Mermaid II Diving Itineraries
Mermaid II: Bali - Komodo - Bali Itinerary:
Saturday: Check-in on board MV Mermaid II between 1400-1600 hours in Benoa Harbour Bali. Dinner will be served as we cruise into the sunset on overnight journey to Moyo Island, Sumbawa.
Sunday: First dive at Angel Reef, Moyo Island. Massive elephant ear and barrel sponges, schools of long fin banner fish and red tooth triggers. Frog fish, nudibranchs, eels, surgeon fish, snapper, dog tooth tuna checking out what is for lunch! Visit the local village before lunch then cruise to Satonda Island for a a macro dive then watch a million bats fly at sunset. After a great night dive and dinner we cruise overnight to Sangeang volcano off the north coast of Sumbawa.
Monday: Diving around Sangeang Island for rare nudibranchs, pygmy seahorse, leaf scorpion fish, blue ribbon eelsThe underwater hot springs here support this very unique marine environment. Night dive here too or head on over to Gili Banta for the chance for Star Gazers and coral cat shark.
Tuesday: Current depending, diving GPS Point, Gili Banta, famous for its sharks and pelagic fishes. Then we enter the Komodo National Park and dive at
Gili Lawa Laut looking for grey reef shark and dolphin at Taka Toko Gili Lawalaut. Lighthouse Reef and The Old Passage offer fast drifts with pelagics and maybe manta rays.
Crystal Rock has soft corals in gold and orange hues plus the chance for sharks, turtles and giant Maori wrasse. Tonight we dive the famous Pink Beach offers spectacular colours, frogfish, slipper lobster, basket stars, robust sea cucumbers unqiue to the area and much more.
Wednesday: Komodo National Park walk in the morning to see dragons.
Then cruise south to dive the Three Sisters or Pillarsteen at Padar Island. Then onto Horseshoe Bay at Rinca Island, home of one of the top 10 dives in the world, Cannibal Rock with its abundance of corals, sponges, ascidians, sea apples, black corals, turtle, cuttlefish, loads of reef fishes too. Maybe a chance to follow whales and dolphin feeding in the calm bay. We overnight here.
Thursday: Diving the Three Sisters at Padar Island for sharks and nudibranchs, surgeon fish and devil rays. Diving Manta Alley or Takat Makasar for many manta rays. Batu Bolung aka “Current City” is the home for large Napolean wrasse, turtles, blue fin trevally Or maybe a dive at Tatawa Kecil if currents allow. The night dive could be at at Gili Banta with coral cat shark or we could cruise west enjoying a post dinner night dive along the way.
Friday: Two dives at Satonda and Moyo Islands for more chances for ghost
pipe fish, ribbon eels, turtle, cuttlefish and more before we cruise overnight to Bali.
Saturday: After breakfast transfer ashore at 9am to continue your vacation.
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Mermaid II: Sorong - Raja Ampat - Sorong Itinerary:
No trip is the same with so many different dive sites to visit and explore so itinearies are very flexible.
Day 1: Check-in on board MV Mermaid II. As guest arrivals take place all through the day 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 - its overnight to the Misool area.
Day 2-4: Misool area – with literally 100’s of dives around this magnificent area we will be in diver’s paradise for a few days. Gorgonians and some of the prettiest soft corals in the world. Lots of pygmy seahorse. Pinnacles with masses of fish. Blue water mangroves (crocs depending!) islands Plus Sagof Islands, Wagma and Farondi islands; Wailbatan and Warakaret Island, Kalig, Pele Islands.
Day 5-8: Fiabacet and Farondi Island diving. Between dives exploring the lagoons in the dinghy for amazing sights and wildlife. Then we may head north to Waigeo Island.
Perhaps we will spend the day around Batanta Island, a black sand environment, great muck diving. Dampier Strait for the manta ray cleaning stations as well as the fabulous macro diving (Pegasus sea moth, Pontohi Pygmy Seahorse).
Diving at a small island called Arborek, with a lovely village. The jetty pillars are covered in soft corals and critters such as signal gobies, nudibrancs and more Pohtohi’s etc. Dive around the island of Kawe a great place for schooling fish, and beautiful reefs covered in black coral bushes.
Diving in Alyui Bay equally good for macro and wide angle. Walls covered in soft corals and sea fans with lots of nudies and pygmys. We can tour the pearl farm in the bay to learn the process of pearl farming. Diving Alyui bay jetty is also a great night dive with Raja Epaulette sharks (walking sharks), wobbegongs, crocodile fish, toadfish and frogfish.
Dive around the island of Yanggefo - beautiful mangrove areas, stunning reefs covered in orange and pruple soft corals and submerged reef with lots of schooling fish.
Day 8: 2 dives in the Strait of Dampier. Diving the Strait of Dampier, well known for the amount of schooling fish as well as manta rays. Fish covered pinnacles and capes for schools of barracudas, bigeye jacks, snappers, fusiliers, surgeonfish and more. And lots of wobbegongs.Then back to Sorong.
Day 9: Breakfast then ashore at Sorong at 0830 hrs for onward transfer.