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Ocean Rover

Ocean Rover was purpose designed for comfortable and safe offshore diving. Her thick steel hull is 100ft/30m long and 26ft/8m wide. She is powered by three Hino V10 420Hp diesel engines, driving three propellers for extra safety. Her cruising speed is 10 knots and the top speed allowing us to visit many far-flung divesites in one single cruise.

Ocean Rover takes a maximum of sixteen passengers in eight cabins which are all located on the main and upper decks. Six cabins are identical and have large double beds with single upper berths and large panoramic windows. The two forward cabins on the main deck feature wide upper and lower single berths and have dual portholes. All cabins have private bathrooms, individually controlled air-conditioning and lots of storage space. All beds are 2 meters (6ft 5in) in length so the tallest of passengers can sleep comfortably.

Ocean Rover’s unique feature is the "whale-deck", the lower section of the dive-deck which slopes down to the waterline allowing for optimum ease of diving operations. This whale-deck is where the dinghies are stored when the vessel is underway.

The huge dive-deck has several camera tables and multiple rinse tanks plus a camera maintenance room. Care has been taken to ensure that photographers have safe places to put down their expensive cameras just before and after dives.

The spacious salon offers a comfortable dining and sitting arrangement, a fully equipped entertainment center and a camera charging area with 220/110 volts connections. The interior has been kept light and airy and has a relaxed atmosphere. The salon has a refreshments corner and our extensive marine life library is kept here as well.

The aft upper deck -or sun deck- is shaded and is everyone's favourite area for relaxing and socializing between dives. A second refreshments corner is located here and passengers can sit around the large picnic style table or settle down on one of the comfortable lounge chairs.

Ocean Rover’s sixteen passengers are looked after by twelve crew members. Most have been with us for many years and all have previously worked on other dive boats in Sulawesi so are very experienced in local conditions. They are rightfully proud of the boat and excellent reputation it has.

Indonesia Liveaboard Diving Cruises NEW ITINERARIES

A 19th century Dutch writer once described Indonesia as “wrapped around the Equator like an emerald band”. Ever since, this island nation has captured the imagination of all who visited there. Those who have dived and explored the underwater world of Indonesia agree that it has one of the most diverse marine environments on the planet.

NORTH SULAWESI

Northern Sulawesi, the area around Manado, is one of the best-known diving destinations in Indonesia. It is easily accessible by air from Singapore with Silk Air four times a week and Jakarta & Bali with Garuda Airlines daily. The topside scenery is dramatic with jungle clad mountains and volcanoes dominating the landscape. Unlike most of Indonesia, Northern Sulawesi’s inhabitants are devout Christians and a pleasant sense of calm and peacefulness prevails.

Commencing June 2008 Ocean Rover will be based in this unique area offering our guests the opportunity to enjoy North Sulawesi liveaboard diving in comfortable and familiar on board surroundings. The key words, as always, will be variety and quality.

Ocean Rover’s departure point in Manado is the deep-sea port of Bitung in the Lembeh Straits. Each cruise will start and finish with a full day of diving in this location of choice for underwater photographers in search of unique macro subjects.

Our divers will also spend time enjoying the world-class diving around Bunaken National Marine Park and Bangka Island. Here divers will encounter spectacular walls and reefs of hard and soft corals, an underwater environment that has enchanted divers from all over the globe.

Ocean Rover then journeys further north to a chain of volcanic islands, the Sangihe Archipelago: dozens of islands, some of which are over fifteen hundred meters high and densely covered by coconut palms. This area has some of the deepest and clearest water on the planet.

Some of the highlights include an underwater lava flow, a natural hot spring jacuzzi and a dive at Mahangatang, an underwater volcano which releases silver bubbles into the sea, an unforgettable sight. Conditions permitting, we also do a spectacular pinnacle dive at Para Island. And because a Sulawesi cruise is not complete without a day at Minahasa and Popo (a.k.a. Bethlehem), we visit these newly discovered critter sites as well.

Overall, Ocean Rover offers the most comfortable way of experiencing all that liveaboard diving North Sulawesi has to offer in one single cruise.

RAJA AMPAT

Raja Ampat is one of the youngest provinces of this huge country. With a population of only four people per square kilometre it is seen as a vast un-tapped area. Oil and copper represent over 90% of the value of the province’s exports.

In the last few years the Indonesian province of Papua, in the western part of the island of New Guinea, became famous because of its untouched, colourful reefs and great island scenery. Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati and Misool are the main islands that make up Raja Ampat, an area which consists of more than 1500 islands in total. Cruising through this unique area is breath-taking, to say the least.

The biodiversity of Raja Ampat is unique. In this archipelago are recorded more than 1000 species of reef fishes, more than 700 molluscs and more than 560 species of hard corals, which is more than 75% of all know hard corals worldwide. More than 4.6 million hectares of more or less untouched underwater areas are waiting with mangroves, colourful coral gardens, deep walls, giant schools of fish, manta rays, wobbegong sharks, as well as nudibranchs and critters.

Sorong, with 130,000 inhabitants, is an important city for oil and the starting point for our cruises. The city is easily accessible from Singapore with Silk Air via Manado, (one night stopover), then with Merpati or Wing Air on to West Papua.

Commencing September 2009 Ocean Rover will be based in this unique area. Our crew will meet you at the airport or your hotel and bring you to the departure point in Sorong for boarding. During the itinerary we will dive at the best locations in Raja Ampat. Our experienced dive guides will seek out interesting marine life for our guests plus macro subjects and wide angle impressions for the underwater photographers and videographers.

Cruising through the islands of Raja Ampat while relaxing on Ocean Rover and enjoying the delicious meals prepared by our chef is by far the most enjoyable and comfortable way to visit this unforgettable destination.

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