[Indonesia] Part 1: What's on a Neomi Cruise Top-Tier Indonesia Liveaboard? Dugong, Hammerhead Shark & Sailfish Mega-Pelagic Trip — An Exclusive Look at a Once-a-Year Transoceanic Itinerary

The Editor visited Bali, Indonesia in July 2023 for a dive trip and was lucky enough to encounter star pelagics up close — including Mola and Manta — (see also: 【Indonesia · Bali】Insane Water Temps from 21–29°C! Diving in Bali Is All About Manta & Mola Mega-Pelagics feat. 海島瘋). The sheer richness of Indonesia's underwater world was impossible to forget. Indonesia is world-renowned for liveaboard itineraries covering Raja Ampat, Komodo, the Banda Sea and beyond. Three months later, thanks to a warm invitation from Joe 愛潛水, we set off on a uniquely extraordinary transoceanic liveaboard journey. Through this two-part feature, we'll give you the complete picture: what is there to do on the Neomi Cruise top-tier Indonesia liveaboard, and did our dugong, Hammerhead Shark, and sailfish mega-pelagic trip actually deliver?

Why Choose a Liveaboard for Diving in Indonesia?

Open Google Maps and search for Indonesia, and you'll immediately see just how vast the country is — spanning three time zones, with a land area of 1,904,569 square kilometres and no fewer than 17,508 islands, of which only 6,000 are inhabited, leaving the rest as uninhabited wilderness. Unless you're heading to a popular tourist destination like Bali, where you can stay at a resort and access dive sites directly, a liveaboard is the recommended way to experience most other itineraries.

Indonesia is world-famous for liveaboard routes through Raja Ampat, Komodo, and the Banda Sea. As mentioned, the country is enormous — travelling between islands can take anywhere from 5 hours to a full 24 hours. If you want to explore as many dive sites as possible in a single trip, a liveaboard is your best option. Otherwise, you'll burn through your energy just commuting back and forth between the resort and the dive sites every day.

The vessel for this trip was the Neomi Cruise top-tier liveaboard, a ship that had just celebrated its second year in operation. According to unofficial estimates, there are around 100-plus liveaboard operators in Indonesia, and Neomi Cruise ranks among the larger, more established vessels. Like other liveaboard operators, Neomi Cruise repositions across Indonesia's wide waters according to sea and weather conditions, offering guests a diverse range of dive itineraries:

• Every September: waters around the Alor Archipelago

• Every October–December: Banda Sea waters

• Every January–April: Raja Ampat waters

• Every May–August: Komodo waters

How to Get to Your Indonesia Liveaboard

We travelled in late September to early October — right at the time Neomi Cruise repositions from the Alor Archipelago to the Banda Sea. This made our itinerary a genuine transoceanic passage, one that only happens once a year. The islands we passed along the way are completely uninhabited, rarely visited by dive boats, and teeming with pristine, untouched marine life.

However, since this is a transoceanic route, booking flights was a real headache. The departure and arrival airports are different, making round-trip tickets impossible to purchase, so we recommend having a travel agent handle the ticketing. On top of that, outbound flights to Alor cannot be booked through a travel agent — they can only be purchased directly on the airline's official website, which adds another layer of complexity to the logistics.

• Recommended outbound route: Taipei → Jakarta → Kupang → Alor

• Recommended return route: Ambon → Jakarta → Taipei

When clearing immigration, note that Indonesia offers a Visa on Arrival (VOA) — we recommend purchasing it on the spot rather than filling out an E-VOA online. The online form requires a significant amount of personal information and takes roughly 15 minutes per person to complete, and you'll need to keep the QR code for verification. Buying the VOA on-site involves no questions whatsoever — just hand over US dollars and you'll receive Indonesian rupiah in change.

We arrived in Jakarta at around 13

on the first day, with our next flight to Kupang not until 02 the following morning, so Joe arranged a transit hotel in Terminal 2 for us to rest overnight and conserve our energy for the journey ahead.

The transit hotel was conveniently located right in Terminal 2, making our early-morning connection much easier. A few tips to keep in mind: the hotel has limited massage staff, so book in advance if you'd like one. The hotel's layout follows the terminal's elongated floor plan, so consider tipping the doorman to help carry your luggage — it's worth it. Jakarta airport has plenty of restaurants on the ground floor, so food is never a concern.

A few more transit reminders:

• Jakarta airport is enormous — allow extra walking time so you don't miss your flight.

• If you're worried about overweight luggage, leave time to visit the excess baggage counter, which may also require a lengthy walk.

• Indonesian flights may be cancelled or merged without notice — don't cut your connection time too tight.

• Jakarta airport operates 24 hours, so getting food is never a problem.

Indonesia Travel Tips: Time Zones, Exchange Rates & Connectivity

Indonesia stretches 5,120 kilometres from west to east and spans three time zones within its borders. Jakarta, for instance, is 1 hour behind Taiwan, while Kupang and Alor are in the same time zone as Taiwan. The final destination on this trip, Ambon, is 1 hour ahead of Taiwan. Don't forget to adjust your watch as you move between stops, or you might miss scheduled activities.

The exchange rate is another thing Taiwanese travellers need to get used to. Indonesian rupiah values are large — a handy rule of thumb: if you see a price of IDR 29,000, drop the last three zeros to get 29, then multiply by 2 to get approximately NT$58. Simple!

What about mobile data? Don't expect 5G in Indonesia. The country is vast and infrastructure in most areas is underdeveloped — having a 4G signal is already a pleasant surprise. On this 8-day transoceanic itinerary, 3 days were spent completely off the grid. Our advice to visitors: don't bother with an unlimited data plan or buying a large data package — there's a good chance your phone will be stuck in aeroplane mode for most of the trip (laughs).

