This week, the Mermaid II with Snorkel Ventures embarked on an epic 12 days snorkeling adventure down in the Gulf of Tomini. From the legendary Lembeh Strait to the southeast coast of North Sulawesi, to the pristine Togian Islands and back to Lembeh Strait.
After an overnight sail from our anchorage in Lembeh, we started the trip snorkeling in Tanjung Flesko on the southeast coast of North Sulawesi. Guests were immediately treated with great visibility, beautiful hard coral gardens as far as the eye could see and various marine life.
From there we sailed to Gorontalo where we continued our snorkeling adventure exploring the walls of Olele Marine Park. Nice visibility, beautiful corals and sponges decorates the dramatic walls. Some of us even encountered the “Salvador Dali” sponge, which can only be found in the Tomini bay, in the deeper part of the walls. After Olele, we continued further into Botubarani where guests enjoyed 2 sessions of snorkeling with a couple of Whale Sharks, the gentle giant of the ocean.
Then we sailed overnight to the pristine waters of the Togian Islands in the heart of the Gulf of Tomini, where we spent most of our time. We couldn’t asked for better weather conditions as we sailed through flat calm seas. Even a massive pod of Melon Headed Whales decided to accompany us along the way, much to the delight of our lucky guests. Guests were delighted to snorkel in crystal clear blue waters, exploring the beautiful walls and plateaus, full of unique and interesting coral formations and marine life. We also paid a visit to a small village in Pulau Papan where the Bajau people lives, seeing first hand their interesting way of life.
We concluded our journey back in the legendary Lembeh Strait, the muck diving capital, where we spent our last snorkeling sessions muck snorkeling for the rare tiny critters that dwells on the volcanic black sands.
Christopher Pen
MV Mermaid II
February 12-23, 2025