The Journal · 15 September 2026

One year around the corner

One year into the build. A year ago, WAOW 2 was little more than a hull. Today, her decks, cabins and living spaces are beginning to take shape.

The shipyard crew in matching blue shirts lined up under the shipyard roof

The empty shipyard shed on Bira beach before construction began

The WAOW 2 team and shipbuilders posing on the timber structure at the Bira shipyard

The hull of WAOW 2 in its wooden scaffolding against a deep blue sky

18th of September marks a special milestone for WAOW 2: one year since construction began in Bira.

Twelve months of brilliant craftsmanship and very hard work have transformed the first pieces of timber into a vessel whose decks we can now walk and whose spaces are taking shape.

To mark this anniversary, we are proud to announce our collaboration with Good Forest Indonesia, a first step towards giving back to the forests that have given substance to WAOW 2.

And while construction continues at the shipyard in Bira, part of our team is getting ready for InterDive in Friedrichshafen later this month.

One year behind us, and so much still ahead.

Giving back to the forest

Building WAOW 2 requires a considerable amount of wood. For us, that comes with a responsibility: to recognise what we take from nature, and to find meaningful ways to give back.

This is why we have partnered with Good Forest Indonesia to support the planting and long-term restoration of Indonesian forests. Our first goal is to plant enough trees to compensate for the wood used to build WAOW 2, and hopefully, to go well beyond that over time.

A group of people standing at a tree-planting site in a sunny field

A man in a cap holding up a tree seedling in its pot

A woman crouching next to a young planted tree in tall grass

Because sustainability is not one action. It is a commitment made through many decisions, over many years. This is one of ours.

Latest news from the shipyard

The upper deck is now in place, and on the main deck, the first spaces of your future liveaboard are starting to emerge.

Two cabins, the restaurant & lounge, dive shop and camera room, the galley, and the outdoor spaces are all beginning to find their place.

The upper deck of WAOW 2 seen from the bow, with the sea in the background

The upper deck under construction beneath the shipyard roof

Sunlight falling through the windows onto the wooden floor of a new space on the main deck

A long open space on the main deck with windows along the side

A space on the main deck with new wooden wall panels

A narrow passage between wooden wall panels on the main deck

An open area of the main deck under the wooden ceiling, with timber on the floor

Interior of the main deck with posts and sawdust on the floor

A room on the main deck taking shape, with window openings and stacked planks

The main deck under the upper deck, with planks and a ladder

Down in the lower deck, the space has also been divided into two levels, where deluxe cabins, engine room, crew quarters and tank deck will take form.