How to Choose a Liveaboard

There are around 100-plus liveaboard operators in Indonesia's prime dive regions. When choosing a good one, price should never be your primary criterion. Let's use Neomi Cruise as an example to walk through what to look for.

Layout matters enormously on a good dive vessel. Many of us have been on dive boats converted from yachts — glamorous on the outside, but poorly designed for divers, leaving you navigating awkward spaces at every turn. Neomi Cruise is different: the owner is a diver and an underwater photographer, and that thoughtfulness is evident from the moment you step aboard.

The tender boat approaches the mother vessel from the stern and docks directly at the gear room — once your personal dive equipment is checked in, you can stow your luggage right there, with no need to haul heavy gear up and down stairs. A thoughtful camera room provides towels for drying down, small lights for illumination, and power outlets for charging — and the generous space makes post-dive camera care a genuine pleasure.

One of the most impressive things about Neomi Cruise is that beyond the standard welcome drinks you'd expect on any liveaboard, the team arranges different cultural performances to greet guests depending on the itinerary segment. For our Alor departure, they organised a vibrant traditional local dance. On the Banda Sea leg, a live band is invited aboard to perform. On Komodo itineraries, diverse land excursions are arranged to enrich the overall experience.

Spaciousness is another key factor when selecting a liveaboard. As a newly completed vessel from 2021, Neomi Cruise delivers on both functionality and comfort without compromise. The dining area is generously proportioned, the lounge is comfortable and comes with a KTV system stocked with Chinese-language songs, and there's even a dedicated outdoor deck for those who need frequent fresh air. Every space is designed to keep you relaxed throughout your time at sea.

As the self-appointed chief food enthusiast among our dive group, the Editor considers food quality an absolutely non-negotiable criterion when evaluating a liveaboard. Neomi Cruise's culinary team fully met expectations: a freshly updated menu every day is a given, fresh fruits and vegetables are always on the table, and the kitchen even conjures up noodle soup that warms the hearts of Taiwanese guests. The one minor critique is that Southeast Asian meat preparations tend to result in drier textures, which may not appeal to every Taiwanese palate.

Bonus Catch of the Day!

At certain dive sites on certain itinerary segments, guests are permitted to catch lobster themselves underwater — just make sure to confirm size limits and catch quotas with the crew first. Once you're back on board, the kitchen will cook your catch straight away as a special supplement to the meal.

And when there's downtime at sea, a bit of fishing with good technique and a lucky streak can really supplement the dinner table for the whole boat. On this trip, one of our fellow guests reeled in a red snapper and yellowfin tuna — fresh catches that were promptly turned into sashimi for the evening meal. Pure happiness.

How to Assess Liveaboard Dive Safety

A reputable operator should provide comprehensive onboarding: an environmental briefing, vessel safety overview, and dive briefing from the very start. What truly impressed the Editor about Neomi Cruise was the safety video played immediately upon boarding — produced to a remarkably high standard, with clear and complete information, it felt every bit as polished as an airline's in-flight safety demonstration.

Neomi Cruise also issues each guest a personal distress beacon, which is secured to your dive equipment once you've settled in on board. Be sure to listen carefully to the instructions on how to use it — you don't want to find out you don't know how to activate it in an emergency. The small personal locator beacons commonly used in Taiwan won't be compatible here as the receiver systems differ, but satellite-connected devices like the Garmin InReach are compatible and worth bringing as a backup.

What Will You See Underwater?

The first few days are spent diving around the Alor Archipelago. The topography here is somewhat similar to Orchid Island — a gentle slope from shore to around 5m, followed by a near-vertical wall plunging to depth. Wall diving like this means keeping a close eye on your no-decompression time and depth. Since the dive sites sit in sheltered waters between multiple islands, currents are generally manageable; if a current does pick up, drift diving usually suffices and reef hooks are rarely needed.

Indonesia sits at the heart of the Coral Triangle, and with many of these islands uninhabited and almost entirely free of commercial development, coral coverage and reef ecosystem health are exceptional. Tropical reef fish of all kinds congregate here, and you'll occasionally spot reef sharks and various predatory Groupers, creating a harmonious underwater tableau. At certain dive sites in the Alor Archipelago, lucky divers even have a chance to encounter Hammerhead Sharks, Humphead Wrasse, and Bumphead Parrotfish — but if fortune isn't on your side here, the odds improve considerably once the boat moves on to the Banda Sea.

The star attraction for diving in the Alor Archipelago is, without question, the dugong! However, the only remaining dugong here happened to be in heat during our visit — and there have been past incidents of it "embracing" divers — so on this occasion we could only interact with it from the tender boat, with even snorkeling to get closer off the table.

Before setting out we were worried we might not even get a glimpse of it, but that turned out to be a needless concern — the dugong heard our boat approaching from a distance and promptly came over to say hello. It circled around the boat, clearly vying for attention. If you have a GoPro, don't forget to attach your selfie stick and lower it into the water to capture its adorably dopey swimming style on video!

To Be Continued — Next Up: Hammerhead Sharks

This transoceanic itinerary was so packed with highlights that the Editor had to split the write-up into two parts. In the next article, we'll share the experience of moving into the Banda Sea and witnessing schooling Hammerhead Sharks — stay tuned!

Further reading:

• Joe 愛潛水 Facebook Page

• Indonesia Neomi Cruise Top-Tier Liveaboard Official Website

• 【Indonesia · Bali】Insane Water Temps from 21–29°C! Diving in Bali Is All About Manta & Mola Mega-Pelagics feat. 海島瘋