Trip Reports
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 […]
Biodiversity Super Special 16 Days Cruise Raja Ampat-Banda Sea-Alor-Maumere
It’s that time of year again where the Mermaid II embarks on her famous seasonal crossing from Raja Ampat into Maumere. An incredible 16 days voyage of biodiversity, traversing over 1000 nautical miles across 5 different seas, passing through some remote and extraordinary destinations along the way. Starting this super special trip on a high […]
Where to Start…
Where to start, where to start, where to start. It’s difficult to write a concise summation of a sixteen day diving trip through the worlds richest oceans where every location holds unbelievable encounters. Do I start with the rich marine life and expansive un touched reefs of the Banda Sea, the close encounters with giant […]
Legendary Season
It’s the end of the Komodo season, and quite possibly my best season with Mermaid II in Komodo. As I scroll through my computer’s hard disk which is absolutely packed with all of my most memorable Komodo moments from 2016. Here are just a few of this year’s highlights from Mermaid II during the 2016 […]
Surprises In the Sea
From East Flores to West Papua, 16 days diving walls, reefs, slopes, pinnacles and crossing four different seas – that’s what the crossing trip is all about. From the tiniest Pygmy Seahorses to giant majestic Oceanic Manta Rays, Chinese Sea Snakes, Dolphins, Frogfishes, Sharks and schooling fish life – “biodiversity” topside and underwater is what […]
Diving At The Ring Of Fire
Eastern Indonesia and the area between Bali to Papua is also know as “The Ring of Fire”. Famous for lots of volcanic activities which have created some unique underwater seascapes and inhabiting marine life. The Banda Sea is famous for steep walls covered in soft corals, sponges and sea fans. Warm, clear blue waters full […]
Ketut Saves the Day
It’s heartbreaking to see such as small beautiful animal like this juvenile hawksbill sea turtle entangled in a discarded piece of fishing net. Luckily there was still time to turn this situation around. While on a surface interval at Castle Rock Ketut noticed a piece of fishing net drifting past the boat and inside was […]
From Sea Snakes And Scorpionfish
From Raja Ampat in West Papua to Maumere in East Flores: over 14 days of diving, over 1,000 nautical miles, 5 different seas. Those are just technicalities about our “Biodiversity Special” or “Crossing Trip” but what does the reality behind that look like? After a few days diving in the Misool Area, it is eventually […]
Delectable Anemones
While on our most epic crossing trip, where Mermaid II sails from the notorious Raja Ampat though the Banda Sea and into Flores’s east coast port Maumere, we had some truly awesome encounters. From a small group of very shy scalloped hammerhead sharks, schooling sea snakes (no joke), to a riot of Indonesia’s best critters. […]
The Right Mix
What I like most about our “special trips” is the diversity of dive sites, marine life and land excursions – it’s just a perfect mix. Ten days of diving and over 500 nautical miles later, we can look back to diving sandy slopes hunting for critters and creatures, an old ship wreck which sank in […]