Biodiversity - Trip Reports
Maumere to Ambon 800 Nautical Miles of Navigation, Endless Possibilities
This week, the Mermaid II welcomed a group of familiar faces coming all the way from Poland and set sail for an epic crossing from Maumere to Alor through the vast Banda Sea before concluding in Ambon. 12 days of incredible biodiversity through Indonesia’s most remote areas, characterized by a series of volcanic sceneries, dramatic […]
The Banda Sea Uncovered: A Snorkeling Expedition
The Banda Sea might not immediately come to mind when you think of a snorkeling destination, yet it’s full of surprises. From its rich heritage, scenic landscapes above the crystal clear blue waters, to spectacular coral reefs, and a plethora of diverse marine life. This week, the Mermaid I with Snorkel Ventures just embarked on […]
Trip Of A Lifetime
Beautiful reefs and pristine corals, walls covered in fish, blue water mangroves, volcanos surrounded by Chinese Sea Snakes, schooling Hammerhead Sharks, Mobula Rays hunting Anchovies, mating Mandarin Fish, Oceanic Manta Rays getting cleaned, Pygmy Seahorses and other tiny, rare critters as well as passing Blue Whales on the surface – the list just continues. Perfect […]
Biodiversity Special – Highlights, Highlights, Highlights
It is hard to name the absolute highlight of our Biodiversity Special trip from Raja Ampat to Maumere after 14 days of diving. Was it the tiny little Blue Ringed Octopus, size of a hazelnut, which was trying to distract from three Reef Manta Rays getting cleaned at Manta Sandy? Or the fantastic encounters at […]
Small Stuff
Only two trips a year take us to the beautiful waters of Lembeh in North Sulawesi, which is famous for its strange critters and creatures. Colorful Nudibranchs, different types of Crabs and Shrimps, Wasp Fish, Sea Moths, Frogfish and Flying Gurnard to just mention a few specials. But we start off in Raja Ampat where […]
Cloud of Chevrons
Imagine clouds moving in and making the sun disappear – this is pretty much what happened to us on our dive in Pantai Sago in Tifore on our way back from Lembeh to Raja Ampat. But it was not a cloud which caused it: a gigantic school of Chevron Barracudas out of the sudden moved […]
Maumere-Banda-Raja Ampat Biodiversity Cruise
Where to start when the whole trip is one big highlight? On our crossing trip from Flores to West Papua via the Banda Sea we dive colorful reefs, pinnacles, walls, caves and swim-throughs, mangroves, limestone, volcanoes, hot springs. Fish-wise we encounter Hammerhead, Grey Reef and Wobbegong Sharks, Snakes, Pygmy Seahorses, massive schools of Barracudas, Trevallies, […]
SHARKS!
This trip started with the famous muck diving of Ambon to finish in Raja Ampat 12 days later. We encountered a lot of Sharks, starting already at the check dive with a couple of Cat Sharks. Other sightings in Ambon included Coconut Octopus, Ambon Scorpionfish, Stargazer Snake Eels and a parade of rare Nudibranchs. In […]
GETTING WRECKED!
This was one of our special trips – from Raja Ampat and the Banda Sea to Ambon in the Moluccas. We enjoyed a huge variety of diving, ranging from Mangroves, Reefs, Seamounts, Walls, Volcanos, Muck and even a wreck! Those 12 days just flew by… Starting in Raja Ampat, we did all the classic dives, […]
AMAZING WALLS IN BANDA SEA!
Starting in Maumere, Flores, this was the Biodiversity trip through Alor, Banda Sea, Raja Ampat and finally ending up in Sorong, West Papua. Banda Sea is famous for stunning walls in crystal clear waters with visibility often exceeding 40-50 meters. Tons of fish and beautiful corals, sponges, tunicates etc. One of the volcanos here, Gunung […]