By: Torben Lonne
The largest dive liveaboard in the Sea Safari Fleet, the KLM Sea Safari VIII offers liveaboard trips in Raja Ampat, Cendarwasih Bay, Triton Bay. The liveaboard, a recent addition to the Sea Safari fleet is a beautiful two-masted phinisi sailing boat, finished to perfection in warm tropical teak. In addition to being ideal for scuba diving cruises, other activities on Sea Safari 8 include kayaking, fishing and visiting remote tropical islands for treks and seeing indigenous wildlife. Built-in 2003 from Ulin ironwood, the Sea Safari VIII provides the perfect balance between liveaboard diving and luxury cruising.
Our Overall Review
Things we like:
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Several divers reported that the dives were magical getting to see Whale sharks and a WW2 zero airplane. -
Many divers said they loved the night dives that they took every night.
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There was one snorkeler and seven divers on the boat and the snorkeler had her own guide and she was pleased at what she saw.
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Many people were happy with the Indonesian styled cuisine.
Things we don't like:
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Some of the divers noted that the visibility was problematic at some places.
Diving on the Sea Safari VIII in Indonesia
The KLM Sea Safari VIII takes divers and non-divers to Indonesia’s best dive spots for 6-11 nights and includes trips to Ampat, Banda Sea, Manokwari, Derawan, Ambon, Sumbawa. The boat is approximately 35metres/feet long, has 4 engines and cruises at around 7-10knots/hour.
The boat has 12 cabins and is able to accommodate a maximum of 24 guests. A very modern boat, the Sea Safari VIII is equipped with modern communication, navigation and provides its guests with comfort and safety at all times. Guests are sure to get the best from the Sea Safari VIII in terms of diving experiences and leisure-time activities, without compromising any of the comforts, usually found in hotels.
Boat features
The 12 stylish cabins in the Sea Safari VIII consist of 3 main decks for living and diving and an additional Sun Deck with loungers where guests can relax between the dives.
The top deck has an air-conditioned lounge area with an HD TV, DVD, as well as a mini library for guests interested in books. A covered bar where guests can enjoy the sunset is just outside the upper deck.
The dining room is located on the middle deck. There are a number of camera stations around the edge of the dining room with ample power points. There are 4 double cabins on the middle deck, each with a double bed, en suite and air-conditioning. Two rear cabins have generous windows.
The lower deck has 4 double bed cabins, 2 twin bed cabins, and 2 bunk beds cabins. All with en-suite, portholes and European style 2 round pin plug sockets.
Outside of the indoor saloon, there is an outside open shaded lounge area with comfortable sofa sittings, tables, a wet bar that can provide drinks while relaxing with a great view.
The food provided by the onboard chef is a mixture of local and western dishes and is served buffet style. Guests with special dietary requirements are catered for and snacks are available all day.
The boat has a spacious dive deck where divers can keep their diving gear once diving is completed for the day. The crew members of the boat are dedicated to ensuring that guests have a pleasurable and safe experience. To ensure the safety of the guests, all dives are supervised by professional PADI instructors. Nitrox is available for the Nitrox qualified divers.
All Sea Safari vessels are equipped with modern navigation systems, up to date safety and first aid equipment and ENOS diver locator systems.
Best time to go
While diving can be done throughout the year, the best time to go diving with the Sea Safari VIII is between October and May.
Itinerary
Itineraries on the Sea Safari VIII vary between 6-11 nights. Guests are picked from the airport or their hotels in Sorong, West Papua and transferred to the liveaboard, where are they briefed by guides before being checked into their cabins. There are no dives on the arrival date. Depending on the schedule, there are about 4 dives per day including night dives. There are two dives on the day before departure. No diving is done on the departure date. All dives are supervised by professionals and done from tender boats.
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