Thirty years of expedition sailing through eastern Indonesia aboard traditional phinisi, no WiFi by design, and a conservation program woven into every itinerary. SeaTrek is now on Coralbound.

This is a platform announcement. If you're here to plan an Indonesia liveaboard trip, start with the Indonesia liveaboard guide. SeaTrek isn't a dive operator — this is a snorkeling, cultural, and leisure-focused sailing experience.

Thirty years under sail

SeaTrek has been running expedition voyages through the Indonesian archipelago since 1986, when the Pinisi Nusantara — first shown at the 1986 Vancouver World Expo — was handed over to the company and began exploring eastern Indonesia. The ships themselves are traditional wooden phinisi, but the onboard experience is genuinely comfortable — well-appointed cabins, proper dining, and attentive crew — built on immersive, culturally grounded voyages rather than resort-style comfort alone. Indonesian tour leaders and crew, remote routes away from the well-worn tourist trail, and a genuine emphasis on the places and people the ships pass through set the operator apart from a standard charter cruise.

SeaTrek has picked up recognition to match — Travel Weekly's Magellan Award, TripAdvisor's Travelers' Choice in 2023 and 2024, and the Azure Road Impact Award in 2026, alongside a WWF Signing Blue partnership reflecting a documented commitment to sustainability.

Ombak Putih

Ombak Putih — "White Wave" in Indonesian — is the larger of SeaTrek's two ships, a 42-metre traditional phinisi carrying up to 24 guests across 12 en-suite cabins spread over two decks. She's recognisable by her vibrant blue sails and tall masts, and led by Captain Jufri and a crew of 14.

Cabins come in double and twin configurations, each with a full-size bed, generous under-bed storage, a dedicated dresser, individual air conditioning, and a private en-suite bathroom. Natural light runs through portholes along the hull. Common areas include an indoor saloon with a bar, a shaded outdoor dining area, and plenty of open deck space to relax between excursions. Guest reviews consistently single out the crew — a small band plays on board some evenings — and the food, prepared fresh throughout the voyage.

Ombak Putih runs the shorter Komodo & Beyond itineraries through the first half of the year, then ventures further east into the Banda Sea, Spice Islands, and Halmahera on longer routes for the remainder of the season.

Katharina

Katharina is the more intimate of the two — 38 metres, sitting low in the water with a distinctive profile and red sails, carrying up to 12 guests across six en-suite cabins under Captain Jefri and a crew of 12. Two triple cabins with a bunk bed suited to a child 12 or under can extend total capacity to 14, making her a strong option for families travelling together.

Built from ironwood using traditional methods and blended with modern systems, Katharina began exploring the archipelago in 1997, one of the earliest vessels to pioneer this style of expedition sailing in the region. Cabins are compact but comfortable, each with a private en-suite bathroom — the point on board is to spend most of the day on deck or in the water rather than in the cabin. For guests wanting fewer fellow travellers and a closer, more personal connection to the crew and the sea, Katharina is the choice.

Katharina runs a mix of scheduled departures and customised charters, with particular flexibility around the Komodo region and shorter, more tailored itineraries.

Aboard both ships

Both ships blend traditional phinisi construction with modern comfort — individually controlled air conditioning, proper storage, and en-suite bathrooms throughout. Kayaks, paddleboards, and snorkelling gear are standard equipment on both. They motor for most of their routes — the distances and scheduling involved mean relying purely on wind isn't practical — but sails go up whenever conditions allow, which guests consistently mention as one of the trip's highlights.

Not a dive trip

SeaTrek is built around snorkeling, not diving. Guests snorkel regularly — often twice a day — across some of Indonesia's richest reefs, alongside encounters with manta rays and whale sharks, jungle treks to see birds of paradise, visits to stingless jellyfish lakes, ancient rock art, and stops in villages and communities along the route. It's a genuinely different kind of trip to the diving-focused liveaboards elsewhere on Coralbound — closer to an expedition cruise than a dive safari, and a strong option for mixed groups where not everyone dives, or for travellers who want Indonesia's marine world without needing a certification.

There's no WiFi on board, and that's deliberate rather than an oversight. The intention is to give guests a genuine break from being reachable — something that comes up often and positively in guest feedback.

Expert-led departures

Select SeaTrek departures are accompanied by specialists — marine biologists, coral scientists, and naturalists who join the crew for the voyage, give evening talks, and add depth to what guests are seeing both above and below the water. It's a feature that turns a good trip into something closer to a genuine expedition, with real expertise on hand rather than a generic briefing.

Family cruises

SeaTrek also runs departures specifically suited to families, combining wildlife encounters — Komodo dragons, whale sharks, manta rays — with a pace and itinerary structure that works for guests travelling with children. Given the emphasis on snorkeling over diving and the cultural, hands-on nature of the excursions, these trips tend to suit a wider age range than a typical dive liveaboard.

Extend the trip with Borneo

SeaTrek partners with WOW Borneo to offer a four-day Borneo river cruise as an add-on to Komodo itineraries — a chance to see orangutans and proboscis monkeys along the Kalimantan rivers before or after the main voyage, for guests who want to extend their trip beyond the archipelago.

Sailing for Good

Conservation and community work run through every SeaTrek itinerary rather than sitting as a side initiative. The operator's Sailing for Good program covers coral and mangrove planting in Komodo and West Papua, community libraries in Raja Ampat and Inosota, and ongoing partnerships with local coral gardeners, boat builders, and conservationists across the routes SeaTrek sails. Guests aren't just passengers on these trips — the itineraries are built to include actual participation, from planting coral frags to visiting local schools.

Where SeaTrek sails

Because SeaTrek isn't tied to dive site logistics, the routing goes further and wider than almost any dive-focused operator in Indonesia. Itineraries fall into three main categories. Komodo & Beyond runs April to August, 9 days, covering Komodo with whale sharks, manta rays, and the dragons themselves. Raja Ampat's Hidden Horizons runs October to January, 10 to 12 days, through Raja Ampat's limestone karst and reefs.

The Rare Routes are where SeaTrek's range really shows — 12 to 16-night expeditions running once a year across genuinely remote territory: Ternate to Komodo via the Sula Archipelago, Banggai, Wakatobi, and Taka Bonerate, alongside routes through Ambon, Alor, and the Spice Islands. These are places few other operators reach, let alone in a single itinerary, and it's often on these longer, more exploratory routes that an onboard specialist joins the voyage.

What's available to book

Both vessels' upcoming departures are now live on Coralbound with real-time availability and pricing direct from the operator.

Questions? Reach us on WhatsApp or via the contact form. Bookings through Coralbound come at the same price as booking direct, with booking gifts including the option of a complimentary hotel night.