Tag: travel - Coralia Liveaboard Indonesia

July 31, 2021August 6, 2022News

SS Duke of Sparta Wreck in Ambon

In Ambon Bay there is a little-dived shipwreck and there’s an interesting story behind it. The wreck lies with her stern at around 15 metres and her bow down at 35 metres. It is a huge ship, and the wreck is over 100 metres long. Due to the wreck being close to the busy port of Ambon, the visibility is rarely great! But the shipwreck is intact and covered in amazing coral growth. Sponges, hard coral, and soft corals, along with the wreck itself have created amazing spaces for a wide variety of marine life. The mast and the upper parts of the wreck are covered in colourful soft corals. It’s in these areas where the light will be best […]

November 26, 2020September 24, 2020News

Fish Change Colour

Batfish with different colourations in Triton Bay with Coralia Liveaboard in Indonesia

Did you know that fish change colour? Some species do not change colour but many do. This change can be slow or fast. Next time you are out scuba diving, pay close attention to the fish and see if you can spot any changing colour! Coralia Liveaboard cruises all over Indonesia. Our very experienced dive guides can show you some fish colour changing action! Watch carefully, in this video you can see a long nose emperor fish changing colour while hunting. It goes from silver to a camo pattern and back to silver in a few seconds! Slow Colour Changing Fish Slow changes are generally under the control of hormones. These colour changes are usually semi-permanent. Slow colour changes often […]

September 3, 2020July 25, 2020News

Liveaboard Packing List

our phinisi cruise ship Coralia at sea next to a tiny tropical island in Raja Ampat

Coralia Liveaboard Packing List Liveaboard holidays are all about relaxing, diving or snorkelling, eating, relaxing a bit more and repeat! While on your scuba diving cruise with Coralia you will spend a lot of time in the water. The rest of the time you will spend relaxing on deck, in our comfortable air-conditioned lounge or in your luxurious cabin. Have a look below at our liveaboard packing list to find out what to bring and what to leave at home. Basically, our motto is: Put out what you want to pack and then half it!!! Basics for your Travels Passport – your passport must be valid for at least six months at the time of travel. Visa – most nationalities […]

July 9, 2020June 26, 2020News

Komodo Dragons

Komodo dragon in Horseshoe Bay on Rinca Island in Komodo with Coralia Liveaboard in Indonesia

Komodo dragons are the world’s largest lizard. They live on only a few islands in the Komodo National Park in Indonesia. Komodo National Park is a World Heritage Site. It was also voted as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. It is a highlight of any liveaboard scuba diving cruise to Komodo to see the dragons. During a Coralia Liveaboard trip in Komodo you will have the opportunity to see these amazing animals. King of Komodo Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) are also known as the Komodo monitor. They were first documented by Western scientists in 1910. They called them ‘land crocodiles’. Or in Indonesian ‘buaya darat’. In 1926 Douglas Burden went on an expedition to Komodo Island. […]

May 28, 2020May 28, 2020News

Abui Tribe 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 […]

May 21, 2020June 20, 2020News

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 […]

May 14, 2020June 20, 2020News

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 […]

May 7, 2020May 8, 2020News

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 […]

April 30, 2020April 28, 2020News

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 […]

April 23, 2020April 17, 2020News

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. […]