Trip Reports

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 […]

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 […]

Significant Raja Ampat

Charted by a very merry Spanish group, we ventured into the wonderous national park of Raja Ampat. Spirits were high, and everyone was excited for what lay ahead. Mermaid 2 was full of life as our lively guests brought a taste of Spain with them to Raja, loaded with Spanish cuisine, cheeses, breads and cured meats time above the water were thoroughly […]

Sixteen Days Biodiversity Super Special Maumere-Alor-Banda Sea-Raja Ampat Cruise 

The striking silhouette of Watu Warawutun volcano stood proud against a stary black backdrop. A faint orange glow radiated from within its belly, rising through its mouth to glow softly in the night sky. Suddenly, an explosion of light and colour painted the blackness. We stare in awe as Watu Warawutun erupts, firing a fountain […]

Incredible Array of Indonesia’s Marine Biodiversity

This week’s journey from Raja Ampat, crossing through the Banda Sea to Ambon, unveiled an incredible array of Indonesia’s marine biodiversity. From the inaugural night dive off the village of Sapokren, guests had the privilege of observing rare species such as the Flamboyant Cuttlefish and the enigmatic Wunderpus hunting crustaceans on the sandy seabed. As […]

Raja Ampat’s Incredible Encounter

This week’s voyage aboard the Mermaid One through Raja Ampat was marked by a series of incredibly unique encounters, ranging from oceanic manta rays and free-swimming wobbegong sharks to tiny blue-ringed octopuses and even a playful baby reef manta ray. Throughout the trip, guests encountered two species of wobbegong sharks: the ornate and the tasselled. […]

Whale and Bird Watching into the Heart of Raja Ampat

This week, the Mermaid One partnered with Naturetrek to lead an expedition encompassing snorkeling, whale watching, and bird watching into the heart of Raja Ampat. Our journey began in the southern region of Raja Ampat, where guests were treated to the breathtaking sight of hard and soft coral reefs teeming with vibrant marine life. Graceful […]

An Incredible Komodo Voyage Trip That Has it All

This trip has it all, a multitude of dive sites each with unique topographies suited to all kinds of diving, this, matched with the vastly diverse and rich abundance of marine life, made for an incredible voyage. Healthy reefs set the stage as fish of all sizes dance atop the corals in an explosion of […]

Another Action Packed Week

It was another action packed week aboard Mermaid II as it voyaged from Bali to Komodo. Sunday evening we went for a sunset dive at Satonda Reef where we briefly interrupted a pair of mating cuttlefish. Dive guide Bob spotted a tiny pygmy squid hidden amongst the coral reef. Our first day in the National […]

More Than Komodo

This weeks trip on board Mermaid II to Komodo National Park really proved why making the crossing from Bali to Komodo and back again can be so much more rewarding than taking a flight to Labuan Bajo. Aside from the logistics of additional flights and time lost in an airport there is a huge of […]