Mermaid I Itinerary

Biodiversity Super Special: Raja Ampat - Banda Sea - Forgotten Islands - Ambon

Check-in on board MV Mermaid I. As our guest arrivals take place all through the day depending on flights, you are welcome to board when you arrive and spend some time unpacking and setting up your equipment, etc. Once all guests are on board, we will proceed with boat and safety briefing. Mermaid I will cruise for 5 to 6 hours to the Dampier Strait, 40 nautical miles. 

The next three 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 will be an excursion to Pyanemu Viewpoint. Cruise overnight to Misool, 90 nautical miles.

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. There are also some great night dives, where you can see Raja epaulette sharks, frogfish and crocodile fish. Cruise overnight to Pulau Koon, 100 nautical miles.

Pulau Koon is a small island to the southeast of Ceram. 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, including barracudas, bigeye trevallies, red snappers, pompanos, batfish, pelagic giant groupers, mobula rays and sharks. Cruise overnight to Manuk, 108 nautical miles.

Manuk 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, dogtooth tunas and hammerhead sharks passing through. Cruise overnight to Nil Desperandum, 85 nautical miles.

Today we will spend all day diving at a reef called Nil Desperandum, which is 20 nm north of Nila Island and 25nm south of Serua Island. This reef in the middle of nowhere, together with Serua Island, is probably one of the best spots in the Banda Sea to see schooling hammerheads. Besides searching for hammerheads, it is also a great place to look for schooling barracudas, trevallies, and snappers, and also pelagics such as dogtooth tunas and giant trevallies. Cruise overnight to Serua, 25 nautical miles.

Day 11:
Serua Island is probably one of the most emblematic spots in the Banda Sea to see schooling hammerhead sharks. Also, it's an amazing sight to see schooling fish such as bigeye trevallies, pinjalo snappers and others. Cruise to Banda Islands, 97 nautical miles.

The next three 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, and 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 hammerhead sharks, tunas and mackerels 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).

The last diving day of the trip will be in Ambon Bay, where there are several options, such as a wreck or some really interesting muck dives looking for many critters, such as Rhinopias, frogfish and nudibranchs, seahorses, harlequin shrimps, etc.

Disembark at 8am. Staff will transfer you to the airport or a 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.