Dewi Nusantara

Dewi Nusantara is a three-masted wooden schooner built in 2007 after the cargo sailing ships of the second half of the 19th century. The hull is 48 metres long, 57 with the bowsprit; the beam is 12 metres and the decks cover around 400 square metres. A dark blue side, gold script lettering on the bow and three masts carrying both square and fore-and-aft sails make her recognisable from a long way off, and quite unlike the dozens of pinisi working Indonesia.

Inside she is not a reconstruction but a modern yacht. Eight identical Deluxe staterooms sit on the lower deck, four to each side, numbered two through nine; each is 20 square metres, twice the size of a typical Indonesian liveaboard cabin. The bed converts between one double and two singles, and there is a desk and chair, individually controlled air conditioning, a hairdryer and an en-suite bathroom with shower. The ninth cabin is the Master Suite at the stern of the main deck — 46 square metres with a king-size bed, bedside tables and reading lights, its own lounge with a large corner sofa and a table cut from a single piece of naturally shaped teak, a panoramic window across the whole stern, and a bathroom with a jacuzzi bath looking out to sea. The suite’s supports are untreated tree trunks, which makes it unmistakable in photographs.

The main deck holds the shared spaces: a restaurant with a dining room, a separate lounge, a covered dive deck doubling as outdoor dining, and a dedicated camera room. Above are the wheelhouse, a sun deck with loungers under an awning, and a forward “castle” deck with a hammock. The crew numbers 22 for 18 guests — more than one crew member per guest — and speaks English, German, French, Spanish and Indonesian.

What the fare covers is unusually generous. Besides the cabin, full board and the whole diving programme including night dives, the operator includes airport and hotel transfers, drinking water, soft drinks, tea and coffee, a welcome cocktail, wine with dinner, kayaks, land excursions, cabin, beach and deck towels, toiletries, internet and a massage. What is paid on board is short: a fuel surcharge of $330 per trip and park and port fees of $370–390 per trip, the amount depending on which marine parks the route enters. Everything else — nitrox, rental gear, spirits, a private guide — is optional.

The entry bar is soft on certification and firm on experience: Open Water is enough, but 20 logged dives, a logbook or dive computer history and valid diving insurance are required. Guests with a known medical condition are asked for a doctor’s certificate. Solo travel works: a berth is sold with a same-gender cabin mate, and taking the cabin to yourself costs 65 % extra.

The year covers almost the whole of Indonesia, and that is what sets this vessel apart. In winter she runs round trips in Raja Ampat out of Sorong; in spring she crosses through Misool and the Bomberai Peninsula into Triton Bay and on to Ambon; in May she works the Banda and Forgotten Islands towards Alor and Flores; in summer she dives Komodo and Saleh Bay off Sumbawa, where whale sharks feed under the fishing platforms; in autumn she returns north through Halmahera. Trips are long — 9, 10 or 11 nights, with no one-week departures at all. Several programmes are one-way: you board in one port and leave from another, so domestic flights have to be bought for the specific dates.