series of dive sites in the early morning hours.

July 29: Arrive Selat Walea for a day or more of diving around Tanjung Balikapata. This is a site, I’m proud to say, I discovered from Cehili in the early 90s. This long peninsula extends from the Island of Karani with a seamount a mile or so from the tip. It was here that we regularly encountered schools of jacks, balling barracuda, giant Queensland grouper. . . a site very similar to “Too Many Fish” in the Banda Sea. The Southeast quadrant of this seamount drops off vertically into the channel where we would sometimes see, from the deck of the ship, pods of sperm whales passing through. It’s very likely we will spend more than one day here!

July 30: The unique and bio-diverse reefs around Selat Walea and Tanjung Balikpata offer multiple sites to dive and white beaches to explore. This day will be spent in the general area of this protected and rich region. After night dive we will get underway to sites deeper in Tomini Bay.

July 31: Arrive Buka Buka, another beautiful tiny island in the heart of Tomini Bay. Huge coconut crabs were plentiful here on this remote island when I used to come here on Cehili. The night dive on Buka Buka consistently produces amazing observations of ghostly flashlight fish! After a full day of diving here, we proceed to Tanjung Copatana for overnight anchorage.

August 1: Around daylight we get underway for Pasir Tengah, a donut-shaped atoll on the West side of Batukada Island. On this site we can expect to see large dogtooth tuna cruising the drop-offs and lush walls covered with sponges. After 2 dives here, we get underway during lunch for Unauna, an active volcano in Tomini Bay. We will explore this remote region in the afternoon and make a night dive here.

August 2: Unauna is a volcanic island which has been explored very little. When I was diving Tomini Bay from Cehili it was some times off limits due to volcanic activity. We plan to devote a day to further exploring Unauna for new dive sites. After a night dive here, we will begin our voyage back East.

August 3: This day will be spent diving around the north coast of Kanari Island. Seamounts, deep bays and a wide channel have recently been pioneered and are being dived by a local operator in this area. After 3 dives here, we get underway back across the equator toward Lembeh.

August 4: Arrive in the Tanjung Flesko area to coastal hop along our way back toward Lembeh. After night dive proceed to Lembeh. It is along this coastline that the best footage of “WonderPuss the Octopus” was captured for the Discovery Channel documentary.

August 5: Back in the Lembeh Strait area, we will enjoy the sites on the outside of Lembeh Island. Dive sites here in this little explored area produce the same exotic critters that have made Lembeh Strait so popular with macro photographers. Following the night dive, we proceed to anchorage near Lembeh Resort.

August 6, 2007 (Monday): After breakfast, transfer to Manado International Airport or one of the land-based resorts for an extension of your liveaboard holiday. Island Dreams can help you with a wide-range of options.