Mermaid I Itinerary

Raja Ampat - Banda Sea - Ambon - 11N

Embark in Sorong. Check in on board MV Mermaid I. As guest arrivals take place from 06:00-14:00, depending on flights, you are welcome to board when you arrive and spend some time looking around Sorong, gearing up, etc. Following the boat and safety briefing, it's overnight cruising to the Strait of Dampier. Cruise overnight to the Dampier Strait (40nm). 

The next two days will be spent around the Dampier Strait, the strait between the island of Waigeo, the Bird’s Head Peninsula and the northern side of Batanta Island.

The Dampier Strait is known for a huge variety of diving, from giant mantas to mangroves, beautiful reefs, many pinnacles and sea mounts covered in schooling fish, aggregations of sweetlips, schooling barracudas, bumphead parrotfish, fusiliers and lots of wobbegong sharks. It is also a great location for critters and macro subjects, with several species of pygmy seahorses and a large variety of nudibranchs.

There are also several jetties to do some great night dives, where you can see Raja epaulette sharks, toadfish, frogfish and crocodile fish. Cruise overnight to Misool, 90 nautical miles.

(Dives x7)

The next three days will be spent around the island of Misool, where there are literally hundreds of dive sites. Misool is heaven for wide angle photographers. The prettiest soft coral reefs in the world are located in Misool. In addition, there are multiple pinnacles surrounded by masses of schooling fish, barracudas, jacks and snappers.

There will be some excursions with the tenders through some amazing inner lagoons, with fantastic scenery and wildlife sightings. Cruise overnight to Pulau Koon, 100 nautical miles.

(Dives x11)

Pulau Koon is a small island on the southeast of Ceram, half way between Raja Ampat and the Banda Islands. Here you will find walls covered in soft corals and sandy slopes with hard coral bommies. But the most interesting feature of this island is the amount of schooling fish and pelagics, including barracudas, bigeye trevallies, aggregations of red snappers, pompanos, batfish and giant groupers. Cruise overnight to Manuk, 108 nautical miles.

(Dives x3)

Manuk, an active volcano about 55 nautical miles south of the Banda Islands, is one of two places in Indonesia where there are huge aggregations of sea snakes: Chinese sea snakes and banded sea kraits. It is an incredible experience to dive surrounded on all sides by sea snakes. The island is surrounded by black sandy slopes with hard coral reefs and volcanic ridges covered in gorgonians with zillions of fusiliers and pelagic fishes such as Spanish mackerels and dogtooth tunas passing through. Cruise overnight to the Banda Islands, 55 nautical miles.

(Dives x3)

The next two days will be spent in the Banda Islands, formerly known as the Spice Islands. Many of the dive sites around the Banda islands are wall dives. The walls are covered in massive gorgonians, soft corals, barrel sponges and have some very interesting swim throughs. But there are other attractive dive sites such as pinnacles with enormous groups of schooling pyramid butterflyfish, triggerfish and pelagic fishes such as tunas passing through, spectacular hard coral reefs next to the volcano, and great muck dives with lots of mandarin fish at the local jetty.

The Banda Islands are much more than diving. It is also a cultural and historical experience. You will spend one morning walking around the village of Banda Neira, the main island, with a local guide, visiting the local museum, the old Dutch fort, the old colonial governor’s house, the local fish market and a nutmeg plantation, where you will have breakfast. Cruise overnight to Nusa Laut (77 nautical miles) or to Ambon (110 nautical miles).

(Dives x6)

The last diving day of the trip will be around either the island of Nusa Laut or in Ambon Bay. Nusa Laut is a small island, next to the island of Saparua, which has some beautiful hard coral fringing reefs as well as walls similar to those of the Banda Islands.

Or, you will spend the day around Ambon, where there are several options such as wrecks, caves or some really interesting muck dives looking for Rhinopias, frogfish (including the psychedelic frogfish), harlequin shrimps and many other critters.

(Dives x2)

Disembark at 8am. Mermaid I staff will transfer you to the airport or local hotel in Ambon.

Sample itineraries are for guidance only. Actual itineraries may differ slightly due to factors such as weather, wildlife, logistics, and local regulations.