The SARIMANOK voyage was a 1985-1986 expedition led by Bob Hobman, sailing a 60-foot traditional Philippine VINTA (dual outrigger canoe) from Bali to Madagascar to prove that ancient Austronesian ancestors directly crossed the Indian Ocean. The 65-day trip relied on ancient navigation, demonstrating high-level maritime skills.

Preceding the expedition of the Sarimanok was the 1976 voyage of the Hokule'a from Hawaii to Tahiti, designed to demonstrate that ancient Polynesian navigators could navigate thousands of miles across the Pacific using traditional, non-instrumental techniques, such as reading stars, ocean currents, and wildlife. This voyage proved that early Polynesian voyagers intentionally settled the Pacific Islands, and not by accidental drift.