Trip Reports

Banda Sea Special Offer

BioDiversity Special – Ring of Fire Ambon-Banda Sea-Alor-Maumere 4-15 October, 2026 Deluxe Cabin 10% OFF Now only EUR 4,950/person

Back in Komodo – A Homecoming

After quite some time being away exploring Raja Ampat, Halmahera, Lembeh, the Togean islands, Alor and the Banda Sea. The Mermaid II found herself on a homecoming journey, sailing from Maumere through Komodo and beyond before returning to her home port of Benoa in Bali for more adventures to come! The trip began with a […]

Ambon creatures and Raja Ampat Reefs, dream destinations

We welcomed our much loved Dive India group back on Mermaid II and with great conditions in Ambon the trip was of to a fantastic start.  The first two days was spent searching for critters amongst the rubble substrates and steep sloping banks. The eagle eyed guides spotted countless rare and magical creatures such as, […]

From Raja Ampat reefs to Ambon’s muck diving

Over 700 miles, 3 different seas, 10 days of diving, from Raja Ampat via the Banda Sea to Ambon! Raja treats us with schooling fish life, swimming Wobbegongs and tons of Pygmy Seahorses. My personal highlight is our last dive in Misool, at Magic Mountain: at least 5 different Oceanic Mantas keep circling us for […]

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 […]