Conditions referenceSeason, water and visibilityBest Oct–Apr · Mild current · 26–31°C (coldest Jun, warmest Mar)
- Current
- Mild
- Water temperature
- 26–31°C (coldest Jun, warmest Mar)
- Visibility
- 5–30m: Two different numbers for two different kinds of site.
- Experience
- The bay muck sites are shallow, low-current and fine for Open Water divers: most of the interesting stuff sits between 5 and 20m.
01 · Marine life
What you may see
Sightings are never guaranteed. The bars show typical likelihood by month.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Reported year-round on the Laha muck slopes, often on open sand or against debris.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Ambon Bay has established dusk sites for mandarinfish mating, run as scheduled sunset dives rather than chance encounters.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
A standard find on the Laha slopes year-round, though 'standard' still means a guide spotting a motionless, algae-coloured fish on sand.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Not native here.
02 · Dive sites
Dive sites worth knowing
A starting point, not a ranking. Conditions decide what works on the day.
Duke of Sparta (SS Aquila) Wreck
The one wreck dive that gets done regularly from Ambon.
12–37m · Mild current
Hukurila Cave
Hukurila Cave: Entry chimney leading into a short cavern with several swim-throughs, worked around 20m.
8–30m · Mild current
Rhino City
Rhino City: Named for repeat Rhinopias scorpionfish sightings: yellow, red, pink and brown individuals have been photographed here.
5–25m · None current
See all 7 dive sites
03 · LogisticsGetting there and costsModerate. Fly to AMQ. Typical trip $–$$.
Route overview
Moderate
Reachable but with some friction: 1 domestic flight.
Airport options
AMQ
Pattimura Airport, Ambon
Domestic only in practice. Direct overnight and daytime flights from Jakarta (CGK, about 3h30); everything else routes via Makassar (UPG), with Manado (MDC) and an alternate-day Sorong (SOQ) link also used. The airport sits in Laha village, next to the main muck sites.
UPG
Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport, Makassar
Nearest international airport with useful connections; one domestic hop of roughly 1h45–2h onward to Ambon
Typical trip cost
$–$$
under $2,000 to $2,000–4,000
Per person, excluding international flights.
- Land-based Ambon is at the cheaper end of Indonesian macro diving.
- Ambon Dive Resort publishes 7 nights with 12 dives at about €1,445–1,725 per person and 7 nights with 18 dives at €1,685–1,965 for 2025/26, rising to €1,517–2,070 for 2026/27: meals, tanks, weights and airport transfers included, roughly $1,600–2,300.
- Nitrox is about €5 per tank there and a blackwater dive about €70.
- No marine park fee is charged for the Ambon Bay muck sites.
- Flights are extra: Jakarta–Ambon returns are commonly quoted at $280–500.
- Banda Sea liveaboards departing Ambon are a separate bracket, usually 7–12 nights and well above the land-based figures.