Mermaid II Itinerary

Biodiversity Super Special: Raja Ampat – Banda Sea – Alor – Maumere

Check-in on board MV Mermaid II. 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. Following the boat and safety briefing, Mermaid II will cruise for 4 to 5 hours to the Dampier Strait area.

The first two diving days of the trip 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 the Raja epaulette shark, toadfish, frogfish and crocodile fish. Cruise overnight to Misool, 90 nautical miles. 

The next two days will be spent around the island of Misool, Raja Ampat, where there are literally hundreds of dive sites. Misool is a 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 the Dampier Strait, 90 nautical miles.

Pulau Koon is a small island on the southeast of Ceram, halfway 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 Misool, 100 nautical miles

The next two days will be spent in the Banda Islands, formerly known as the Spice Islands. Many of the dive sites around the Bandas 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 fish 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 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 Manuk, 55 nautical miles.

Manuk, also known as the Snake Volcano. Don't need to be afraid! The site also offers a black sand reef dive with loads of fish and pretty hard and soft corals. We will spend the whole day here doing four day dives, then cruise to the Banda Islands, 60 nautical miles.

Serua Island is probably one of the most emblematic spots in the Banda Sea to see schooling hammerhead sharks. Also an amazing site to see schooling fish such as bigeye trevallies, pinjalo snappers and others. Surrounding Nila Island there are two atolls, Dusborgh and Nil Desperandum. It’s at these two atolls that there is a good chance of seeing hammerhead sharks. Even without the hammerheads, the reefs are fabulous, with healthy walls and big schools of fish. Cruise to Damar Islands, 90 nautical miles

Today you will dive several small islands—Neus Leur, Terbang Seletan and Terbang Utara. The island of Damar and its three surrounding small islands have spectacular diving. Like many dives in the Banda Sea, there is crystal clear water and beautiful walls covered in massive sponges and beautiful soft corals. Cruise to Wetar Island, 150 nautical miles.

Day 12:
After cruising every night for one week, Mermaid II will have finally crossed the Banda Sea and arrived at the island of Wetar.

At Wetar, you will do three dives at the small island of Reong and at Cape Nunukae. Pulau Reong is a small island on the northwest coast of Wetar and is separated by a small channel only 700 meters wide. More walls, like many of the dive sites in the Banda Sea, covered in small soft corals but of a great variety of colors and zillions of triggerfish of every species.

Cape Nunukae, about 6 nautical miles southwest of Pulau Reong, is a large ridge with slopes on both sides, covered with a hard coral reef on the shallow area of the ridge and soft corals on the slopes in the deeper areas. Strong currents can be had at the end of the ridge, where large aggregations of schooling fish can be found. Cruise overnight to Alor, 95 nautical miles.

Alor is one of the old-time favorite dive spots for divers coming to Indonesia year after year due to its variety of dive sites. Healthy reefs, pinnacles, walls, great muck dives, cold water, warm water, strong currents and protected areas. Alor has it all. Cruise overnight to Kawula Island (90nm) or Serbete Island (120 nm).

You will do two dives today at Kawula Island (90 nm to Maumere) or Serbete Island (60 nm to Maumere).

After breakfast, staff will transfer you to the airport or hotel.

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