Ondina Indonesia

Ondina Indonesia
Ondina Indonesia

Sailing Indonesia for over 15 years, the SMY Ondina brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to every trip. With a slogan of ‘expect the unexpected’, the Ondina team aim to deliver just that. With unexpected beautiful beaches, unexpected traditional villages, unexpected fantastic on-board service, and of course, unexpected spectacular diving encounters.

As pioneers of the area and some of the first to explore the diving of Raja Ampat, SMY Ondina know the best dive sites that very few other boats visit. Whether you’re a beginner or professional diver, photographer or videographer, the Ondina crew will take care of everyone’s individual needs to ensure the perfect trip.

Explore Indonesia with SMY Ondina

Explore Indonesia with Ondina
Explore Indonesia with Ondina

If diving in Komodo National Park, the Raja Ampat Archipelago, Sulawesi, Ambon, Alor and the Maluku’s sound like amazing journeys then look no further than the SMY Ondina. Each trip has been specifically planned based on the time of year, tide, currents and moon phases to bring you the best of Indonesia.

The Komodo Straits & Rinca are often on most divers’ bucket list. Offering spectacular underwater scenery and stunning land trips to visit the famous Komodo Dragons and Sea Gypsies, the shorter 5 or 6 night trips make this ideal for anyone visiting Indonesia.

Pristine reefs, untouched diving, the most number of different species found on one dive. Yes, this is Raja Ampat! This archipelago is relatively unexplored, but SMY Ondina have been regular visitors to the area for years, learning the best places to go at the best times. This really is frontier diving at its best.

Sprinkled around these two main destinations are crossing trips and exploration journeys, where every itinerary brings something new. Currents are prevalent in Indonesia and it is recommended that divers have at least an advanced certification or 50 logged dives. Dives will be guided and groups split by experience level, with 6 divers to one divemaster maximum.

Meet the Ondina team

With a wealth of experience and a true passion for the job, the SMY Ondina team will ensure an amazing trip. Operations manager Ricard moved to Indonesia in 2000 and knows the underwater world like the back of his hand. So much so that he recently published the book ‘Guide to Diving Raja Ampat’, so you can rest assured you will be diving with the pioneers of the area.

The local captain and crew have many years of experience of sailing the Indonesian waters. Together the 2 cruise directors and 12 crew are on hand to give you the experience to remember.

A typical day aboard the SMY Ondina

A day on board Ondina
A day on board Ondina

Imagine escaping the hustle and bustle of everyday life and boarding the SMY Ondina to set sail to explore the diverse region of Indonesia. The only sounds will be that of your fellow travellers on board, the sounds of the ocean and passing birds overhead.

A typical day onboard generally goes as follows;

At 7 am the wake-up bell calls ready to start a new day. The schedule will have been planned the night before, and those who are doing the morning dive can start the day with tea, coffee and biscuits to get them going. An in-depth briefing will take place on the dive deck, so everyone knows what to expect on the dive and is comfortable with the plan. Once everyone is ready the crew will take all the dive gear down to the tenders where you’ll hop on and head to the first dive site of the day.

After the first dive, you’ll head back on board to enjoy a well-earned breakfast and chat about the highlights of the dive, whether is was the manta rays performing their ballet show, the sharks out on an early morning hunt or the pygmy seahorses….

There’s also time to relax on a hammock and read a book before the bell calls for the second dive. Again there is an in-depth briefing and everyone starts to get ready for the dive. Photographers can take advantage of the large 4m2 camera table to set up cameras for the next dive.

After the second dive of the day, anchors are lifted and you sail towards the next spot. Everyone enjoys lunch on-board taking advantage of the sea breeze at the open-air dining room. After a light afternoon snooze, the bell rings again to signal the third dive of the day. After the third dive, the rest of the day could go a few ways. Maybe you’re taken ashore to the nearby island to visit a local village. Chances are the very friendly locals will come out to greet you and offer freshly caught seafood in exchange for cigarettes and chocolate! Or maybe there’s a break in between getting ready to do a dusk dive to see what critters come out to play.

Back on the boat dinner is being prepared and everyone enjoys the stunning sunset whilst reflecting on an amazing day had by all. After dinner everyone can share their best photos, discuss the day and make plans for the next adventure the following day. Eat. Dive. Relax. Sleep. Perfect.

Call us or book online today to start your amazing adventure aboard the SMY Ondina.