Samambaia

Samambaia is a traditional Indonesian phinisi: a two-masted wooden schooner carrying 420 square metres of sail, launched in November 2015 and registered in Benoa on Bali. She measures 34 metres over deck and 42 metres overall including the bowsprit; both figures turn up in catalogue tables, and that is not an error but two different measurements of the same hull. The operator runs this single vessel — company and boat share a name, and there is no fleet.

Fourteen guests are looked after by a crew of eighteen, close to one to one. There are seven cabins. Six sit on the lower deck: two strictly double (cabins 3 and 4), two with a convertible bed that makes up as a double or splits into two singles (cabins 1 and 2), and two with twin beds (cabins 5 and 6). The seventh is the master cabin at the aft end of the main deck: a king-size bed, high ceilings and panoramic windows with a 180-degree view, with a coating on the glass that keeps the cabin private from outside. Every cabin has its own bathroom with a rain shower and hand shower, a toilet with an integrated bidet and a washbasin carved from fossil wood, plus individually controlled air conditioning.

The operator sells berths, not only whole cabins. Cabins 1, 2, 5 and 6 go one berth at a time — including as a female share with a same-sex cabin mate; cabins 3 and 4 and the master cabin are sold whole only. Occupancy is published daily on the operator’s site by colour: red is booked, green is free, orange means an option is being held. Single occupancy of a twin cabin costs 50 per cent on top of the berth price.

The money matters are worth knowing in advance. Three payments sit outside the trip price, are collected on board and depend on the route: a port clearance fee of $75–100, a fuel surcharge of $150–250 and a marine park fee of $75–250 per person. The operator publishes them as a table by route — a rare case where the amount is named up front. One small contradiction in his own text: the table gives the Raja Ampat park fee as $150, while the note underneath says $100. Nitrox, beer, soft drinks, Italian coffee, snacks, weights, 12-litre tanks, a kayak and the airport-to-port transfer are all included.

The schedule is published three years ahead — through the end of 2028, which is unusual. Prices are quoted in Indonesian rupiah: 131 million for eleven nights in the 2026 season, 134 million in 2027 and 141 million in 2028; the master cabin costs exactly 2.214 million rupiah more per night. Euro prices exist only for the dates the aggregator sells, which covers the 2026 and 2027 seasons. The 2028 dates carry no price on this card: we will not convert rupiah into euros at today’s rate, because the rate moves. Ask us and we will confirm the fare for those departures.

A sizeable share of dates goes to groups taking the whole vessel — the operator marks those as full charter. A trip is confirmed from five guests: below that the operator reserves the right to cancel, refunding in full or offering another date. Bookings are held with a non-refundable 20 per cent deposit, the balance falling due 90 days before departure. Cancelling more than 90 days out costs 20 per cent, 89–60 days out 50 per cent, later than that the full amount; moving a date counts as a cancellation.

There are up to four dives a day, none on embarkation and disembarkation days: three day dives of at least an hour and one sunset or night dive, unless the boat is covering miles overnight. Surface intervals are filled with tender rides through lagoons, treks to viewpoints, village visits, wakeboarding, kayaks and whale watching. One guide looks after four divers. Every guest is issued a Nautilus Lifeline marine rescue GPS for the whole trip. Dive insurance is mandatory. Fishing and spearfishing from the boat are forbidden.