Dive Review of MY Liburan now Maluku Explorer in
Indonesia/Halmahera

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MY Liburan now Maluku Explorer: "Great diving and we were alone!", Oct, 2016, by Lisa C. Evans, CO, US ( Sr. Contributor 24 reports with 11 Helpful votes). Report 9915.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	I did this trip in Sept/Oct of 2016 and loved it. It was hard to find - the Liburan is mostly marketed to the German market, though there were 2 Brits and us 4 Americans on our cruise as well. I heard the boat was for sale and there were no cruises past December 2017 - that's now changed, along with the name of the boat. See links above. So this review applies to previous owners/cruise director/itinerary. We started in Ternate and ended in Labuha; cruises now are a loop out of Labuha. The boat: Comfortable and functional. We got upgraded to a main deck cabin - small but fine - comfy beds, good AC, good shower. Toilet was oddly highly placed - you'll need a step stool (I have an inflatable one I bring on trips, luckily.) I did not see the cabins below-decks. Dining area also comfortable. Food was very good. Second deck had open air and indoor salon - doors were open most of the time and it was comfortable both places. Briefings were on the second deck before going down the ladder to the dive deck at the back of the boat. For most people, you put on your gear, including BCD/tank, on the dive deck and walked down 3 steps to the platform at the back. Then stepped into the tenders. Lots of help from dive guides for the transition to the tenders. If you are not able to do this, they will carry your gear and you can put it on in the tender. Only thing i didn't like about the boat is that the crew smoked cigarettes in the middle of everything - at the front of the dive deck, bottom of the ladder from the upper deck - you had to walk by to get to the dining area and your cabin. I would prefer that they smoke at the front of the boat, like on most liveaboards. The diving: Fabulous. We were the only ones at all the sites. I understand a couple other liveaboards visit Halmahera, but we didn't see any other divers. Lots of walls and slopes. Little muck diving until a couple fabulous dives when we were anchored at Labuha on the last day. Dives were varied, full of healthy coral and lots of fish. Night dives were done in sheltered bays that had a mix of sand and coral bommies. Dive quality was up there with the best of Indonesia. My dive log is full of "Great dive" and "very fishy!" You could dive your own profile with a buddy. The other 3 divers in my group were beginners, so they were on a different tender, but they were very happy with their experience. They dived a little different profile than we did - excellent tailored guest service.
Websites	MY Liburan now Maluku Explorer
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	GBR, Philippines x 5, Raja Ampat x 3, Komodo, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Lembeh, Caribbean, Bali, Palau, Yap, Red Sea, Maldives, Ambon, etc
Closest Airport	Labuha, North Maluku	Getting There	We started in Ternate, after a flight from Manado and flew from Labuha back to Ternate to Manado (then Singapore..) It looks like they are now starting and ending in Labuha, which you can reach on Lion Air via Makassar from Denpasar or Jakarta. You cannot book directly on Lion Air without an Indonesia credit card - use Nusatrip.com
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, rainy, cloudy, dry	Seas	calm, choppy, currents, no currents
Water Temp	80-83°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	30-80 Ft/ 9-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Could dive own profile in buddy teams if you wanted, or stay with the guide. 60 minutes-ish.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of MY Liburan now Maluku Explorer in Indonesia/Halmahera

MY Liburan now Maluku Explorer: "Great diving and we were alone!", Oct, 2016,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of MY Liburan now Maluku Explorer in
Indonesia/Halmahera