Trip Reports
Awe Inspiring Raja Ampat
It’s that time of the year again, the final trip for the Raja Ampat season is completed, and the boats will make The Crossing through the vast Banda Sea and later into Komodo and Bali. To reflect, the 2025/2026 Raja Ampat season was nothing short of awe-inspiring! Every trip hits differently, and no matter how […]
From Misool to the Dampier Strait: A Raja Ampat Liveaboard Adventure Aboard Mermaid II
This week onboard the Mermaid II, we welcomed a group of familiar faces coming all the way from Russia and embarked on a 9 day adventure through the stunning Raja Ampat islands, and it was nothing short of incredible Starting the trip by cruising down south and breaking the surface at Misool, we were immediately […]
Beautiful reefs, schooling fish and creatures
There are many reasons why we dive, big and small. From Oceanic manta rays to Pygmy seahorses, we divers love them all. Not to mention the weird and wonderful. Painted frogfish, octopi and marine ladybugs so small you need a magnify glass just to see them (a strong dioptre works just as well for all […]
Raja Ampat a diver paradise
Raja Ampat is not exactly famous for its current and the small critters other than the many different species of Pygmy Seahorses of course. So this trip we had a couple of surprises! Starting off our trip in the North or Raja, in the Dampier Strait, the currents made us enjoy some adventurous dives with […]
Raja Ampat and beyond
You never know what to expect for the first Raja Ampat trip of the season. And we couldn’t have been luckier in terms of diving conditions and marine encounters! The South of Raja Ampat, the area of Misool, is my absolute favorite part of the trip. This is also where we get to see the […]
Biodiversity Super Special: The perfect crossing
When a trip just takes your breath away… it must have been because it was the perfect Crossing! The Biodiversity Super Special is the highlight of the year and for a good reason: over 1,200 nautical miles from Maumere via Alor, the Forgotten Islands in the Banda Sea all the way up to Raja Ampat. […]
Pure Biodiversity in our crossing from Maumere to Raja Ampat
When you venture across the big blue sea there is no knowing what you may find. Adventure is truly around the corner on Mermaid 1 with the annual crossing from Maumere, through Alor and the Banda sea, to Raja Ampat. There is a reason why we have named this voyage the Biodiversity Super Special. Whales […]
Komodo amazing diving and landscapes
What a trip it’s been- this week we were easily able to tick off all the highlights Komodo has to offer! From graceful Manta Rays to Sharks cruising around, schooling fish life to all the weird and wonderful critters and creatures. We had some true Frogfish galore going on as well, with many different species […]
Komodo diving with mantas, turtles and small critters
It’s one of the things I enjoy most about diving in Komodo: you get Mantas, Sharks and big fish as well as little frogfish, octopus and colorful critters. This trip was all about the mix! At “Takat Makassar” we’re lucky this time and get to drift with a dozen of Manta Rays in the shallows. […]
Banda Sea diving from Ambon to Flores on Mermaid I
Returning to Flores from Ambon. The Ring of Fire journey this time has started from Ambon island. Ambon is steeped in history on land and hides some truly unique critters below. Incredible macro fauna make this spot a very famous destination for underwater photographers. Harlequin, Bumblebee and Coleman shrimps. Many painted frogfish and a Rynopias […]